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Barnevelders & Araucanas

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I've never actually kept one but Barnevelders were on my original "must have" chicken list. A woman up the road from me has some and they are very attractive chooks. Double laced in pattern and when the sun is shining their plumage has a lovely green tinge. Big birds, docile and supposed to be quiet (but they said that about my noisy cochins :roll: )

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I have both in bantam form Sarah. The Barnevelder (hatched from eggs from Lesley) is lovely, a steady nature, talkative but not noisy and lays good, mid-brown eggs on a regular basis - never been broody)

 

My araucana cross is a total nutter - Dolly-daydream is her name and her nature. Good layer of turquoise eggs and never gone broody. They aren't noisy either, but have a different sound from your regular hen -more of a rusty gate sort of thing! :lol:

 

Are the ones you've found banties?

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I so so want an Araucana - even though haven't even got chooks yet :D

Keep thinking I can't get one as complete novice - now hearing these posts of how sweet and nutty they are : I want one even more :D

 

Aaaaah DH is going to kill me when I show him my final list of chooks :roll: It started at 2 and is up to 6+ now - glad we ordered a cube :D

 

Go for it Sarah - both breeds always looked lovely to me. Not sure myself about temperament though.

 

Andrea

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Andrea - it's always best to get as many off your wish list in one go if you can - it saves any hassle and the need for additional accommodation when you introduce newbies. Most breeders will happily leg-ring the ones that you want and hang on to them so that you can collect them all on the same day.

 

My araucana cross is on her 3rd laying year now and is still a consistent layer of lovely creamy eggs... she does tend to lay in the garden sometimes though - but all of them do that at one time or another :roll:

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Trouble is the breeder we were going to get our chooks from mainly seems to do POL hybrids. Wanted a skyline for blue eggs but am wondering now whether I should be going more for some of the pure breeds I like :?

 

Oh we shall see - there are a few other breeders that have been recommended around here - they just seem to mainly do the bluebelles, black rocks etc. Having said that DH wants a black rock :)

 

Andrea

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Depends on what you want really - if you're after a constant supply of eggs, then go for hybrids, but if you like the different breeds and aren't too worried about maybe not having eggs for a couple of months in the winter, then go for pure breeds. The fact that they lay less eggs means that they live longer and tend to have less 'womens problems' than hybrids.

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I have a mixture of pure breeds & hybrids, & that works really well for me.

 

I am leaving these hens for the moment as they are really as substitue for the Wheaten Maran I truly want,but cannot get anywhere around here :?

 

That said,if I do find a Wheaten Maran in the next week or so,then I really fancy these hens too (if that makes sense - easier to get them all at once!)

 

So,back on the WM hunt for me! :lol:

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Thats what makes me wonder - we are not a family that goes through lots of eggs in a week (although I have been compiling a list of things I can now make without having to get in a massive supply of eggs - souffles, chocolate mouse..... :D ). In a way I would rather have the mix of eggs and the variety of looks. :wink: Neighbours seem to be looking forward to a constant supply though 8)

 

I wasn't planning on encouraging them to lay through the winter anyway. Do hybrids do this, even if you don't put a light in. I sort of think it is nature's way of giving the poor girls a well earned rest :D

 

Andrea

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With pure breeds, it depends on when they are hatched as to whether they lay through the winter. Those hatched in May or later will probably not have a big moult that autumn and in all likelihood will go on to lay through the winter. earlier birds tend to start laying earlier then moult and stop laying. Mine tailed off with the eggs and stopped laying sometime in november and started up again in january... I just bought eggs from Lesley and Carl.

 

Lots of hybrids will lay right through the winter, which is why they tend to not last so long and get more lady problems. often theough (as in Egluntine's) they will slacken off and lay less. It's good for them to get the rest.

 

I use their moulting and non-laying period to feed them up with plenty of protein (using chick crumbs in their feed and tuna) and put tonic in their water too.

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Our Araucana is as scatty as a plastic bag in the wind - we've nicknamed her Road Runner. She lays her egg wherever she happens to be running at the time - she has no time to sit and watch the world go by as the egg is coming out - too much to do!!!

 

I wouldn't say ours is particularly friendly, but she does love company and of course, the look on everyone's faces when they see her blue stockinged legs AND the coloured eggs!!!

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I have a black araucana Daisy :lol:

 

she is really dippy :roll: she runs up to you to be picked up, when you walk she runs between your legs, and I'm sure at some point she will get stood on accidently. She is the smallest of the flock, and because she is so docile bottom of the pecking order :(

 

She makes a large post egg laying noise for a small girl though :lol: and I'd love a couple more :D

 

Karen x

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I really wanted a Barnevelder originally too. They are lovely looking hens.

 

I watched a programme many moons ago about a lady who kept hens in America and she had them (and light sussex) and I fell in love with them then.

 

All of my books say that they are ideal hens to keep in the back garden, good natured, calm and friendly.

 

 

Hmmmmm :think:

 

Where did you say your could get them?

 

 

 

:wink:

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Simon at The Garden Hen in Windsor has very young Barnevelders, I think they are about 4 weeks at the moment. I love them too they are supposed to be very docile (and big!).

 

You can order them from him I have one on order for the summer along with a buff sussex, speckled sussex, & welsummer (at least I think I have them on order if he'd ever get back to me he's not v good at answering his e-mails!!) :?

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So would I be mad looking for an Araucana as a beginner???? :think:

 

I am currently thinking about Marans as well but I love the idea of the Araucanas. Question for those who have them and any of the other pure breeds - do they go broody a lot and is this a big problem? Not particularly thinking of breeding at the moment :wink:

 

Are pure breeds okay with young children - was originally looking at hybrids because of their supposedly docile nature :D

 

All recommendations greatfully accepted :lol:

Thanks

 

Andrea

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Well I had an araucana as a beginner, so no reason why not! The main thing is that you have access to sound advice if you need it (here 8) ) Mine was absolutely fine with young children, easy to catch because she couldn't see them coming, and not terribly likely to go broody (although that can vary with individual hens).

This was my girl (sadly she died last summer)

124-2436_IMG.jpg

 

I replaced her with a couple of araucana hybrids and a columbine, but none of them have her personality. :roll:

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Mine has never been broody, she's mad as a hatter and not the happiest chicken for being picked up, but a lovely personality.

 

Pure breeds aren't bred to be as docile as hybrids, but as the others have said, each hen is different... I have 3 wyandotte bantams and they're all very different. Any hen is more biddable when laying and if you handle them a lot and get them trained to come when you call, they will be a joy.

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Christian,Simon in Windsor does have some babies at the moment,but they would need to be kept seperate from the big'uns for a while I suspect.

 

With this in mind,I have decided to leave it this time,as I really want a Wheaten Maran & would prefer to do the sperations & intros in one fell swoop,as it were :?

 

Still tempting,though. They are really lovely hens 8):P

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