[lydia]

OH is getting ever more involved with chook keeping :D and, now that Hope (who became Henry) has been happily rehomed, we are getting some Araucana. Possibly 4 girls and a boy.

If anyone has experience of this breed, I'd be interested to hear - especially about the cockerel and friendliness etc. Good and bad stories welcome!

Thanks,

[Ross Clarke]

make sure they come from a recommended source, some of the colours of eggs now-a-days is really poor. Its more pale green than blue.

They can be a bit scatty at first but soon tame up, with patience and lots of treats they will be eating from your hand in no time :lol: .
The males are not known for been aggressive however there are exceptions. Just make sure he is well handled and he knows your boss.
There are better layers out there however expect to get around 180eggs from a hen in her first year.

I have not really got any bad stories to tell abount my araucana, except when she stripped my grape vines bare of grapes :mad:

[Jess]

I have a lavender araucana, we call her paxo.
She lays 3 or 4 on a good week blue eggs a week and is the most gentle and social of my whole flock.
she also squeeks rather than clucks. those who keep these and other varieties together will know what I mean.
Funny enough mine also comes on command. in the morning I can say come on paxo, and she comes saying squeek squeek squeek.
she loves to be handled and when I check for eggs, comes up the roost to the nest box to see me and get a stroke lol.
the eggs are small and somewhat a disappointment to me, (smaller than normal brown eggs)
but I guess in character she makes up. They hold their own in the flock, and when my lead maran died she stepped up.
Hope this helps

[lydia]

Thanks Ross (always a big help :) ) and thank you, too, Jess. Any input is greatly appreciated. I'd heard that the males are more likely to be friendly than not so felt they'd be a good option for me to venture into the world of the larger cockerel!

I can't wait to collect them on Sunday :D

[goldilocks]

My red-black araucana is a bantam, so this may not be relevant, She is the friendliest of all my birds including home hatched ones, she is 3 years old and still lays 3/4 eggs a week of greeny blue and not bad size for a bantam. She is an escape artist and even with one wing clipped(which I don't do any more) could scale a 4' fence with ease.
Hope you get as much pleasure from your new flock as I have had from her. :D

[CockaDoodle]

Hi
I now have 4 black araucana chooks ( 3 hens and a cockerel) what fantastic personalities. the cockerel is so inquisitive and if anything the tamest of the lot, although they will all climb on me an sit on my arms or shoulders given the chance. Ours will kill for raspberries as I found out when I moved their run too close to the bushes.They are not as noisy as our hybrids and not aggressive at all ( except when raspberries are about LOL).
I would certainly recommend them as like I say ours are just wonderful, maybe I am lucky, but they are spoilt.

[lydia]

Thanks for the replies. We are due to collect them tomorrow so I can't wait. Coop scrubbed and prepared all ready and waiting! :D