Chicken breeds consist of three blue egg layers: the Araucana, the Easter Egger, and the Ameraucana. AnimalSake will provide interesting facts about Ameraucana chickens.
Did You Know?
Tidbitting is a dance performed by roosters on discovery of food, they make sounds and move their head up and down, picking up and dropping food. Researchers claim that hens are attracted more towards those roosters who perform tidbitting.
So what comes to your mind when you think about chicken? For meat-eaters, delicious chicken recipes but for vegetarians, cute little chicks. The word Ameraucana is a combination of the words American and Araucana. According to the APA (American Poultry Association), the Ameraucana and, the Araucana are considered as pure-bred, blue-egg breeds. Among them the Ameraucana contains two types of chicken: Ameraucana Bantam and Ameraucana large fowl. These chickens are known for their docile and skittish nature. Previously, the poultry industry believed that blue eggs had lower cholesterol and higher nutritional value than white eggs, but many recent researches have stated otherwise.
History
The Ameraucana is a relatively new breed. According to certain sources, around the late ’70s, the standard American chicken and the Araucana were bred to overcome certain shortcomings of the Araucana chicken breed. Thus, the Ameraucana breed was born, and in 1980, this name was officially accepted by the American Poultry Association (APA) and by the American Breeders Association (ABA). The Ameraucana Breeders Club was established to provide members or breeders with information about these chickens. Since 1984, attributes about these chickens and eight varieties have been recognized by both the APA and ABA. These eight color patterns are black, blue, blue wheaten, brown red, silver, white, and wheaten, and these colors are applicable to both large fowls and bantams.
Appearance
- A comb is a fleshy growth on top of a chicken’s head. Ameraucanas have a pea comb, and it acts like a cooling system and helps them to prevent frostbite.
- Their beak has a slightly downward curve, the lower part of their face is covered with feathers which looks like a beard.
- They have full-fledged tails unlike the Araucanas and, their tail is positioned at a unique angle of 45 degrees over a horizontal pattern.
- Their earlobes are red in color, and females tend to have a pale appearance.
Size
- This breed is relatively small as compared to the other breeds.
- According to the Ameraucana Breeders Club, standard weight for bantams should be:
Cocks – 30 oz. Hens – 26 oz.
And standard weight for large fowl should be:
Cocks – 6.5 lbs. Hens – 5.5 lbs.
Color
- They come in many different colors like black, blue, blue wheaten, brown red, silver, buff, white, and, wheaten, which makes it difficult to identify the purest breed of all and some breeders claim to have Ameraucanas in their backyard, but the truth is they have Easter Eggers.
- Males tend to have more of an orange tint to them, their feet are white in color, shank is blue and gray, while the eyes have a red and brown tone.
Behavior
- Many owners describe their chickens as sweet, docile, good-natured, and shy.
- Male dominance is observed in this type of breed, wherein the roosters call out to the hens when they discover food, and they protect female chickens from trouble.
- Roosters are known for their aggressive nature, so they should be kept separate from the hens unless they are breeding. Of course, proper food supply, water provision has to be taken care of.
Eggs
- The hens’ laying age starts when they are 5 or 6 months old, many hens lay eggs even during the winters, but they need to be fed properly, especially proteins, because egg laying depletes protein and calcium, so their food intake should be rich in calcium and protein.
- Eggs laid are blue in color, so it sometimes gives the eggs an Easter eggs-type of appearance.
- Ameraucanas have been known to live for more than 10 years, but again, this depends on their diet and living conditions too.
- This breed is best suited for egg production.
Unique characteristics such as feather beards, blue legs, and, tufted ears make Ameraucanas among the country’s favorite laying breeds.