Araucana is a breed of chicken that belongs to the decorative.The homeland of most of these species is Southeast Asia: Japan, Indonesia, China, India. And most of the breeds initially had a purely practical value - getting eggs or meat. Later, thanks to the allocation of a certain feature (length, color, structure of the pen, etc.), chickens of exotic appearance appeared. They began to be classified as decorative.
Decorative rocks
There are several directions for breeding birds.In addition to the usual consumer (eggs, meat) there is also an aesthetic - decorative rocks. Araucana - a breed of chickens (photo in the text), which successfully combines both directions.
Decorative poultry farming occupies a large niche andhas many followers. This is a separate branch, providing for the breeding, improvement and breeding of unusual breeds of birds, including chickens, the organization of exhibitions, conferences and forums on topical issues of decorative poultry. Breeders try to bring out decorative breeds with a meat or meat orientation to interest poultry-lovers with a rare variety, thus preserving the gene pool of the bird.
Thanks to fans of exotic birds werepreserved from extinction are many species of rare, not adapted for commercial poultry breeds of chickens. They are bred solely for aesthetic reasons, showing at exhibitions. The rarest kinds of hens with unusual pedigree signs - absence of plumage or a tail of 13 meters in length - are bred in all corners of the world.
History
The first mention of the breed dates back to 1526.But it took nearly four centuries before the Araucan chicken was removed from South America. The unusual color of the eggs made the breed very popular and in demand. It was believed that eggs with a blue shell have extraordinary healing properties.
Araucana - a breed of chickens of egg-decorativedirections. Her native is considered South America, or rather, Chile. The name of the breed was derived from the native tribe of the same name. Birds used to be honored for their ability to carry colorful eggs, and roosters were valued for their pugnacious fighting nature.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, European countries already hadAn unusual species of Araucana bird is known - a breed of chickens. Its description is as follows: it is a small bird with an anuran rounded body. She has broad shoulders, a long back, a broad chest, a well-marked abdomen, strong legs, small earrings and a low comb. To features of appearance carry presence of a beard and a whisker on a head at araukana. Chickens (photos in the text) have an even more bellicose look than cockerels.
Contents of decorative chickens
Their content is not much different.Chickens feel great and with cell content, and with free grazing. The harmless nature of the bird allows you to calmly keep it with other representatives of domestic animals. But it should be remembered that only breeding "clean" will preserve all its pedigree signs.
The coops are equipped with everything necessary:nests, at a rate of 30 cm per head, nests - one nest for 5-6 layers, feeders, waterers. Careful care, regular cleaning and disinfection will help to avoid diseases and the case of a bird.
Paddock is better to fence, from above to make a canopy. This will not only save the chickens from a bird of prey, but also provide a cool on a hot day.
For full-fledged feeding, a balanceddiet, taking into account the intake of necessary micro- and macro elements, vitamins, minerals, especially calcium. The presence of gravel, coarse sand, small pebbles is necessary, it will help the birds in the process of digestion.
On a season it is possible and it is necessary to enter in a diet fresh greens, vegetables and fruit. It is very useful to maintain the vitamin balance by feeding in winter time with coniferous flour.
To maintain high egg production, you should feed the bird at least three times a day. In the morning and in the evening it should be grain food, and at lunch it is better to prepare wet mash.
Decorative birds are often kept inapartments of multi-storey houses. A place for keeping a bird can be equipped on a heated balcony or loggia. Cockerel can bother neighbors, but the chickens will not bring trouble with loud morning singing, but the guttural cackling will soothingly act on the owners of the apartment.
Description of the bird
This breed can be reliably attributed to onefrom the most original in the world. Visually, two unusual signs of the breed are immediately striking: the absence of a tail (in hens of German breeding) and the presence of incredible in size and fluffy ear pens.
Декоративная птица имеет некрупную голову, A small crest in the form of a red-orange pod. The beak is bent. Round eyes are orange or reddish brown. Well feathered side whiskers or beards, or pots (depending on the type) are well pronounced. She has a short straight, wide back and chest, a tight rounded tailless body, wings of medium size. Feet without plumage. Color: golden, white, black.
Breed deficiencies that exclude poultry from breeding breeding include:
- developed tail;
- different color of eggs;
- perfect absence of feather beams or lack thereof on the one hand;
- greatly reduced short back;
- strongly pronounced beard and cuff;
- angularity and clumsiness;
- sharp and narrow body;
- fallen comb of the cock.
With all its decorativeness, the breed is beautifulhas established itself as an egg. Getting eggs of excellent quality, decent weight and in large quantities makes this breed not only attractive from the point of view of decoration, but also practical and cost-effective.
So, araukana, description of the breed:
- egg production - 180 pieces;
- egg weight - 57 grams;
- egg color - green, turquoise, blue;
- ring size chicken / rooster– 15/16 mm;
- features - ear feathers, no coccyx;
- chicken weight - up to 2 kg;
- rooster weight - 2.5 kg;
- the number of fingers - 4;
- hatching - absent;
- temperament - calm (roosters can be aggressive);
- flight altitude - up to 1.5 meters;
- plumage color - varied;
- productivity - egg-decorative.
Currently, there are several typesaraukan In America, the Americas are widespread, in England, tailed araucans with a small tuft on their heads are popular. In Germany, they prefer tailless breeds with well-pronounced ear feathers.
One property combines species - all chickens carry colored eggs. They can be green, blue, turquoise with different shades and the degree of saturation of colors.
Coloring
There are several recognized breed standards for bird plumage colors. The most common colors:
- "Wild".In cocks, the head, neck, and saddles are red-brown with a well-marked black stripe along the stem of the feather. The back and shoulders of a dark red-brown shade. Covering feathers of the wings, belly, chest, lower leg - black. Arakan-chickens (photo in the text) "wild" color are slightly different from roosters. The chicken has a neck and a head of golden brown, yellowish-pink chest, black-gray belly. The back, sides, and saddle are brown with dotted black blotches and a dark border. The eyes are red or orange.
- Golden-haired. Золотисто-коричневая голова, темно-золотистые feathers of the saddle and neck of a rooster. The shoulders and back have a golden red hue. The belly, covering feathers of wings, chest and shin are black. The plumage of the neck and head of a chicken is golden in color, along the stem of a feather with a black stripe. The back, sides, saddle, wings are golden brown with black dots. Chest yellowish-pink color.
- Golden wheat. Color and pattern resemble colorgolden brown or wild, but there is no black stripe along the stem of the feather; a light pattern is permitted on neck feathers. The hen on the head and neck has a reddish-brown color. For a feather core, a matte black stripe is permissible. Saddle, back, sides, wings of wheat color. The legs, belly and chest are light blond.
- Silverish. Cock:plumage of the neck, head, saddle - silver-white, black stripe along the feather shaft. The shoulders and back are silvery white. Covering feathers of a wing, a stomach, a shin, a breast - black. Chicken has head and neck plumage, like a rooster. The back, saddle, sides, wings are silver-gray with black dots; a small silver border is allowed. The shin and belly is gray, the chest is yellowish-pink.
- Blue. Birds have a shade of blue, darker or lighter. The rooster has a darker shade of saddle, neck, head, and shoulders.
- Blue red. It resembles the color black and red, but black replaces - blue.
- Blue-goldenheaded. The basis of the color, like that of golden hair, is not only black, instead of it is blue.
- Blue wheat. Like golden-wheat, but with blue instead of black.
- Blue- "wild." Reminds a "wild" coloring, but without black color, it is replaced with blue.
- Kukushechnaya, or striped. Each feather has an original color in the formmultiple alternation of bands with a slight bend of black and bluish-gray. In roosters, they are about the same width, in chickens, black stripes are slightly wider. Hocks are yellow, eyes are orange.
- Black. Birds have black plumage with green glitter. Araucana is a breed of chickens (photo in the text on the right) with bright eyes of red or brown-red color.
- Black and red. Predominant deep black with greenishlow tide. The rooster has a neck, head and saddle of rich golden-red color, with a bright black stripe along the stem of the feather. Shoulders - brown-red. The back is black; brown-red blotches are permissible. The main color of the chicken is also black with a green tint. The head and neck are brown-red. Eyes red or brown-red.
- Creamy white. Allowed in the plumage of the neck a little yellow (at the rooster). Hocks can be a greenish-yellow shade, eyes - orange.
Types
It is customary to divide chickens into three types. This applies to European standards, recognizing only the Arakan tailless:
- with a beard and tanks (without feather beams);
- with feather bunches and beard;
- with feather beams on the sides of the head (identical in size and symmetrically located).
Despite the diversity of types, all representatives have common features in the structure of the body, colors of feathers, eye color and other signs.
Breed of Araukan became the basis for breedingbreed dwarf araukan. It was withdrawn in the USA, the standard was approved in 1984. According to the description resembles araukana, but smaller. A rare breed that carries small, up to 50 grams, turquoise eggs. But the egg production is high - 180 pieces per year. Rooster weight up to 2 kg, chickens up to 1.8 kg.
Любители с удовольствие разводят необычных "Bearded gnomes" with all the features of ordinary Araucan. And small eggs are in great demand for Easter holidays, they are bought specifically for children.
Features of the breed
Eggs (araukana is a fairly egg-bearing breed)The greenish-blue color is the main feature of chickens. The next distinguishing feature of the breed is the absence of a tail (they have no caudal vertebrae). And, finally, feather decoration of the head in the form of a beard and mustache in various variations.
Heavenly Eggs
Chickens breed araukana carry eggs blue -"Heavenly". There was a hypothesis that the color of the shell is a legacy from wild pheasants, the distant ancestors of Araucan. But scientific evidence of this was not found.
Modern studies have shown that suchthe color of the shell becomes due to the presence in the genital tract of biliverdin chicken, a special natural pigment. It, in turn, is formed in bile and is the product of the breakdown of red hemoglobin.
Araucana - breed of chickens (photo of eggs on the left in the text),which, when crossed with a bird carrying brown eggs, produces offspring capable of carrying eggs with olive-green shells. When crossed with ordinary chickens, hybrids begin to lay eggs with a light bluish tinge. In the second hybrid generation, they acquire the usual white color.
Benefits
Araucana is a breed of chickens that stands out with a number of unconditional advantages:
- great acclimatization;
- quietly getting used to different temperatures;
- excellent health;
- unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention;
- chickens ripen early and begin to sweep,
- high egg production (up to 160 eggs per year);
- calm nature, allows you to get along with other animals;
- steady consumer demand for exotic eggs;
- a combination of exotic tiles and its productivity.
disadvantages
Along with the attractiveness of the breed, there are some difficulties:
- First, there are problems with fertilization. Отсутствие хвоста сказывается на процессе fertilization. In order to provide the rooster with physical contact with the female, the feathers and down in the area of the cloaca are cut to individuals. True, it will not save from high embryonic mortality. Araucan chicken does not show any desire to hatch eggs.
- Secondly, pugnaciousness of cockerels. By their nature, they are more reminiscent of fighting breed, it must be taken into account when keeping a large number of birds.
- Third, the rarity of the bird. Araucana is a breed of chickens, quite expensive foracquisitions. And there are unscrupulous sellers who are trying to implement a hybrid bird. Externally, it may resemble araukana, but it is impossible to get turquoise eggs from it.
- Fourth, it is necessary to have a very great patience and a sixth sense of the breeder in order to get the desired result by external signs. Parents with the most beautiful and symmetrical tanks can produce offspring without tanks at all.
Today, many private farms already have thesechickens. Araucana (reviews of enthusiastic owners to that confirmation) behaves well and feels in the household, rushes well and, on top of that, is a magnificent decoration of the courtyard.
Demand for eggs of unusual color (they are popularlyreceived the name "Easter") only grows. In America and Europe, they are thinking over the creation of araukan breeding farm. The breed of chickens is very promising in terms of industrial production of blue-colored eggs.
