Lavender Araucana Cockerel or Pullet?

[PoultryQueen29]

I'm leaning towards pullet

 

[mtcookie]

my "gut" would say cockerel

 

[mother o' chicks72]

looks girly.

 

[Pele]

Gorgeous bird! I especially love the eyes. I would keep her even if she doesn't have the tufts or the tailess rump.

I am leaning towards female for now, but it wouldn't come from left field if this bird decided to 'surprise' you by rapidly developing into a roo soon.

 

[tinychicky]

pullet. not an araucana tho... she has a tail and no muffs. looks like an Ameraucana, or probably EE if she's a hatchery bird. she has lovely coloring though. i love self blues

 

[Pele]

Quote:
The tuft gene is a dominant gene. In fact, you cannot cross two tufted birds together because the gene combo is lethal to the chicks. You have to include a tuftless bird in your program, you just can't show them. so you can (and all US breeding programs do) have Araucanas with tails and without tufts.

Now to further complicate things, the UK and Australian standards for Araucanas are completely different.

 

[tinychicky]

hmmm okay, thanks pele. i didn't know the tufts were a lethal gene, thanks for telling me. personally i like the way tufted and rumpless araucanas look much better. it gives the breed a special uniqueness few other breed have.

 

[Pele]

You're welcome

The lethal gene is a point of much contention internationally. That's why the UK and Aussie standards do not include tufts.

I agree that they are pretty, and really iteresting, but I can see the point of view that there's no reason to breed a lethal gene into animals. Tough issue!

 

[Stacykins]

A lot of breeders breed tufted to tufted. It doesn't result in 100% mortality, rather 25% mortality (since approximately 25% of chicks would receive two copies of the tufted gene, which is lethal), 50% tufted, and 25% cleanfaced. But other than that, you're spot on! All living tufted chickens are heterozygous for the gene, so some will be born cleanfaced. Rumplessness is also a dominant gene, it isn't lethal but it can affect fertility (it makes the cloacal kiss more difficult) so people often include tailed birds in their breeding programs.

FYI, still looking like a pullet to me! Hopefully she is indeed a she, if you want a pullet, that is!

 

[chickenheeler]

Pullet