Araucana thread anyone?

[smoothmule]

Illia,
Thank you, they're the first I've hatched from my own Araucana's so they're extra special.

Remember the one's I got from the local breeder that were in such poor condition? It's been a month and they look terrific now. I lost a couple but the one's left have flourished.

Since they have come along so well, I'd like to know what you think about the sex of a couple that were not clear before.

Here is Blot - pullet?

Here is Fawn - pullet?

Macho is da man, lol - "Mr. Cockerel"

Spot - Pretty sure he's a he too (and he's double tufted

LuvDove - totally female

She was hard to photograph, she'd rather sit on my knee. Still dainty but so much more healthy!

 

[smoothmule]

cackleberrycoop.
I hatched them in the incubator. It's been pretty cold here and none of mine are broody right now.
Thanks

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Wow, they are looking good! Good job smoothmule; I remember when you posted pics of them all scraggly and scrawny. I'd have to agree with you across the board on your gender pics. Macho's chest and leg feathering is stunning! Look at that lacing!

 

[Illia]

Yep, spot's a he. But he looks pretty clean, which is a good thing.

Fawn is very nice. Is she bilaterally tufted?

Your gender guesses are correct.

 

[smoothmule]

Illia,

Thank you! Yes, Fawn is double tufted. They aren't balanced but she has some smallish tufts on the left too. Luvdove had all hers either plucked out or moulted out. Her peduncles are really large and there are more coming in. Her little tail is more normal looking now, when I got her home it just dragged. Luv's tufts, if I remember right, were good sized and balanced. Fawn was a hard one to figure, she was labeled a possible cockerel until just recently. She was also very lanky and just not pretty and now she has a very nice "figure" for a lady. Blot still has some feathering to grow back on her back but she is another one that is looking very nice. I'm going to sell Blot and Macho together if anyone is interested.

 

[PitterPatterPalace]

Yay!!! All beautiful pictures.

 

[coturnix2044]

Hi all, Happy everyone's birds are doing great. My birds turned out beautifully, I really need to show pics to show off my pride and joys at the moment!
I also wanted ask If I were to be looking for some live Chicks next spring, would anyone would be willing to hatch and ship?
I had a bad experiance with 4 out of 32 eggs and prefer not to buy eggs anymore. The worst thing is, no response from the seller when I'd sent a complaint, especially since 2 died, and one is tailed

. I know the PO can be rough but between 2 shipments and lots o' money I expected more than 2 chicks, or at least a response from the seller since these were exspensive eggs and 2 diffrent shipments, not to mention the >5% hatch rate

. (sorry to nag, just bummed)
other than that things are going great. My 7 kiddos should be 3 months old at the end of the month!

Its so fun to see what each chick turns out to be both in feathering and personality!

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Were those shipped eggs bantam or large fowl?
And yes, we need photos!!!

 

[coturnix2044]

They were LF eggs. I don't want to give out to much info because I'd rather not be mean and hurt this person's rep by any means even if its a small tarnish.
I will try to get some pics up soon!
Tyler

 

[smoothmule]

Can't really sugar coat it though either. Getting even a single chick from shipped eggs is good and as for the tufts and rumplessness, well that's part of the magic of the Araucana. And yes, they are expensive. I paid $40 each for 2 different dozen eggs with not a single hatch, NO fault of the breeder and no complaints here except when one batch was left setting in a post office in KC, KS for days....I still tried but nuthin hatched and no complaints from me to a breeder, she did her part to the max. You're asking a lot if you think the breeder can guarantee any hatch. I don't mean to sound rude but if you're going to raise this breed, you have to know that they really are that difficult and yes, of a dozen or more eggs it's usually going to be the tailed, clean faced chick that hatches. Shaken egg syndrome is totally out of the hands of the breeder and they state that when selling any hatching eggs so complaining is not going get you anything but breeders who will no longer sell you eggs. It might also be looked at like people who buy hatching eggs are risking so many chicks that it is a shame to sell anyone hatching eggs that are just going to waste them and lose valuable breeding stock too.

If you want to look at it with another perspective, you are "not" going to get the better chicks when you buy young ones and "most" breeders are not going to sell you day old chicks. If you're okay with the culls, and that's really the only way to put it, then take what you can get and work with them. It will take longer but it's worth it. Hatching eggs gives you a chance for one of those really good ones but then even for the breeder, it's a small chance. Or, you can look for someone with a trio for sale. The prices will be a lot higher depending on quality and you may still only get one really good bird in a trio. Many breeders use those tufted rumpless to cross to the ones with tails and no tufts anyway.

To raise this breed, these are the outcomes you're going to have to accept or you're going to find yourself angry all the time. Accepting the deaths in the shells, the non-fertile eggs, the cleanfaced and tailed birds and other things is essential....as is reveling in your accomplishment when you have one hatch then total hysteria when it's rumpless and tufted

It sooo much more exciting to raise this breed if you want to look at it with a positive attitude. There are breeders who have been doing it for years that have the experience and volume to be able to cull all but the best, and then you have people like me who treasure each and every chick for what it does have to contribute to such a small gene pool. My own opinion is that none of them should be wasted. Take a chick with a clean face and full tail as an example. What if you have a flock of all tufted and rumpless.....but they have less than perfect combs or leg color or feather color?? and this tailed, tuft deprived chick as excellent leg color and comb type. I know what I would do with it

I see a lot of requests from new breeders asking for "only tufted and rumpless birds that are breeder quality" and I remember I was that way too in the beginning. That faded to "does anyone have anything they will sell me? eggs? chicks? older breeders? anything??"
It's just Hard getting started but joining the Araucana Club, meeting as many breeders as you can and taking anything you can to get started and with a "Never give up" attitude will help. Doesn't mean I don't still get frustrated but I am getting there and I remember those people who helped me get going and I appreciate them and will help new breeders out when I'm able to keep the ball rolling. We really do need a broader base of breeders.