Chicken Breed Focus - Colloncas

[Gallinarium]

Ooh, I want.

 

[Trish1974]

I see a lot of the Colloncas traits in my Araucanas, such as pair bonding and the passiveness of the roosters.

 

[HudsonTheChicken]

Colloncas are one of the original and most ancient breeds of the Mapuche Indian culture of Chile. The Colloncas (Chilean highlands) breed descended from the Rapanui race Pakeke (Seafarer stocks) including the Moa Garahuraju (multiple coloured spots) and Moa Totara (frizzled rumpless bantam). Colloncas De Artes is the composite breed resulting by the crossing of Quetro and Colloncas stock. In North America, the Colloncas De Artes were later refined into heirloom varieties of what we call Araucana. The so-called Ameraucana appears to be in large part a refined Quechua de Artes, without tufts but carrying the brown breasted demes of the Quetro.

They produce generous numbers of colourful eggs and like many South American fowl lay well into the winter. Some hens will produce a pale sea foam hued egg, others robin blue, ash grey and even lilac. A single pair of Colloncas may produce hens that each lay a different colour.

Colloncas are best known for innate tameness. They enjoy being held but unlike Silky fowl, which also enjoy human companionship, the Colloncas is completely winter hardy and can evade predators ably. It is a fairly strong flier and one of the more quiet breeds. Colloncas are very good at tick and fly control and are traditionally kept with sheep and llamas. It is advisable that the poultier keep at least two roosters with a flock of hens, three is the ideal number as Colloncas have strong pair bonds and the roosters work in cooperation to defend and chaperone hens and chicks. As a rule, true Colloncas roosters do not fight with one another and are never aggressive with people.



























All of the above pics by @Yashar


Do you own Colloncas? Are you a Colloncas 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/

 

[HudsonTheChicken]

Pretty birds

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Ooh, I want.

I want as well. The roosters sound phenomenal.

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Here's my rooster "Rumpus". I was told he was a Collonca. But after reading about several breeds

, I believe he is a Arucana.

Oh she is SO pretty!

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Oh HE is so pretty!

 

[Araucana Nest]

This is a great thread. Thank you to whomever brought it back to life. A question: since the Araucana was established from the Collonca, is it possible that tailed, tuftless Araucana can be a throwback? I have a tailed, tuftless blue Aruacana that, other than color, doesn't resemble his siblings. He is larger, bolder (but not aggressive) protective and has a sharp aquilan eye. He caught my attention shortly after hatching due to his visible and characteristic differences. Even though he is tailed, I'm keeping him for breeding ... but not to Araucana. Then, I find this thread and wonder.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Pickle is very sweet (with me), but she rules the coop. I have a mixed flock. My smallest hen thinks she's Large and in Charge. lol

Jhopp is Pickle still chirping? And ruling the roost?

 

[Trish1974]

This is a great thread. Thank you to whomever brought it back to life. A question: since the Araucana was established from the Collonca, is it possible that tailed, tuftless Araucana can be a throwback? I have a tailed, tuftless blue Aruacana that, other than color, doesn't resemble his siblings. He is larger, bolder (but not aggressive) protective and has a sharp aquilan eye. He caught my attention shortly after hatching due to his visible and characteristic differences. Even though he is tailed, I'm keeping him for breeding ... but not to Araucana. Then, I find this thread and wonder.

The random tailed Araucanas that pop up in breeding get their tailed gene from the Quetro side of the Araucanas. (They were basically a Collonca x Quetro cross). Though rumplessness is dominant it is host to a number of modifiers, which subjects them to a random pop up of a tail or partial tail. My stock is from a breeder who culled her flock for exhibition quality for 30 years. I was so confident I'd never hatch anything with a tail...but I did. Only two partially tailed chicks out of 85, which is REALLY good odds compared to other breeders. But it just goes to show that tailed gene waaaaaayyyyy back in their line will never be bred out of the breed completely.