Breeding Araucanas

[MaeIstrom]

This is awesome information!! Thanks for posting this. That’s really interesting. In my case I’m going to have to work with what I have to get my Olive eggs since I only have room for a few more here and it’ll be the Araucanas. I’ll be putting the Araucana rooster that I hopefully get from my Jan 13 hatching with my 2 Marans pullets (one BCM, one white).

Wouldn't be my first choice but on the OTOH I read somewhere the entire Araucana line in Australia descended from eggs that came in 2 weeks before quarantine laws came in and hatched out 5 cockerels which were crossed to Marans so it's not without precedent.
The other useful thing I've learnt about crossing breeds is just as egg proficiency mostly comes from the mother bird/egg size mostly comes from the father. My olive egger lays like an isa brown but her eggs are mostly medium-sized apart from the odd huge one she's lays after taking a day off. I've attached a pic of 3 of her eggs next to eggs from a hytline brown and two ameraucanas for comparison.

 

[Peachychicken1]

A lot of the negative things you hear about Araucanas (the lethal gene, fertility issues due to rumplessness) are blown way out of proportion. Breeding tufted to tufted birds CAN result in 25% of the chicks inheriting both genes causing the chick to die in shell. Last year the president of the Araucana club had a 98 or 99% hatch rate breeding to tufted to tufted birds. Granted, that was probably all his luck right there, but those stats are over a large number of hatches. This type of breeding does cut down on unwanted clean faced chicks, so a lot of breeders will breed tufted to tufted.
I would keep your breeders in small groups. Pairs or trios are best. Araucanas still hold on to the Collonca trait of pair bonding, so a lot of times fertility issues aren't due to being rumpless (think about it - the breed would not have evolved in to what it is if rumplessness caused so much trouble with fertility), it could be a male is only breeding with one or two females. You can vent trim for fertility if you feel you are having issues with butt fluff, but a lot of breeders including myself do not vent trim.
I'll give more info later - gotta get to work!

Yes they are

 

[ANightPerson]

I have the chance to get an Araucana pullet as well as whatever hatches from 10 Araucana eggs. I think they are such a unique, interesting breed and I’d love to hear from someone who breeds them. Should I take this opportunity? I’ve heard the hatch rate is lower due to the tufted gene. I’ve heard some say to breed tuft-less to tufted to avoid that issue and I’ve seen some say to breed tufted to tufted and accept the losses? Super interested to hear peoples experience with having a flock of this breed. I wouldn’t plan to breed to profit much or anything like that. Maybe just sell enough hatching eggs to cover feed as well as preserve this rare breed.
Thoughts?

How did those eggs turn out?

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

How did those eggs turn out?

Unfortunately things changed and I didn’t end up getting them! Went in a different direction but still have my 1 pullet and love her.