Chicken Breed Focus - Araucana

[Ravynscroft]

If it is lethal how does eggs hatch?

As sumi stated it is the homozygous state of the tufting gene that is lethal in chicks, they die while still in the shell...

If it is lethal, than it would be impossible to hatch any chick. It can and usually is lethal. Excellent article!

Actually to clarify, it is when the chick inherits 2 copies of the tufting gene that is absolutely lethal... breeding tufted to tufted results in 50% tufted chicks, 25% clean faced chicks and 25% DIS...

Some breeders prefer to breed clean faced to tufted to avoid the chicks dying before hatch and some breed tufted to tufted and take the losses... personal choice...

Araucana folks, from reading Yashar's and other threads and articles, this is my impression of the origin of the breed - is this largely agreed upon or only one theory?


- Araucana, specifically the American breed and not the international breed, has the 3 characteristics of rumpless, ear tufts and blue eggs. It is likely descended from birds created in the early 20th Century by intensive breeding by Dr. Bustos of South American varieties found in various indigenous communities, including varieties such as the colloncas and queteros. So the birds with these 3 characteristics were not found in native communities - the combination was carefully bred by non-indigenous South Americans. A source:

http://www.araucana.com/Araucana_History.htm

That is absolutely the most accurate for American Araucanas... Araucanas in the UK have many standards that are different because American Araucanas were bred separately than the UK version... for showing purposes double tufted and rumpless is required, however... while breeding tails can and do crop up and clean faced is quite common... their ancestors were tailed and tufted on one side and rumpless blue egg layers on the other... this separation is a constant battle for breeders...

UK versions can have rumpless, tailed, tufted, bearded/muffed and also crests... much different than the American version...

 

[Braxton Brigade]

@sumi Thank you for doing this breed!!!

Araucanas are hands down my favorite breed... unique, definitely quirky, sociable, great layers, and extremely intelligent...

I have both the large fowl and bantam types and adore them... I started with less than stellar stock but each year I improve them more and more, with help from others...




Apollo is our newest addition and will be the best help for improving our lf flock...










Napoleon and Tank are our stars of our bantam flock...


Beautiful and wonderful breed...

Great looking birds! Love to see someone working on the true Araucanas. My first chicken was a Araucana mix, she was rumpless, clean faced and sill happens to lay a blue egg. She is most likely a EE X Araucana, still a very cool bird.

 

[HelloChickies]

@RavynFallen

Pretty girl!!

 

[Rosey516]

@RavynFallen

Pretty girl!!

So pretty!!

 

[Tan10]

I have
won 2ed and a best bird whith my rooster

 

[Braxton Brigade]

I have
won 2ed and a best bird whith my rooster

Do you have a picture of him? I would love to see him.

 

[nate1the1great1]

Right before they said that it is lethal they said that there are poor hatch rates

Haha found you chickens.galore... Hehe it's fowl freak...

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you, everyone, for all the lovely compliments on my Araucanas... I them!

 

[n8ivetxn]

Does anyone know a hatchery or somewhere where I can purchase some true araucanas? My son is looking at breeds for a 4h project. He's thinking either a Phoenix or true araucana. I'm trying to steer him toward the araucanas because I want the blue eggs! Plus they're so darn cute with their feather ear tufts!

Hi there Mich! I've searched high and low and finally found a really good source for true Araucanas. Try Edd Sheppard at AwesomeAraucana.com - He has done a tremendous amount of work preserving this breed, and he has a very informative website. I'm buying some eggs

 

[n8ivetxn]

@RavynFallen They are gorgeous! I can't wait to have a yard full of them myself