True araucana question

[Ace_king_brahma]

I was lucky to buy true araucana bantams and they are from Bobbi Porto stock. Two handsome tufted roosters and three beautiful clean faced ladies and recieved a young extra cockerel. I have been getting eggs from them in the past six days and put them into the incubator and now I have 2 developing for sure with 3 eggs which are too early to tell just yet.

Since I might have chicks on the way I'm curious of some of the terms I see on araucana sites. Namely what is the difference between what they call just tufted and bilateral tufted. I see the pics and they look about the same to me. Is it really a seperate style of tufted?

 

[Dixiedoodle]

it could be: tufted--doesn't have to mean even tufts in size or shape... Bi. Tufted might mean even tufts on both sides... I think you should visit the Araucana Club of America and ask there.. I was a member, they answered all my questions , even thou it took a few days because it wasn't very busy.. I haven't been back for a while..Hope you can find you answers..Dixie

 

[hinkjc]

Often chicks are born with unilateral tuft (one side) or bilateral tufts (both sides). Tufts can be various shapes as well. If you breed tuft to tuft, two copies of the gene results in dead in shell chicks around day 18-20 of incubation.

Let us know if you have any other questions. Happy to help.

Jody

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

Thanks Dixie. I am planning on joining the Araucana club but due to recent bird and egg purchases I'm short on cash and have to wait for my next paycheck to pay the annual dues for the club.

Thanks also Jody for helping clear that up. So now I know I have a unilateral rooster and a bilateral roo. I was warned about breeding tufted to tufted and lucked out that James was selling clean faced hens with the roos.

He added a clean faced cockeral too and I am wondering if I breed him to my girls would he throw more clean faced chicks rather than tufted since the girls are clean faced as well? Or should I wait until I get some tufted hens and then breed him?

 

[hinkjc]

You can breed your clean faced roo to tufted hens (or vice versa) to have the best "hatch" result. Meaning, you will experience less losses from the fatal tuft gene breeding this way, thus obtaining more chicks. Chicks will be clean faced and tufted.

You can breed a tufted roo to a tufted hen, but plan to lose at least 25% minimum at hatch. This breeding will result in less chicks, but more with tufts.

Jody

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

Thanks. I have some eggs developing in the incubator from the tufted roo to the clean faced hens. I will hold on to my clean faced roo then until I get some tufted girls to breed him to.