Araucana thread anyone?

[nivtup]

I have a question for those with more breeding experience than I.

I have a fairly good crop of White LF Araucanas, and was thinking of crossing to Black/Blue Ameraucanas to work on both White LF Ameraucanas, and Black/Blue LF Araucanas.

Are there any thoughts on the trials and tribulations that come with a project of this sort.

I would expect at least three generations to clean up beards, and tails, and to put tufts onto the araucanas, as well as putting tails and beards on the LF Ameracaunas.

I hope to not run into too many surprises out of the white, like barring, or who knows.

Thoughts?

 

[cashdl]

I personally wouldn't do that because you have skin color to work out along with beards, muffs, tufts, and tails.

I am on my 4th generation of Ameraucana, Polish, Araucana cross's for crested, muffed, bearded, tufted, and rumpless blue eggers. I only introduced the Ameraucana in the beginning as a black hen bred to a polish roo, the following generations have been bred to Araucanas and I have not lost any of the beards and muffs. All the chicks in each generation have been born with them. The crests are getting smaller in each generation so I will need to go back to my polish roo to beef them up again.

There are some nice blues and black in the Aracuana. I don't know about the Ameraucana.


That is just my opinion. I am sure it has been done before and someone else can tell you how they did.


Lanae

 

[shanshan51]

I am finding the opposite true here with regards to laying. My girls have all stopped. I have two hens that havn't laid an egg in two months, all the others stopped about two weeks ago. I am starting to get frustrated. It is fairly warm here now, but when it was freezing temps they were laying like champs. Very irritating. I have a waiting list for eggs and nothing is being laid.


Lanae

Yesterday was the first day we got 3 eggs from the 3 hens and pullet. One keeps laying with a bit of blood on the egg so I am thinking its the pullet? Whomever it is has very nice blue color to their egg.

 

[cashdl]

I just went out and checked nest boxes for the 3rd time today. I have 1 egg from 4 pens. That is 16 hens and only 1 is laying right now. I am getting the same results from my project blue egger pen. There are about 12 hens in 3 pens and only 1 egg from there today. I had a long talk with them and told them if they didn't lay they wouldn't get fed. I don't think they believed me because I got alot of stink eyes. A few turned their butts to me and walked away.


I ordered some hatching eggs from Gary Ramey and they came today, so I will be putting them in the incubator tomorrow. He has some really good color on his eggs. I have never had good luck with buying hatching eggs and having anything hatch, so lets see how things go with my new incubator and hatcher.


I am hatching this years first batch of blue eggers this weekend. Not a huge batch, about 12 I think. I am going to put an ad on craigslist to test the waters for saleability before I jump in with both feet and start hatching like mad. I usually get about 10 eggs a day from those three pens, so if there is interest locally it will be one more way to pay for feed and electricity for all the brooder lamps I have going. I am only setting the blue eggs out of those pens, so I will be able to tell people that the birds are blue eggers. Plus they are goofy looking.

Lanae

 

[nivtup]

a bit dirty

But a good prospect

 

[nivtup]

And a good prospect in the pullet group

 

[snooparis]

Nice whites! Are they bantams or LF?

 

[cashdl]

Beautiful tufts on that girl. She is definately a nice prospect.

Lanae

 

[nivtup]

They are all large fowl

 

[shanshan51]

I am looking for a new hen or two to add to my LF Araucana pen. I have purchased birds from Cash's before and love them. Looking for Red Breasted, Black, or anything other than white really. Anyone local that has anything? We will be up in the Roseville, CA area on Sunday if someone is up that way. let me know