chick tails in different breeds

[graphicali]

This is probably a really silly question but...

I have 3 british araucana chicks, now 2 weeks old. I just noticed today that all of them have downward pointing tails - they do have tails but the angle is really odd to me. I haven't kept this breed before and I am used to seeing chicks' tails at a horizontal or upright angle.

They are very lively and not ill in any way, so they aren't holding them down because of that. I will try and get a photo later but I wondered if anyone can give me any information?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

This is probably a really silly question but...

I have 3 british araucana chicks, now 2 weeks old. I just noticed today that all of them have downward pointing tails - they do have tails but the angle is really odd to me. I haven't kept this breed before and I am used to seeing chicks' tails at a horizontal or upright angle.

They are very lively and not ill in any way, so they aren't holding them down because of that. I will try and get a photo later but I wondered if anyone can give me any information?

I wouldn't worry about it. Although, your birds are probably not true Araucanas, because they are rumpless (they have no tail feathers). Some breeds, like Cubalaya, naturally hold their tails down (it's called a Lobster Tail, lol).

 

[graphicali]

Thanks for replying. It just looks so odd. They are araucanas, the british standard is different to the american one. I think (although I could easily be wrong) the nearest thing in the us is the ameraucana.

 

[enola]

The British standard calls for Araucanas to have tail feathers, they are expected to have full tails. In USA when an Araucana has downward pointing tail feathers, we call them drop feathers or drop tails.

 

[graphicali]

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The chick photos are not too good, the little blighters won't stay still. The adult birds are the parents of one of the chicks, the other two are from another pair of araucanas kept by a friend.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I wouldn't worry about it. Although, your birds are probably not true Araucanas, because they are rumpless (they have no tail feathers). Some breeds, like Cubalaya, naturally hold their tails down (it's called a Lobster Tail, lol).

British Araucanas can have tails, muffs, and beards, unlike American Araucanas

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Their tails look right to me for this age

 

[graphicali]

Thank you! I probably just haven't been paying attention in the past!