Araucana thread anyone?

[pride&joy]

Hello again every one, last year at this time I was in the mist of attempting to hatch me some Araucana chicks. Well it turned out to be more like wishful thinking, out of 8 batches of eggs only got 8 chicks (some straight combed and some tailed). I did finally buy some chicks that the PO lost. Let’s just say it has been a mission with this breed, but I do have some rumples, tufted birds that lay nice blue eggs? I have been culling down the roos (ones with partial tails and no tuffs) but now it is down to the last couple of cuts before I set up some breeding groups to mainly add to my flock for now. In the spring I will probably add some new trios from established breeders to improve my stock. I have decided to stick with BBS or at least one group for sure. I will post pic of the stock hopefully this weekend and brace my self for the realities of your evaluations ha ha ha

Thank you in advance

 

[Shaffer]

Can't believe it. It has been in the teens here for a few days and now my hens kick in and started to lay. Not only the LF Araucanas but also the LF Ameraucanas and LF Orpingtons are laying.

 

[puredelite]

Is a little weird that eggs would be happening at all with not only the cold but with the shortest daylite hours of the year next week! Was out of town all last week and came back to find one of my EE pullets had started laying. The late Spring hatched don't usually begin laying til the following Spring( at least here they don't) I don't use any supplemental lighting at all. Temps here were 8 degrees this morning and spose to warm up all the way to 15 today. What a treat to get fresh eggs this time of the year, just have to collect them quickly before they freeze solid!!

 

[Illia]

Yep, now that my Araucanas are leaving molt, I've got a blue and two splash girls laying again.

Sadly my fourth Araucana who went laying without my knowledge, then set them all (over 15 when I found her hiding spot) I found them ALL to be infertile, even though she has been bred. . . . But not by an Araucana. I was really looking forward to seeing some offspring from the pairing I did, but I guess I didn't allow them enough exposure to each other. Araucanas are not easy to breed, especially not with other breeds that are 2, 3 times bigger than them.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

pride&joy :

Hello again every one, last year at this time I was in the mist of attempting to hatch me some Araucana chicks. Well it turned out to be more like wishful thinking, out of 8 batches of eggs only got 8 chicks (some straight combed and some tailed). I did finally buy some chicks that the PO lost. Let’s just say it has been a mission with this breed, but I do have some rumples, tufted birds that lay nice blue eggs? I have been culling down the roos (ones with partial tails and no tuffs) but now it is down to the last couple of cuts before I set up some breeding groups to mainly add to my flock for now. In the spring I will probably add some new trios from established breeders to improve my stock. I have decided to stick with BBS or at least one group for sure. I will post pic of the stock hopefully this weekend and brace my self for the realities of your evaluations ha ha ha

Thank you in advance

Oh, Pride and Joy, I think it's that first impossible, all consuming push to obtain Araucana stock that ends up creating all this obsession in those of us trying to breed this bird; we have to develop some level of obsession about the whole thing if we're going to have any chance of getting our starter birds and then by the time we finally do achieve our goal, we've spent so much time at it (not to mention money on it!) that those crazy little creatures are a major habit of our daily thought process. But aren't they grand little things? It took me two years to to what sounds like the exact same point that you are at. I'm getting breeding pens ready to make some rumples tufted babies and there should be some good, hearty birds produced of quality type and lovely colors, but I still have absolutely no BBS breeding birds (LF at least) which is what I was originally inspired over. Still trying, though, and very exited for the coming year and some prospective BBS breeding sources.
Goood luck out there Pride and Joy; it's good to hear from you again and congratulations!!!!!​

 

[zekii]

Quote:
Can someone explain to me what "LF" stand for ? I've been reading this abbreviation on a couple of posts, and still haven't figured it our

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
Can someone explain to me what "LF" stand for ? I've been reading this abbreviation on a couple of posts, and still haven't figured it our

large fowl

 

[zekii]

Quote:
This post brings up a question I've been pondering...?
So being new to chickens...I am trying to figure out how to selectively breed birds especially if you have them all in the same coop... I want to establish an Araucana flock but my wife like Wyandottes...so how would I know who breed with who...? Do you keep roosters seperate...or pair a roo with a couple hens during breeding season to selectively breed ? I know I have alot to learn, and alot of reading ahead of me..

 

[zekii]

Quote:
Can someone explain to me what "LF" stand for ? I've been reading this abbreviation on a couple of posts, and still haven't figured it our

large fowl

Ok... very good another abbreviation added to my notebook...now what does "EE" stand for .... ?

 

[Illia]

Quote:
This post brings up a question I've been pondering...?
So being new to chickens...I am trying to figure out how to selectively breed birds especially if you have them all in the same coop... I want to establish an Araucana flock but my wife like Wyandottes...so how would I know who breed with who...? Do you keep roosters seperate...or pair a roo with a couple hens during breeding season to selectively breed ? I know I have alot to learn, and alot of reading ahead of me..

I keep ALL my boys, no matter what breed (except Shamos and Polish) in a "bachelor pad" -

(Marango, one of my Araucanas, is peeping into the camera - behind him are some Marans, an Ameraucana, and some mutts for eating)

And all the girls are in their own area too. With that of course requires getting to know who lays what and having the time to constantly pair up birds though.

Otherwise you could just have separate pens for both.


EE stands for Easter Egger. They're what hatcheries and feedstores claim to be Araucanas or Ameraucanas.