Whoops! Sorry I did not reply sooner. If you google, you can find lots of info on Araucana. Some of it is conflicting (especially concerning Araucana vs Ameraucana and easter eggers. I won't even begin to sort out the characteristics! LOL
http://www.araucana.net/araucana_history.htm
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKAraucanas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucana http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/araucanas_americanas.html
My white one was tuftless. The others have small, to no visible combs really. One neat feature is they lay blue eggs. I have one that looks like this one. http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/staff/wing/Images/Araucana.jpg
I have a neighbor that has a lot of game birds. He became intrigued over blue eggs he was finding. I showed him which birds were probably laying blue eggs. He brought me some to hatch and the one mix breed I have is one of his kids. He was wanting more blue eggs. Our mix lays beige eggs.
The game birds tend to have leaner bodies and longer legs-kind of roadrunner looking to me. He's been talking about getting some of these. http://www.belthatchery.com/bbred.htm
Trying to keep our roosters separated, our mix bird went in with a stray rooster we found (the guy next door had them, lost all but one and told us to keep him because his girlfriend was taking care of them and she had left). He is supposed to be a Red Rock. The only info I've found is that he is supposedly a cross between a Rhode Island Red Rooster and Barred Plymouth Rock but he doesn't look like the only picture I found. http://www.guppy.ca/
Whew! Way too much info. LOL Oh, good morning. :)
My first egg ever!
I would never live in a city either! I enjoy the small community we have. I dont have as big an area as you (not even close) lol but I love the farm land surrounding me. Only one real neighbor near by. Its so quiet!
Its really cold here too! Is the almanac calling for colder than normal for all areas! Because it has certainly been true here! We have quite a bit of snow so far. Two storms and even a snow day for schools. Usually Its later in the season for all this. Water freeze has begun. I think I am going to invest in some water warmers mentioned on another thread. ;)
Stay warm!
Badseed, That bird is beautiful. Looks like a hawk!!! The head and beak are different! But cool! I want blue eggs! I want blue eggs AND green!!!!
Thanks for the information. I am really learning a lot about the breeds! Everyone here is great about sharing!
We've only had chickens for a little over a year and a half. It's been a lot of fun, a lot of learning and a few heart breaks. I have six daughters and we are trying to make the most of small farm living. We have forty something birds and a good variety. We get brown, beige, white, blue and light green eggs. 2/3 of our eggs are brown. I'd like to add a few Marans for chocolate eggs.
We have buff silkies, white silkies, white crested black polish, a couple of mutts, silver laced wyandotte, gold laced wyandotte, rhode island reds, some easter eggers, barred rocks, two types of black we are unsure of breed, and others I know I am forgetting. Haven't finished my coffee. LOL
Favorites that were lost were a Golden Campine Speckled Sussex, Araucana and two buff silkies. :(
congrats on the new layer and the eggs!! welcome to the addiction,lol.
silkie
i just found someones chow trying to get in my chicken pen. i called the sheriff and he said shoot it!
shoot it dead I say.
I have definately become an addict! But I figure there is a lot worse things I could be doing. LOL
Jordankittyjo, My sister lives in Bessemer! Summerset park. She is actually selling her house there. Let me see if she is missing a dog. JK She has one but it is not a chow. Dont you have animal control to handle those things? We do. I phone it in and they come out and pick them up. They take them to the pound. The owner gets fined $. We do have leash laws though. Some places dont I know. I have had to put in a call or two myself. ;)
Thank you Silkiechick. You are kinda my neighbor. I here you come up for the Rochester shows. I would love to catch one. My girls want to get a chicken they can enter in the NY state fair. We will see. I dont even know what to look for or what kind to do. I need to "get a book". I love to read and I tend to read a lot of non fiction. I love to learn new things! Any suggestions?
Update! I thought my one pullet was laying but...I got two eggs today! There is no way she layed to today. So I am a proud owner of TWO laying pullets! Yeah! I'm so eggcited! Here is her pic.
I think she is a barred rock mix or something! Shes pure gold in my eyes!
YAHOOO! Congrats! I'm doing the happy chicken dance for you!
Thanks!!! Its a good week! Can u teach me that dance? ;)
I hate McDonald's, but here's a good example. You won't be seeing me in front of the camera practicing it. If you are bored, go to you tube and type in "happy chicken dance" you'll get some hilarious hits!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFayPSM3I-A
Okay!!!!! The techno chicken dance! Thats not how we did it at my wedding. I am not even sure if I could physically do that! LOL Especailly after eating Mc D's food. hehehe!
I'd need some MAJOR caffeine to pull that one off and I'd still only do it in front of my kids to keep the popular theory that I'm nuts going. HA!
Gotta! Keeps them on their toes! They never know what your gonna do in public...keeps them from acting up!
Seriously, I remember being terrified of what my dad would do in public. He was like a loose cannon in my young mind. Fortunately, my kids have not reached that stage yet. They still think we're "cool" - maw-ha-ha-ha
[note the evil laugh! ;-)]
Ya, mine think I'm cool when no one is around! They love to hang with me and the chickens, til their friends call. Then I am kicked to the curb. :( She is turning close to teen I guess you can call her a tween!
Um, hello??? We should ALL be wearing an appropriate chicken hat when doing the chicken dance. Clearly a required element. Get with the program people!!
Ohhh that would be so COOL!
LOL -- Is mine in the mail??? ;-)
Everyone should have one! They are indeed cute! But it would be better done with the techno chicken dance! Lets do it and put ours on utube!
Congrats! I just got my first ever egg this week, too.
And I had already planned to "blow" it out to save the shell.
Aren't we all just too sentimental?!
My hens are only 5 months old, so I was surprised.
One egg from a Wyandotte, and three from a Black Star.
That is great news! We are a bit nuts maybe but its okay. We are all not alone! hehehe!
How old is your Chicken?
I have two layers as of this week. One born on May 10th the other was June20ish. How about you?
Our Chickens are 5 months old. We have 27 now. But we have a problem... about every 10 days we find one dead, Our Chickens are very healthy and growing . One day I was in the pen and it seemed one was grasping for air and then it died. What could be our problem? We have asked everyone and no one seems to know. Someone please help?
Pammy, I wish I knew!!! Maybe you should start a new thread so you can get the best help possible! I am sorry for your loss! I have a dozen but only 2 are laying so far. I hope someone can help you soon before you loose anymore. It must be contagious if it seems to kill one every so often. Help!
Pammy - any symptoms you can describe? Any lameness, discharge from the nostrils, trouble walking, swellings, etc? Have you looked inside the mouths of the ones that died? Anything in there - maybe white blobby stuff? Have you observed them all eating well and drinking? Any signs in their poop? Blood? Worms? etc?
No symptoms at all. They are eating and drinking, they have plenty of room to exercise.
Gosh, that's a tough one. If I were you, I would do a new post on Backyardchickens.com. There are a lot of poultry experts there. I have not heard of this, especially with no other symptoms. Around here, I would wonder about them getting too cold, but not in SC. It's really sad, so I hope you can figure it out.
i'd say either a mink and it is a preditor problem or u got a deadly respitory prob going through ur flock. without anymore details i can't narrow it down more.
Hey there sewincircle; Your last pic of your chick on 11/22 looks like a cross between a barred and a buttercup. P.S. If you love to read, learn, and enjoy chickens as it appears that you do, Well you really need to buy (Storey's illustrated guide to poultry breeds.) It is packed with pictures and info on over 128 different breeds. A gotta have. Happy thanksgiving and YOU GO GIrl. Haystack
i was up for the twin tier poultry club one in bath, ny , didn't see u were from ny till just now,lol. i'm hopeing next year to show there, and mumford and there was another one but can't think of the name of it.
i'm hopeing to finally make it to ohio nationals next year also. showing is loads of fun it normaly is mike and i and the 5 kid's that show but in ny only me and my partner breeder teri showed. u should go to them even if it's only to look around they r loads of fun, get to meet alot of poultry people and usually there is poultry for sale sometimes pigeons, ducks and all sorts of phesants and such also.
i'll have to let u know sometime i'm heading to ny for a show mabe we can meet up sometime and catch a show together or something even if it's just to hang out for a bit and chat while i'm up there.
Thanks haystack! I am adding that book to my list! I do love to read, mostly non-fiction. More good news...I got three eggs today! I have been getting an egg a day since last Thursday and every other day or so I get two. Today I got three! I am so proud of my little girls! They are growing up so fast! That picture is of Smudge. Thanks for the info. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
I have been to Bath. I went to a womens retreat there at the Lighthouse Church. It was nice. That would be wonderful if you do some shows around the neighborhood let me know. I will go and cheer for you! (your chickens too) hehehe! I have a feeling I might leave with some extra feathered friends but I would love to go. I could get to know some of the breeds as well. I have never been anwhere except the NY state fair. That would be great!
Okay , here are todays eggs! Who put the duck in there? Just kidding!
I second the vote on the Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds book - I love mine! I also just got their new book - the Illustrated Guide to Sheep, Goat, Cattle and Pig Breeds. I love it too! Another very funny and light poultry book is "Enslaved by Ducks" about a man who finds himself being a duck caregiver, along with many other animals. I just curled up laughing over it. Highly recommend it!
Nice looking eggs!
Claire
Thanks! I think their just showing off now. LOL
I am going to take a trip to Boarders Book store. I will see if they have any of those!
Winter break is almost here! yippy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
congrats on more eggies!! oh u would of!! they had alot of cheap birds for sale there this year. if i was not so picky with my show stock, lol there was a few birds i did like there. wish now i'd of checked into them and asked price and some i'd of just got for pets to bring home for the kids for fun. i saw alot of birds from $5-15 a piece and some as high as $40 or more but most were $20 ea or less from what i saw. will definately have to hook up if i go up again. they even had a like giant flea market while we were there and expo buildings open so we could shop and shoot the breeze,lol. sometimes shows lock ya out of the building while judgeing but they didn't so we got to watch as they did it this time which was kinda neat to see how things work at a show.
That sounds great! I am not very picky about chickens yet. I dont have any realy pure bread stock. :) I am just happy to have eggs. I love the flea markets.
It would be fun to see what they are looking for when they judge! I know zero about that stuff. It would be fun to learn.
I better bring some carriers! LOL I have a feeling I may leave with something cool!
Gosh I just learned so much from this thread and Badseed's links. I think I might even be able to tell some chickens apart when I go to the feed store next.
One thing about the Chow. I'd say shoot the irresponsible owner and call a Chow Breed Rescue to take the dog. I live in the country where a lot of dogs run, but