Araucana thread anyone?

[nivtup]

I think these splash / cuckoos are a bit of a mystery.

We have a couple of them.

From my read on the subject, they really are not barred, nor are they really splash.

I would like to know how many came from Ramey stock. Mine did.

 

[Illia]

Mine did, and I know for sure they're splash. As for barring? I never thought them to be the same kind of barring other breeds have, BUT, they still breed like barred birds, they still appear like it as chicks, the males still have perfectly barred hackle and saddles (just not the rest) and in their earlier months they do look like a truly barred chick.

I know Gary Ramey's started out as a more barred instead of "cuckoo" type. . .

I myself am breeding one of my blues to another blue to get a "black" barred one, and really see what I'm working with here. I'll also be outcrossing them to other breeds and see how well the barring carries on.

 

[nivtup]

From our experiments, only the hens seem to look like this, the roosters seem to be more of a "Red Splash"

Any input?

 

[pokey]

Quote:
So if it is a blue splash, what color roo do you need to continue the color.and if the males are more red splash I wonder what background my bird has since she has the red overcolor.its faint,but there.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
The reason the roosters look like a red splash, mine show it too - (this one I culled, but he is indeed a splash cuckoo, believe it or not)

(another splash cuckoo, less gold leakage)

Are because both carry the unwanted blue leakage, however like on any other breed, the females do not express it physically. It is not a part of their color patterning to express it unless it is severe, then it will show up in the neck, as seen here on my molting blue cuckoo. . .

Notice the gold coloration on her neck.

 

[smoothmule]

Nivtup,
Yup, I feel like I scored. Now to sort them out and put them all back together in the right order

I may do some breedings and if any of them are not producing good chicks, then I'll put them with a different rooster. I really feel I have a flock now. Way more roosters than I thought I'd need but I have some for sale now, all 3 are tufted. I have 2 chicks now and one hatching as I write and several more to hatch in the next couple of days so I may have some pullets to go with the young cockerels for sale later on if they don't sell first.

 

[smoothmule]

You know, I like the gold leakage on the splashes. Sort of a calico look. My cockerel, Spot, is white with black and red spots.
Since Splash is not an APA approved color for any breed, it's pretty unlikely to become a standard color but I like them and the more interesting colors the better. They can still show AOV.

 

[Illia]

The only splash I truly like are in this form -

I am in LOVE with a splash like that. It requires no gold leakage and no genes besides E/E . . . Also, it requires a certain breeding, whether it be Blue x Blue or something else I'm not sure. I know splash often varies according to how you breed it though, but I've yet to find out until this spring.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

[smoothmule]

Illia,

Oh

I like that a lot too but I like the tri color as well. I'm debating on whether to keep Spot or not, he's tri color splash. I've ended up with lots of roosters, all so nice I can't bear parting with them, just in case.......you know. I will probably cross him to my clean faced black pullet when she's old enough. His type is good enough I want to see what he produces. He's tufted and rumpless. I thought about using the black hen with the big tufts but she's reserved for my clean faced roosters. If I actually get serious about any particular colors, I'll at least be able to sell them as pairs or trio's.

I have enough hens to give every rooster at least one hen if I separate them individually but I still like the idea of 2 roosters to a small flock of hens and I'm hatching more right now. Three Slinky eggs, one is pipped and coming out. Then Velvet (black clean faced/rumpless) has 3 eggs in there too besides the 2 chicks in the brooder, one of which I think may be a pullet, both of those are clean faced/rumpless chicks.