Not Sure If You've Got A Pullet Or Cockerel? Click Here! Thread 2

[debid]

Trying to figure out if the one on the far left is a roo...

And back to our regularly scheduled program...

Nothing male showing but if you take it out into natural light, it will be easier to see the comb.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

And back to our regularly scheduled program...

Nothing male showing but if you take it out into natural light, it will be easier to see the comb.

This.

 

[junebuggena]

Interesting! That is the opposite of what I have read, which is that the Araucana is the ancestor breed, from South America:

"The Ameraucana breed and "Easter Egger" hybrids of the United States, which also lay blue or green eggs, both derive from the Araucana."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucana

and...

"The development of the modern Araucana breed begins with the great Chilean breeder, Dr. Ruben Bustros. As a young man in the Chilean army, he encountered the Araucana Indians in remote areas and observed their unique types of chickens during the 1880’s. He returned later and obtained some of the Quetros and Collonocas stock. Crossing these two breeds, over many years he developed tufted, rumpless birds that laid blue eggs, the first Araucanas."

http://www.araucana.net/history/

I would love to learn the real story.

You have to keep in mind, prior to the 1980s, there was no distinction made between Araucana, Ameraucana, and Easter Eggers. They were all called Araucana. It wasn't until the breed standards for the Ameraucana and Araucana, that a distinction was made necessary. All the birds that did not meet either breed standard became known as Easter Eggers.

 

[Cerise1924]

The Chilean chickens were what was initially imported. But, they were a mixed bag of looks -- not the Araucana we know today (tufted/rumpless). The SOP we know was created and chickens bred to meet the standard. Ditto on the Ameraucana which came later and was the tailed and tuftless version eliminating the lethal genes demanded in the Araucana standard.

You have to keep in mind, prior to the 1980s, there was no distinction made between Araucana, Ameraucana, and Easter Eggers. They were all called Araucana. It wasn't until the breed standards for the Ameraucana and Araucana, that a distinction was made necessary. All the birds that did not meet either breed standard became known as Easter Eggers.

 

[crchicks]

I have a silkie and a polish chick that are both about 6-7 weeks old. I know these breeds are ridiculously difficult to sex but anyone have any guesses?

 

[debid]

We're lucky enough to have someone around here with firsthand knowledge. I'm just going to copy/paste his response to a question I asked (not even realizing I'd struck gold, just realizing I'd found someone older than myself) because he provided SUCH a wealth of information:


@jerryse, do you remember whether the bearded and muffed look was popular prior to the establishment of the Araucana and Ameraucana standards or if the hatcheries changed their birds after that was decided? I've always wondered about that. How much of the standard was based on the original EEs and how much was arbitrary.
-------

At the time the hatcheries called any blue egger a Araucana . Araucana were once in the standard as 4 different sub groups . Tufted rumpless , tufted tailed , bearded tailed and bearded rumpless . Tufted rumpless won and all others were dropped . Since tufts are lethal with 2 copies and rumpless can have mechanical problems breeding . That is with no tail the hen and rooster have some trouble moving feathers out of the way for good contact . Anyway that was our thinking at the time . So a group of us preferred the more practical tailed bearded type . So we created the Ameraucana bantams first . We were told they would never be admitted with Araucana in the name . That is no American Araucana ect . So our club took a vote on possible names Ameraucana won . The hatchery stock was much the same as today . Another club was working on large fowl . We got the bantams accepted by the ABA first and then by the APA . We had a lot of resistance from the APA . They lost the paper work for months . Frank Gary helped get the APA to accept . The large fowl were offered acceptance if they went with our colors . Araucana were accepted without a qualifying meet prior to this . We had to qualify to get accepted as it should be . Once the Ameraucana were accepted the hatcheries used Americana as the name for what they had . They clearly were not tufted rumpless Araucana . The early ads called them Araucana the Easter egg chicken then Americana the Easter egg chicken . So that is how the name Easter egger got started . Actually the Araucana was bred by a doctor or he had a doctorate degree . He took local tribal landraces and combined traits to get the current Araucana . The pea comb came about when a link to pea comb was discovered for the blue egg gene . Only in America . In Europe they have single comb breeds with the blue egg genes .

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

We're lucky enough to have someone around here with firsthand knowledge. I'm just going to copy/paste his response to a question I asked (not even realizing I'd struck gold, just realizing I'd found someone older than myself) because he provided SUCH a wealth of information:


@jerryse, do you remember whether the bearded and muffed look was popular prior to the establishment of the Araucana and Ameraucana standards or if the hatcheries changed their birds after that was decided? I've always wondered about that. How much of the standard was based on the original EEs and how much was arbitrary.
At the time the hatcheries called any blue egger a Araucana . Araucana were once in the standard as 4 different sub groups . Tufted rumpless , tufted tailed , bearded tailed and bearded rumpless . Tufted rumpless won and all others were dropped . Since tufts are lethal with 2 copies and rumpless can have mechanical problems breeding . That is with no tail the hen and rooster have some trouble moving feathers out of the way for good contact . Anyway that was our thinking at the time . So a group of us preferred the more practical tailed bearded type . So we created the Ameraucana bantams first . We were told they would never be admitted with Araucana in the name . That is no American Araucana ect . So our club took a vote on possible names Ameraucana won . The hatchery stock was much the same as today . Another club was working on large fowl . We got the bantams accepted by the ABA first and then by the APA . We had a lot of resistance from the APA . They lost the paper work for months . Frank Gary helped get the APA to accept . The large fowl were offered acceptance if they went with our colors . Araucana were accepted without a qualifying meet prior to this . We had to qualify to get accepted as it should be . Once the Ameraucana were accepted the hatcheries used Americana as the name for what they had . They clearly were not tufted rumpless Araucana . The early ads called them Araucana the Easter egg chicken then Americana the Easter egg chicken . So that is how the name Easter egger got started . Actually the Araucana was bred by a doctor or he had a doctorate degree . He took local tribal landraces and combined traits to get the current Araucana . The pea comb came about when a link to pea comb was discovered for the blue egg gene . Only in America . In Europe they have single comb breeds with the blue egg genes .

Thanks for posting this, that's fascinating!

 

[Tlmcq]

http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2013/12/ameraucana-vs-araucana-vs-easter-egger.html?m=1
http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...n-ameraucana-and-easter-egg-chickens-zbcz1408
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html?m=1
http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/chickens-101/all-about-ameraucana-chickens/
There is much debate and misunderstandings on these chickens. I love them all. Who doesn't love naturally colored eggs...No dye needed...lol

So here is some more info if anyone is interested.

 

[Cerise1924]

Thanks for posting this, that's fascinating!

Agreed, just fascinating! First-hand info is a treasure. This explanation pretty much lines up with what I discovered from further research:
http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/history.html

I know this whole topic was a digression, but it has been an educational one.

 

[chickachickayea]

Hello all. I'm sure I will have to wait a little longer on this, but curious about these 4-5 week olds... 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes and 1 Ameraucana/EE...

Lighter GLW:

Darker GLW:

Ameraucana/EE (I'm no expert, but I'm sure EE?)

No profile closeup of that one. But here's some bodyshots.

Hoping for pullets
I understand if I have to wait - I'll be back in a few weeks to report! Thanks all!