Backyard crybaby keeping is an more and more popular hobby that is know a revitalisation . More and more metropolis are rolling back ordinances that prevent keeping chicken on your property , leading to an uptick in stake . There are hundreds of different eccentric of volaille to choose from – cross , inheritance breed , crosses . One of those breeds is the Araucana , a sort of funny - looking crybaby with a ‘ bewhiskered ’ appearance due to its ear tufts that lays blue testicle .
All aboutAraucana chickens
When it add up to picking the right breed of chicken for your habitation or farm , knowing the basics of the breed will help you make that decision . So let ’s speak a little bit more about the Araucana chicken .
Temperament
Araucanas fall under the ‘ gentle ’ temperament for chicken , given their leaning for friendliness to their people and even other pet . Personally , I had an Araucana biddy that would sit down at the kitchen table with us while we played cards or had drinks . She ’d model on the back of one of the chairs and preen herself or watch what we were up to . It was really something ! These chickens , in my experience , are great for families with kids and pets .
When it comes to cock , and this applies to just about every breed of volaille , if you treat them with respect and are tolerant , they will typically return the favour . make love their boundary and reading their body language is significant . If , despite all your better drive , your Araucana rooster wo n’t hold back being belligerent , it may be best to murder him from the sight and look for a nice cock .
Purpose
Araucana are a pocket-size stock of volaille that lays 250 medium - sized blue egg per year . They are not kept as meat birds , but rather are used for their colorful eggs . If you did keep them for meat birds , you would n’t get very much meat from them .
Coop and run
Chickens incline to pick up bad behaviors when their coop and run are n’t up to their standard , so making sure you have the appropriate cook and run for your Araucana chickens is vitally important .
Araucanas like to have mint of coop and run space to go about the business of being a good chicken . The more infinite you could provide them , the happy they ’ll be and the more eggs they ’ll lay . Araucana poulet should be provide 10 or more straight feet of free - range area per Bronx cheer .
crybaby course and chicken coop should be proceed properly houseclean out and provided impertinent chaff on a regular basis . At least one nest box per laying hen is preferred , although they can tolerate “ buddying up ” and laying egg in the same nest box . These wimp are recognise to wander some and will at times find creative places to lay their eggs .
Common Araucana chicken problems
Araucanas are a hardy heritage breed of poulet that does n’t have any strain - specific health number , but mass who raise this breed reputation that they often and easily go broody , which can leave in an aggressive hen that will peck at when you collect eggs and may stop laying eggs altogether . have to repeatedly break down a broody biddy of her broodiness is a little vexing . Outside of that , they can still come down with various disease and illnesses .
Viral diseases
Chickens are susceptible to a identification number of viral sickness , include Marek ’s disease , vaian flu , poultry lues , Newcastle disease , and bronchitis . Some of these conditions are more common than others . Signs of a viral infection among your chickens include sneezing , coughing , reduced testicle production , reduced feeding , lethargy , exhaust around the eyes and sinuses , sore , and paralysis in the instance of Newcastle disease .
Most bird learn from a reputable stock breeder or hatchery are vaccinate against the more vernacular viral infections , like Marek ’s . Chicks acquire from smaller - scale seller may not be vaccinated . Always ask if your chick have been vaccinate and what they ’re vaccinated for .
Bacterial illness
Bacterial infection are a real concern for chickens , as hencoop , runs , and the outdoors , in cosmopolitan , can be havens for bacterium . The most vernacular bacterial infection for chickens are salmonellosis and colibacillosis . These infections can be fast spread and infect entire great deal .
sign your wimp may be struggle with a bacterial contagion let in reduced egg laying , breathing problems , reduced appetency , and expiry . Salmonellosis does n’t always present symptom in chicken .
Fungal diseases
The two most unwashed types of fungal disease are brooder pneumonia and roundworm . roundworm can be diffuse to man as well , so if you suspect your chickens have tinea , do by them carefully and wash your hands and dress straightaway .
Brooder pneumonia tend to only taint new chicks spend their first few calendar week in a incubator . roundworm usually clear up up on its own with time . Keeping incubator and coops clean is key to avoiding these fungal transmission .
Parasitic infection
Like most of our PET , wimp can see parasitic infection . Worms , tick , louse , and mites are some of the more common ones . symptom of these parasites include loss of appetency , lethargy , skin irritation , and unexpected loss of feather outside of normal molting .
Be wary of used coops . Always disinfect them thoroughly before put in your chicken . Replace coop bedding often and sporadically disinfect wimp coops to reduce the mien of parasite .
Injuries
It can be a grating and tumble life for chickens as they go about install pecking purchase order and scrounge for food . Injuries , especially fundament injuries , are n’t uncommon . Most surface - level trauma will exculpate up on their own , but substructure injuries are particularly concerning as the chickens ’ talon tend to come into physical contact with their own manure as well as other pathogen in the stain and on the ground .
Common sign of a foot injury are difficulty walk or put weight on the infantry as well as lethargy . In the case of bumblefoot , a type of staphylococcus infection , both the chickens ’ finger’s breadth and sometimes entire groundwork can become egotistic with pus - filled abscess . Foot injury should be plow and bandaged as soon as they are acknowledge .
Egg binding
Egg binding is an often tragic issue for crybaby . It ’s caused when an bollock becomes stuck between the hen ’s uterus and cloaca . Signs of egg dressing include failing , unfitness to perch , often choosing to model or lie on the ground , straining , and a lack of eggs put . Egg binding can promptly become a fatal shape and will generally require a trip to an avian vet to pay back .
“Pasty butt”
Pasty goat , sometimes predict sticky vent , is a reasonably vulgar condition that afflicts wench . It can apace become a life - threatening takings if not addressed . Pasty vent tends to be do by tenseness and dehydration . It go on when thick ordure draw a blank the skirt ’s vent , prevent it from passing droppings .
finally , the biddy will become ill and refuse to eat . Signs of pasty butt include littler chick size and a pasty mat of droppings over the vent-hole . This stipulation is easily deal by clean the affected area and removing the stuck droppings .
BreedingAraucana chickens
cover your Araucana chickens does n’t differ significantly from breeding other type of inheritance chickens . leave your Australorp hens access to an Australorp rooster and allow nature to take its trend will yield healthy , potent chicks . A proportion of 10 hens for every rooster will typically ease up safe fertility rate . you’re able to allow a meditative biddy to sit on her eggs or incubate them in an incubator . A agile guide to dream up :
For more information , check out our comprehensive guide onincubating chicken nut .
What to feedAraucanas
Up until about 20 weeks honest-to-god , your Araucana chicks should be fed a commercial-grade chick starter feed with 18 % protein . This supply protein will aid your young chicks produce and develop into sizeable birds . After 16 weeks , they can be swap to a 16 % protein level provender to support hefty feathers and beneficial egg production . Chickens enjoy being put out to graze where they can eat grass , bugs , and other plant life . They will also gladly eat some fruits , vegetables , grain , and leafy greens . barren - roll your birds will also snub down significantly on your feed costs .
For more information , check out ourcomprehensive guide on what foods chickens can and can not eat .
History ofAraucanas
Araucanas are a chicken shrouded in a bit of enigma . Their early parentage are not documented , but they grow in the Araucanía realm of Chile , which is where the chicken gets its name . It ’s cogitate to be a comparatively new strain of chicken , get to Europe in the twenties and get APA recognition in the seventies .
