Ameraucana chickens may be the best known of the Easter Eggers, chickens that lay pale, pastel-colored eggs. But just because a chicken lays colored eggs, don’t automatically assume it is an Ameraucana. They are a distinct breed, enjoyed by many poultry enthusiasts around the world.
The Ameraucana Breed
Not all Easter Eggers are Ameraucanas. There are specific characteristics that must be met in a bird for it to be recognized as an Ameraucana. Derived from the South American Araucana, they have been bred to improve fertility and the rate at which they lay eggs. A mature Ameraucana can be expected to lay approximately four eggs per week. Their meat is tender and flavorful, described by some as tasting similar to quail.
The breed was bred in the United States in the 1970s and recognized by the APA (American Poultry Association) in 1984. There are eight officially recognized varieties: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten and White. They are mostly non-aggressive and easy to handle birds. Major characteristics of the breed are:
- Ameraucanas have pea-combs, which is a medium-size comb with three ridges running lengthwise from the top of the beak to the top of the head, with the middle ridge slightly higher than the others.
- They don’t have wattles. Wattles are the red fleshy things that hang from under a chicken’s chin. In chickens that have wattles, wattle and the comb serve to dissipate heat, helping the bird control its body temperature. Because Ameraucanas don’t have wattles to speed heat loss and pea combs are relatively small as combs go, they are especially tolerant of cold temperatures.
- "Bay" or reddish-brown eyes
- Red ear lobes
- "Slate" (blue) shanks and feet. Blacks can have black shanks and feet. The bottoms of their feet are white and the feet have four toes.
- "Horn" colored (neutral, not yellow), curved beaks
- White skin
- Feathery muffs and beards
- A distinct tail
- Large and bantam sizes are officially recognized. As defined by the Ameraucana Breeders Club, weight ranges can go from 24 ounces for a bantam pullet to 6 ½ pounds for a large fowl cock.
- And most famously, they lay various shades of pastel blue to blue-green eggs.
That Famous Blue Egg Color
One of the most obvious traits of the Ameraucana, and the one that is most noted by non-poultry enthusiasts, is the blue eggs they lay. The color can range from sky blue to pale tourquoise, and with cross-breeding and dilution of the breed, the color range expands into pinks, greens and yellows. According to an article by Rosalyn Upson of the Araucana Club of America, “the blue color is caused by the deposition of a liver bile pigment throughout the egg and can be seen on the inside of the eggshell.”
Raising Ameraucanas
If you want true, pure-bred Ameraucanas, you need to research poultry sellers, ask them about breed lineage, inspect birds from their flock for the specific traits of the breed, and ideally talk with others who have purchased Ameraucanas from that dealer to see if what they bought did in fact grow up to be a true Ameraucana. One prominent fact, they should only lay blue eggs.
If you aren’t concerned with showing the birds in competitions, you just want some nice Easter Eggers, you don’t need to be as careful in your selection. Mongrel, cross-bred Easter Eggers are often sold as Ameraucanas and that may be what you get. But if you simply want a pleasant, cold hardy, tasty chicken with the added fun of colored eggs, consider looking for the Ameraucana breed.
Sources
Ameraucana Breed Standard, Ameraucana Breeders Club, ameraucana.org
Rosalyn Upson, ARAUCANAS, Araucana Club of America, araucana.net
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