Araucana thread anyone?

[cashdl]

Congrats Charlie. I find the dry hatch method works best with my LG's also.

Lanae

 

[smoothmule]

Lanae,
Pictures would be great, sometimes the combinations of color genes will produce some really cool colors visually. It isn't true chocolate or dun since the color isn't in this breed but it can certainly mimic those colors. The tough part is reproducing an unusual color and then getting it to breed true. Crossing colors if you're not certain of the true, genetic color genes, can give all sorts of results. They're still cool to look at and sometimes you can have a particular hen and rooster that will make more than one, if there aren't too many genes responsible for the color. I love getting the color "right" for the standard but I love the ones that are unique too. Hope to see some photo's soon.

I have my first chick hatched (black, clean faced/rumpless) from hinkjc's eggs (Thank you guys!) I am not going to have many chicks but hopefully a couple more will hatch. Shipped hatching eggs are such a challenge but well worth any you hatch as far as I am concerned. I never complain if I don't get any chicks. I know the risk and willing to take it for some chicks from some of the great breeders that have so many more years of work in their flock.

 

[cashdl]

So I have been feeding my chickens expensive dog food. I soak it untill soft and then feed it to them. They love it and it has the animal protein they need. I buy what ever is on sale but is made up of salmon, lamb, or buffalo. It is expensive. I have been going by one of the feed stores in the next town over because I used to work behind them and remembered that they usually put out free trial size bags of dog food. If I am in town I will grab several bags of what ever they have. Hey its free and the birds go nuts over it.

They still get scratch and regular layer but they don't eat near as much as they used to. course because I am buying the expensive dog food I have not been saving money.

So anyway I went by today and they had some sitting outside. I didn't want to just take some without buying anything else but, I just wanted the free dog food today. They don't care if you take it, thats what it there for but I feel like I am stealing. Weird I know. So I go inside and let the man know that I was going to take a few bags for my chickens. I explained what I have and that the dog food is good for them. He took me to their storage barn and loaded me up a 2' tall 2' wide and 3' long box of various bags of dogs food. I walked away with over 50lbs of free dog food. He said he would give me a call when the samples start going out of date because they arn't supposed to give them out to try but I can have them for my chickens.

I am going to feed it to my dogs too. This stuff is usually "Taste of the Wild" and other expensive brands. I have some soaking as I am typing. It is almost feeding time again here at the zoo ( my house ) and the natives are getting restless.

Lanae

 

[cashdl]

Ok, so I managed to get a few good pics this evening.

First is a double tufted silver chick out of two supposedly cleanfaced birds. Ann Horsman - you were right, apparantly Minnie is tufted. Yippee!

Next up is MEEP MEEP, she is an araucana, ameraucana, polish mix, and a bit of a camera hog. I have been working on getting crests, tufts, muffs, beard, rumpless, and blue eggs in 1 bird. I just have to get the tufts in there and I will be happy.

This is I hope a pullet but not sure. The color is interesting. What do you guys think?

Now on to the reason I took pics today. This Pullet I think, is double tufted and I would call her color mossy I guess. Any thoughts. She was born this basic color. I have another one that was born black but is feathering in same color. The legs on both are a weird brown green. I love the color and totally want more. I would even be happy if this was a roo with this color and gold saddle and hackle.

Let me know what you guys think. I took more pics but it takes so long to upload them. I have the prettiest blue patchwork roo. I am super excited to see how he turns out.

Lanae

 

[smoothmule]

Lanae,
If I hatch any rumpless/tufted/muffed and bearded cockerels out of Curlie, I'll let you know, she has it all but the crest. She lays the nicest blue eggs, big and round and bluer than my purebreds. I ended up moving her into the pen with Rudy and Guy. I had her with Degas and after 2 months of not a single fertile egg, I gave it up. They were both vent trimmed. He just isn't real fertile.


Really cool colors there. Is there a way to track backwards to know the possible color genes? The dark one makes me think brown/red.....well maybe. Do you have chick down photo's?

 

[cashdl]

I only know her immediate parents. Gold Birchen father and silver duckwing mom. She was black with a golden brown head and wing fuzz.

I had a Black Copper Marans hen that looked just like her color wise. I am guessing brown red also with too much color. But I love it.

Definately let me know about Charlies chicks.

Lanae

 

[smoothmule]

I sent some excess hatching eggs to a friend to hatch in her GQF and she did great, I picked them up today, about 2 dozen chicks and more than 6 are double tufted and at least a couple have a single tuft. All are rumpless and there are blues, blacks (Finally got the double tufted blacks I wanted, hope one is a cockerel, there are 2), silvery to yellow chicks (whites and wheatens?), many chipmunk striped chicks (BBR/wilde type/Duckwing). There is at least one double tufted of every color.

The 2 black chicks in the corner with the 2 blue Araucana chicks are Serama's.

Here are a couple pics I snapped before we went out to dinner tonight

 

[smoothmule]

Does the eye strip on the tufted chick look like a pullet or cockerel?

 

[Stacykins]

Do you guys think you could help me tell which chicks of mine are rumpless? I guess since I'm new to the breed I don't have the eye for it yet. They turned a week old today, and since tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful out I am going to take them out for a quick photo shoot! My cameras flash bit the dust so only sunlight really works for good pics now. What is the best angle? A shot of their side?

 

[ndoles]

I am sooo totally jealous...But am very happy for you, Cathy!!
Keep those chick pics coming..and just think, I have some of those eggs in my incubator. I could possibly get a double tufted black, too..

Norma