tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582957552063220801.post4361852681384466970..comments2024-03-19T01:05:00.371-05:00Comments on Animal A Day!: AraucanaLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15313314174630262274noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582957552063220801.post-15210498204069279362014-03-06T10:36:52.413-06:002014-03-06T10:36:52.413-06:00Your history on this breed is incorrect. The bree...Your history on this breed is incorrect. The breed is an American created breed that was made using South American landraces including the Collonca's and Quetro. There are no standards for the South American types so they are not actually breeds per se. The Araucana has a Standard of Perfection in the APA and for the bantams, the ABA. There was never known crossing with pheasants. This mistake was assumed because of the blue egg, some pheasants laid blue so it was "ass"umed they were crossed. Now we know, through genetics, that the blue egg gene from the South American birds came as a mutation caused by a virus. The Ameraucana was not "bred out of Araucana's", rather they were developing along at the same time and the breeds split into 2 separate breeds with their own standards. Easter Eggers are often called both Araucana and Ameraucana but are neither. They resemble the Ameraucana more closely, yet they remain a mixed bred of that type with no particular standard and they can lay most any color egg from brown to pink, blue and green. For anyone interested in learning more about the breed, please visit the clubs websites. The tuft gene is a lethal gene and responsible for a 25% death in the shell before hatching for those chicks who got a tuft gene from both the hen and cock so breeding clean faced to tufted is not uncommon in this breed. Clean faced Araucana that are rumpless and correct in every other way are excellent to use in the breeding pen and can also produce tufted chicks, if bred to a tufted mate. Unfortunately, the clean faced do not meet the standard for the breed and cannot be shown but they are important to keeping the genetic pool diverse and healthy.<br /><br />http://fivehillsfarm.tripod.com/Cat Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00805421268457359257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6582957552063220801.post-72313847271792294802012-12-19T17:28:26.466-06:002012-12-19T17:28:26.466-06:00Another interesting thing about the Araucana is th...Another interesting thing about the Araucana is that the Americauna (one of the most popular pet chicken breeds) was bred out of them. Americauna lays blue eggs too, but has a tail and a feather "beard" instead of ear tufts.Ivanoreply@blogger.com