Araucanas can have tails actually, just not for show. The dominant (Rp) gene is responsible for a lack of the coccyx which is the tail vertabrae. It does make for a lowered hatch rate as they have difficulty copulating. Added to the effects of the lethal ear tuft gene these are some reasons a good Araucana is hard to find. There is also a recessive gene(rp-2) which causes rumpless birds and roachback, a serious fault. the bird above has the wrong shank color but does appear to have a pea comb and has a muff/beard. It is most likely ,( if obtained from a commercial hatchery such as McMurray, Stromberg, etc.) a mutt commonly called easter egger. easter egger is not a breed but does have some Araucana or Ameraucana genetics in its heritage. Most breeders agree that hatcheries do a diservice to the breed and the customer by calling their crossed up blue/green eggers Ameracaunas, they simply are not that.

Well today, I found an old black gentlemen up in the woods, that had about 50 hens and a bunch of roosters just running wild around his place. he sold me two hens and then threw a free one in for good measure. S He was so nice just laughed and laughed at everything i said. you should have seen his set up. had nests made from everything from old cupboards to boards nailed together with sheet metal over them. Some nests were nailed to trees, and they were everywhere. when he caught me up the hens. He used a long piece of metal with a home made hook on the end and caught them by the leg and pulled them upside down, through a little hole in the top of the home made box. and they were screaming!! He used pine straw for nesting. and you could hear the roosters crowing in the woods all around. He said they were mixed game chickens. thats that all he could have because they roosted in the trees to keep them from the coyotes and the fox. OH MY. When I think of how gingerly I handle my flock of three at home. I'm feeding my lettuce and tomatoes, scratch and laying mash and he fed his cracked corn. when I brought them home to my two gigantic roosters and the hen we called baby because she seemed little, (but not compared to these three) LOL Mine are three times as big as these new ones. and they are not mixing. They are just plain wild and keep running into the fence straight on and bouncing back. I think they may either fly out or break their necks. OH MY. This is going to be a real adventure with these new ones. I hope they settle down soon. S The feller said they should mix with my flock fine. but mine are pure breeds and I think they are snobs. LOL

That is so cool you got to see the fledges and all five of them too! I am only seeing four of the six from the first nesting, so I am guessing two didn't make it. Donna

Congrats! I assume that you have done your homework since you have a spooker up. Have you been to www.sialis.org? Maybe Mom had a hard time laying that egg? I would leave it and see what hapens.