Poorly chicken

[HnM]

Hi

 

I've just put a reservation on 2 Araucanas but know absolutely nothing about them, except that they lay green-shelled eggs (how lovely!).

 

Anyone know any more? Are they aggressive? We are getting them as friends for the recently-bereaved Molly and don't want her to have her tail plucked out on top of losing her little matey yesterday!

 

Thanks again!

Sara

[Eyren]

All I know is that they come from South America and being pure breeds they won't be as prolific layers as hybrids (though their laying won't drop off dramatically with age either).

Edited July 31, 2006 by Guest

[AnnieP]

I think Miss Cooks has one?

[The Dogmother]

 

I have Dolly! She is a Araucana/Poland cross, who lays beautiful turquoise eggs 6 days out of 7 for the most part. She is dark lavender grey and hard feathered with dark grey legs, and her eggs lay around 52g each.

 

She has a delightfully dotty and gentle nature, which is emphasised by the fact that she can't see a lot through that hairdo and bumps into things. Dolly is medium sized and has a prehistoric rusty sort of 'Kaark' call. She has proved very hardy and never seems to sneeze or ail at all.

 

[debbie]

Ohh love the chicken...also love the water container, where did you get it from, as my girls ar,nt too keen of drinking out of the glug.

[The Dogmother]

I got it for a couple of quid as an emergency measure when the new chooks were being introduced and were in another house. I have to say that I took it back to the pet shop as the water wouldn't feed down into the 'saucer'. I just got it from the pet shop in the town.

[chocchick]

Try http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens&breed=Araucana

She has a delightfully dotty and gentle nature, which is emphasised by the fact that she can't see a lot through that hairdo and bumps into things.

Does the water stay cleaner Claret, mine drop bark chips and rest their feet on the side and it goes murky...

[The Dogmother]

I took it back Chocks, as the water didn't feed down - they all share a glug now. It was only a cheap stop-gap while they were being introduced anyway, but you can get better and bigger ones for a bit more dosh.

 

Funny reading that link you posted - Dolly has never shown any inclination to go broody - unlike the rest (Grrrr). her eggs are tinted right through the shell, although when I have baked the shells for crushing, I notice that they go white inside like the other eggs.. I think that they taste creamier/richer, but that may just be wishful thinking.

[Aunty e]

I have Purdy, who is all araucana. She is lavender, who tend to lay greener eggs because of the way they were bred. She is smaller than my hybrids and was quite a bit friendlier to me, but not so much to them. She lays really really well, with generally 6 eggs a week, and they weigh around 55g each and are tinted all the way through. She is the noisiest of my birds after lay, with a full throated boc boc boc boc-AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH. She also doesn't like my pekin Penny, and attacks her at any moment, but Penny is not at the bottom of the pecking order, so I don't think she's a natural bully. She has never tried to pluck feathers, or attack any of the other birds, nor has she shown any signs of going broody. She is fond of sitting on my wrist like a hawk. She looks like this (the bum is Dolly!)