Rural Gardening: Carl the Crookbeaked Chicken, 1 by throneofyord

throneofyord wrote:
I can think of several reasons why the blue green eggs might have issues. The ones I am growing look like the softest most tender shells. Entirely deceptive that. Them shells is freaking hard tough shells.. I think I know how Carl got her broken beak.

The Araucana breed has the ear muffs of death. If the poor chick got the ear muff from both sides, it is dead. If the poor chick got it from just one side it has a 1 in 5 chance of not making it. This means that if both parents have the ear muff, 25 percent will be born without the muff and 35 percent will be born with the trait. The remaining 40 percent die.

Since I wanted to maintain a herd and was committed to breeding them, the Americauna seemed like the way to go. I got a mixed run of banties that I figured I would breed to them, to reinforce broodiness. Turns out to be a poor idea, the bantie roo's have not managed to figure out how to deal with the huge Americauna ladies. Also this breed is so good, it would be foolish for me to throw too much into the selection process. Instead, I am going to get a mixed run this coming spring so I have a few roo's to throw into the mix.

I wanted the eggs too, but I ended up with way more. These are the most solid, healthy and sweet chickens I have met. I have always loved Buff Orpingtons for their temper, but if my Americauna chickens are representative, then this is the breed I want the rest of my life. As I was raising them, I was very impressed with the hatchery that produced these. They gave 25 chicks that where actually all hens. Never seen that before, I expect about 4 mistakes in an all hen set normally. As I have been raising these however, I am more and more disappointed, I want some roos. I have not raised chicks from chickens before, but now I desperately want to. The breeder at this hatchery is brilliant, these chickens are great. At first due to the few without rumps and the few without beards, I figured they were a bit off from breed. As I read more however, the numbers seem right and even above typical distribution for the traits that represent the breed. In any case, pure or not, I truly love these chickens..

In the photo, the little white one is the roo.

Bob