Chicken Breed Focus - Araucana

[JacinLarkwell]

Mine should be coming in May some time, as long as nothing happens flu wise

 

[ColtHandorf]

Mine should be coming in May some time, as long as nothing happens flu wise

Where are yours coming from? I got mine from a breeder here in Texas who had eggs shipped in from a breeder in Georgia.

Does anyone know how non-standardized colors work? I know certain varieties are accepted by the APA, but these came from a mixed color flock. The base color is Black, but they definitely had gold as well.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Where are yours coming from? I got mine from a breeder here in Texas who had eggs shipped in from a breeder in Georgia.

Does anyone know how non-standardized colors work? I know certain varieties are accepted by the APA, but these came from a mixed color flock. The base color is Black, but they definitely had gold as well.

Mine are coming from Chicken Scratch Poultry. I have 14 coming that are supposed to all be rumpless (some tufted, some not), and a few extras that will be tailed (but those are going to people just wanting the blue eggs anyways)

 

[swampfox440]

Mine are coming from Chicken Scratch Poultry. I have 14 coming that are supposed to all be rumpless (some tufted, some not), and a few extras that will be tailed (but those are going to people just wanting the blue eggs anyways)

I like the rumpless. They remind me of a Kiwi. My wife and I had some many years ago, we loved them.

 

[leenaree]

Though most famous for its blue eggs, the Araucana is a very unique looking bird, recognizable by its feather ear tufts. The rest of the standard varies by country, (muffs, beards and tails allowed or required in some countries but disqualifications in the US and Canada), all standards require the bird to have ear tufts and lay blue eggs. They come in bantam and standard sizes. Originating in Chile, the Araucana is said to descend from various ancient breeds or landraces native to Chile and is thought to be of pre-Columbian origin.

They are a medium sized bird, cold tolerant, are good foragers and get along well in a flock. They are generally fairly people friendly, they are said to have nice temperaments, though they are often said to be "quirky", to go along with their unusual appearance. The girls are fair to good layers and they will go broody. The APA accepts five recognized colors, Black, White, BBR, Gold and Silver Duckwing, though breeders are working on many other colors. Hatch percentage is poor, since the eartufts are caused by a gene that is lethal to the developing embryo when in a homozygous state, so they can be quite challenging for breeders.

It is on the Livestock Conservancy's Study list.

Details:

Breed purpose: Blue Eggs
Comb Type: Pea
Broodiness: Average
Climate Tolerance: Cold Hardy
Weight: Hens 4 lbs. Roosters 5.0 lbs
Egg Productivity: Good
Egg Size: Medium/Large
Egg Color: Blue



Pic by @cackleberrycoop


Pic by @cackleberrycoop


Pic by @Stacykins


Pic by @Ksane


Pic by @Kassaundra


Pic by @Ksane


Pic by @wilds of pa

BYC Breed reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/araucana

Breed discussions thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/288425/araucana-thread-anyone/0_20

Do you own Araucanas? Are you an Araucana breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/

Thank you for this detailed post. At what point in the pullets life do the ear tufts appear?