Chicken Breed Focus - Araucana

[ki4got]

I'm relatively new to the Araucana, though I've wanted them for years. Now I have a nice pair of white bantams and an assortment of mixed-color LF chicks. I'm wanting to breed silver duckwing LF, so I'm keeping my eyes open for them. It's likely though I'll have to wait until spring to get any chicks to work with. pic of my bantam white cock - he's got a low wing set, so that is one of the goals to fix in future generations. The hen is better, wing-wise, but has off-color legs... so they're a work in progress. They DO produce tufted chicks, so it's likely the peduncle(s) were damaged as youngsters.

 

[Trish1974]

I have been breeding Araucanas for a couple of years now. They are a true joy! I have never had an aggressive cock or cockerel. The males are extremely mellow and can coexist together (with hens) if they are together from an early age. I find the females to be rather aloof. Males are extremely predator saavy. They are also good about taking care of their hens (one of my cockbirds will even sit with the hen while she's laying) and help take care of the chicks.

I feel as though the whole "lethal gene" and "rumpless problems" are over exaggerated. I find the people who like to talk smack about the breed are the ones who have ZERO experience with them. Breeding tufted to tufted birds only carries a 25% chance of being lethal. Last year the president of the Araucana Club had a 99% hatch rate breeding tufted to tufted birds. Granted, his next hatch could be much less, but this just goes to show it is not as scary-deadly as some people make it out to be. This year I bred a tufted to tufted pair... a single tufted cock (his only tuft was huge) and a hen with very small but even double tufts. I got my best tufted chicks out of that pairing. All that were tufted had large, double, evenly sized tufts.

The rumpless gene of the Araucana is not lethal. In my experience I have not had any fertility issues, and I do not vent trim. Think about it... this breed would not have continued to exist if rumplessness made it that difficult to breed. They would have gone extinct. A lot of my culls have gone to people using them in Easter and Olive egger projects breeding tailed hens, and they have had good fertility as well.

I wish more people would get involved with these birds, I just feel as if all the negative, inaccurate gossip hurts their popularity.

ETA pictures:

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Very informative thread! Hope to learn more from current breeders.

 

[Bridget B]

Thank You! I am new to raising chicks and I old like to know what breeds I have.. Lol Ok just one more can you tell me if this girl is a Easter egger or auracana?

Whatever she is, she is a beautiful bird!

 

[jewelg]

I have been breeding Araucanas for a couple of years now. They are a true joy! .

I wish more people would get involved with these birds, I just feel as if all the negative, inaccurate gossip hurts their popularity.

Such great looking birds- thank you for sharing!

 

[willchickeneat]

This is an old thread but I breed Duckwing colored Araucana. This breed is so rare today. It took me 2 years to establish a good flock. I have a mix of clean face, ST and DT. These are some of the most friendliest chickens ever.

How's your progress with duckwing Araucanas?

 

[tbishop]

Hi there. I dabbled in araucanas in 2014-16 but lost my home to a house fire. I just moved to a small acreage in May and am taking the plunge back into poultry and specifically araucanas. I hatched out 5 - all pullets - and was just able to locate two cockerels. I’m looking forward to setting them up in April!

 

[tbishop]

Hi there. I dabbled in araucanas in 2014-16 but lost my home to a house fire. I just moved to a small acreage in May and am taking the plunge back into poultry and specifically araucanas. I hatched out 5 - all pullets - and was just able to locate two cockerels. I’m looking forward to setting them up in April!

Got a few of the next generation-

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Hi there. I dabbled in araucanas in 2014-16 but lost my home to a house fire. I just moved to a small acreage in May and am taking the plunge back into poultry and specifically araucanas. I hatched out 5 - all pullets - and was just able to locate two cockerels. I’m looking forward to setting them up in April!

I feel this! I just had a house fire this past Nov. My chickens are ok, myself and my neighbor are looking after them... And I still have two araucana.... SIGH we'll see where I go with chickening.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I just set my first dozen Araucana eggs so I'll bump this thread back up in case some knowledgeable people want to talk about them.