Araucana

[darcysh]

I have some chickens and I don't know what breed they are. I have 3 chickens the same which have a pom pom on top of there head and have tufts near there ears. I have a grey one and 2 spotty ones. Someone told me they are Araucanas but I am not to sure.

Could anyone help,me on this

 

[Puddin Fluff]

If you could post pics it would help. If they have pompon on their heads they are not Araucana. Araucana have tufts beside their ears and are generally tailless. They do not have a tail bone so no tail feathers sticking out jjust a rounded butt.

 

[darcysh]

Np

I will send photos as soon as possible. They do have a tail that sticks up and so it is not a Araucana. Do you have any ideas what it could be. What is a Bantam Araucana

 

[Puddin Fluff]

They. Would look the same. There are some instances where they do have tails but it is not common or preferred in the breed. Go to the BYC home page and find the articles on breeds. They will have pictures.

 

[darcysh]

The chickens are exactly like this. Sorry I could not get a good photo without them running around. I just googled Bantam Araucanas and it came up as this.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

https://www.google.com/search?q=ame...-DOPO_EMMC-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

You have Ameraucana. The names are very close and cause a lot of confusion.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ara...-DOPO_EMMC-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

If you look at the Araucana you will see a significant difference.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Even the internet gets it wrong,oly the first two white bird pics are true Araucana, the others that show up initially are Ameraucana.

 

[lomine]

I'd just like to point out that different countries have different standards for Araucana. For example, this is a blurb from the British Araucana Club "Araucanas come in twelve standardised colours, both large and bantam, tailed and rumpless." This may or may not make a difference in this case.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I'd just like to point out that different countries have different standards for Araucana. For example, this is a blurb from the British Araucana Club "Araucanas come in twelve standardised colours, both large and bantam, tailed and rumpless." This may or may not make a difference in this case.

Good point. I am looking at ours here in the U.S.

And the usual confusion is the difference between Araucana and Ameraucana. (As I believe this is due to the pics that were posted) I would just like to know what person thought naming two breeds something so simiiar was a good idea. Esp. When they are really not even related or similar in appearance.


I miss my little rumpless girl.

 

[lomine]

Good point. I am looking at ours here in the U.S.

And the usual confusion is the difference between Araucana and Ameraucana. (As I believe this is due to the pics that were posted) I would just like to know what person thought naming two breeds something so simiiar was a good idea. Esp. When they are really not even related or similar in appearance.


I miss my little rumpless girl.

Sorry you lost your girl.

Actually, they are very much related. The Araucana was first developed in Chile from two other breeds. The original Araucanas included both a tufted and rumpless variety and a bearded muffed tailed variety. In the 1920s the blue egg laying birds were introduced to the rest of the world via a paper. Both varieties were introduced into the US and different breeders focused on devolving the two separate types. The hatcheries were more interested in making money from the craze because of false information being perpetuated that the blue eggs were healthier. Not caring about standards, they crossed the birds with other breeds and created the Easter Egger.

In 1976 the APA accepted only the tufted and rumpless variety as Araucanas, though many wanted both varieties accepted. This of course left the breeders of the bearded muffed tailed variety upset. They, however, continued to show their birds as "American Araucanas." Meanwhile, a club of such breeders worked together on establishing their birds as a separate breed. They were the ones to establish, via voting, the breed standards and the name Ameraucana (see what they did there). This breed was accepted by the ABA in 1980.

Interesting side note, a ship wreck landed a bunch of bearded muffed tailed Araucanas in Scotland early on. Their offspring produced some of the tufted and rumpless birds. That is why Britain and Australia accept both verities as Araucana.

Sorry that was probably more then you wanted to know.