Easter Egger Sexing "tips and tricks" *Pictures Included*

[bruceha2000]

This little one is 8 weeks old in this picture, any thoughts on what she is? The others are only 3 days old but I'll take photos in a few weeks.

That is a tough question!

I discovered this page that I think will be informative to all:
http://www.araucana.org.uk/breed_standards.html

It seems the UK (which includes Australia) has both rumpless and tailed Araucana and they are NOT the same as the USA APA Araucana.

Also this:
http://www.ameraucana.org/history.html

and this:
http://www.araucana.net/thegreathorsecigaryahoo-com-2/

so no sense talking about Araucanas without specifying the country AND the "variation" if a UK standard bird.

The UK which recognizes 2 distinctly different birds as "Araucana". Frankly, given the large amount of difference between them, I don't know why they DIDN'T come up with 2 names. As you can see in the second reference, there were originally many birds in the USA with various attributes all called Araucana, the APA chose ONE standard for the rumpless, tufted breed and it was up to the breeders to "make" those birds since the standard didn't match ANY of the various birds put forward. Those that had been breeding tailed and muffed birds eventually created the "Ameraucana".

The lethal gene is linked to the tufts. Your bird appears to have tufts (which might explain the other chicks not making it to hatch) so IN AUSTRALIA it should not have a tail because the standards for UK TAILED Araucana says muffs and "face muffing" (which in the description seems to be the same as beards in the Ameraucana and EE), crests, nothing about tufts. The standard for TAILESS says tufts, face muffing but NOTHING about muffs or crests. If it DOES have a tail, then I guess we have to ask the question: "If a UK tailed Araucana is crossed with a UK rumpless Araucana, what are the offspring? The UK Araucana standards don't recognize a tailed AND tufted bird.

I do not have a pea comb but I do have a pea brain and this is all just to confusing for it!

 

[mymilliefleur]

That is a tough question!

I discovered this page that I think will be informative to all:
http://www.araucana.org.uk/breed_standards.html

It seems the UK (which includes Australia) has both rumpless and tailed Araucana and they are NOT the same as the USA APA Araucana.

Also this:
http://www.ameraucana.org/history.html

and this:
http://www.araucana.net/thegreathorsecigaryahoo-com-2/

so no sense talking about Araucanas without specifying the country AND the "variation" if a UK standard bird.

The UK which recognizes 2 distinctly different birds as "Araucana". Frankly, given the large amount of difference between them, I don't know why they DIDN'T come up with 2 names. As you can see in the second reference, there were originally many birds in the USA with various attributes all called Araucana, the APA chose ONE standard for the rumpless, tufted breed and it was up to the breeders to "make" those birds since the standard didn't match ANY of the various birds put forward. Those that had been breeding tailed and muffed birds eventually created the "Ameraucana".

The lethal gene is linked to the tufts. Your bird appears to have tufts (which might explain the other chicks not making it to hatch) so IN AUSTRALIA it should not have a tail because the standards for UK TAILED Araucana says muffs and "face muffing" (which in the description seems to be the same as beards in the Ameraucana and EE), crests, nothing about tufts. The standard for TAILESS says tufts, face muffing but NOTHING about muffs or crests. If it DOES have a tail, then I guess we have to ask the question: "If a UK tailed Araucana is crossed with a UK rumpless Araucana, what are the offspring? The UK Araucana standards don't recognize a tailed AND tufted bird.

I do not have a pea comb but I do have a pea brain and this is all just to confusing for it!

Interesting.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote:
I'm so used to people asking about sexing, I didn't read the question thoroughly! Doh!

To me it looks like baby muffs growing in and not tufts, so I would expect this bird to have a tail. I knew UK standard had tailed and rumpless Araucanas, but didn't know about the presence of tufts on the rumpless ones. Is there any sign of a crest, sweetbeak? In reality, so few people breed rigorously to a standard, that most of our birds would be considered non-standard (or crosses or mutts). That's what EEs are all about!

 

[K Spot]

Wow those are pretty birds, Cwrite. ours are so much different. Here is a pic of an American Araucana:

Our Ameraucana:

They really are both fascinating breeds. Do your Australian Araucanas have a lethal gene?

I have not seen any Aras here in Australia with tufts. My 3 Aras certainly don't possess them, only muffs and a beard.

This is my 2yo Araucana hen sporting a lovely crest, muffs and a beard.





^^ These are my Ara babies, 6 weeks old. The top one is growing in her crest already and is also getting cute little muffs.
The one on the bottom hasn't started growing a crest yet, but she does have the beginnings of a muff

 

[cwrite]

Wow those are pretty birds, Cwrite. ours are so much different. Here is a pic of an American Araucana:

Our Ameraucana:

They really are both fascinating breeds. Do your Australian Araucanas have a lethal gene?

They are very different. : ) We don't have the lethal tuft gene here because we don't have tufted birds. We have the UK standard muff which might look a bit tufty, but it's not.

Sweetbeaks, it must have been something else that affected your hatch. I asked someone about American Araucana's at a bird show while I was still trying to work out what we had over here and she looked like she wanted to come and search my home. Lol. If anyone has rumpless birds in Australia they are illegal. I do wonder if genes might throw out a tuft and even maybe a lesser tailed bird now and again. All the varieties were bred from the same origins so it must be possible.

 

[bruceha2000]

They are very different. : ) We don't have the lethal tuft gene here because we don't have tufted birds. We have the UK standard muff which might look a bit tufty, but it's not.

Sweetbeaks, it must have been something else that affected your hatch. I asked someone about American Araucana's at a bird show while I was still trying to work out what we had over here and she looked like she wanted to come and search my home. Lol. If anyone has rumpless birds in Australia they are illegal. I do wonder if genes might throw out a tuft and even maybe a lesser tailed bird now and again. All the varieties were bred from the same origins so it must be possible.

That is really curious since Australia follows the "UK home island" standards which include both tailed and rumpless yet they don't accept the rumpless? SO CONFUSING!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I have not seen any Aras here in Australia with tufts. My 3 Aras certainly don't possess them, only muffs and a beard.

This is my 2yo Araucana hen sporting a lovely crest, muffs and a beard.

Cute! Can she see?!

 

[bruceha2000]

Cute! Can she see?!

Sure doesn't look like it!

 

[sweetbeak]

I'm so used to people asking about sexing, I didn't read the question thoroughly!  Doh!     To me it looks like baby muffs growing in and not tufts, so I would expect this bird to have a tail.  I knew UK standard had tailed and rumpless Araucanas, but didn't know about the presence of tufts on the rumpless ones.  Is there any sign of a crest, sweetbeak?  In reality, so few people breed rigorously to a standard, that most of our birds would be considered non-standard (or crosses or mutts).  That's what EEs are all about!

Thanks for all your interest. As she's getting older she's getting a thickness around her neck, still has muffs and a very pointed tail. I'll try to take a picture of how she looks now but at 14 weeks she has no comb what so ever, just a tiny little thing. Very skinny grey legs and is very timid and looks like she'll be a very small hen

 

[cwrite]

That is really curious since Australia follows the "UK home island" standards which include both tailed and rumpless yet they don't accept the rumpless? SO CONFUSING!

It is! It took me ages to work it out. We do follow the UK standards, we just don't have rumpless birds in Australia and they have really strict controls on importing birds so I can't see anyone being allowed to introduce them here. It would be so much easier to understand if the Australian version were called Ameraucana's because that's what they are, but with crests and a few colour variations. : )