Really Araucanas?

[wlantry]

Hey, folks,

So I just brought home our first chicks: five Buff Orpington, four Black Australorps, and three Araucanas. They are just what was available at the farm supply, and were sold as sexed, not straight run. But now, doing my research here, I've read that true Araucanas are pretty rare, and not the kind of thing a farm supply store is likely to be selling. How can I tell what they actually might be, at this stage?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Post photos so we can help.

True Araucanas should be tail-less (called rumpless) and most will have ear tufts but no beards or muffs. They should have yellow colored legs, not green. Not all will have ear tufts as that is a lethal gene, so living chicks will either have tufts (1 gene) or no tufts...chicks that inherit the 2 tuft gene die in the shell.

Here's a good site to see the difference between Araucana, Ameraucana and Easter Egger (what is generally sold at farm stores and hatcheries).

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and

LofMc

 

[wlantry]

I'm not sure these pics are going to help. I'll try to take more...

 

[Wyandottes7]

If you got them from a feed store, they are almost certainly Easter Eggers.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I would need individual photos of each bird you think is an Araucana, but if you got them from a feed store, they will be Easter Eggers.

And...I'm not even seeing Easter Eggers really...while they could be a mix with Araucana, most hatcheries use Ameraucana mixes for Easter Eggers since Araucanas are so arare...which means you will get beards and muffs from the Ameraucana blood.

However, an Araucana mix would be varied with yellow legs, maybe some ear tufting, maybe some rumpless, but *could* look like almost anything...I'm not experienced with that mix as we get the Ameraucana mix Easter Egger variety in our feedstores (always inaccurately labeled Ameraucanas...with their little green legs, beards/muffs, and EE colors).

I seriously doubt you got what you bought, and even doubt they are a mix with Araucana as they honestly just look like White Leghorns, or possibly Buff Orpingtons, Brown Leghorns, and maybe an Australorp and Black Sex link....traditional layer breeds.

I'd ask where the feed store got them from, and check that sign label. It is not uncommon for feed stores to mix up signs.

LofMc

 

[BantamLover21]

If you got them from a feed store, they are almost certainly Easter Eggers.

Agreed.