~Arkansas blue chicken info wanted~

[robinegerton]

Hello, is there anybody who knows anything about Arkansas blue chickens?

I read that they are not available for public purchase, are there any breeders willing to ship eggs to Washington state?
They say they resemble a blue Sumatra, but they are a mix of Aracauna and white leghorn, are they good birds egg laying wise and are they hardy?

Also are Aracaunas is hard to buy or can you get them at tractor supply or any regular feed store.
I read that Aracaunas don’t live very long and only a few survive because of the tufts on their cheeks, but they are fine they say if you can get them to live past hatching.

Google says: "The Arkansas Blue is an experimental breed developed at the University of Arkansas. The breed is a cross between a White Leghorn and Araucana and lays blue eggs but is not yet available to the public for purchase. They have a pea comb and yellow legs but have no tufts, muffs, or beards." https://petkeen.com/chicken-breeds-lay-colorful-eggs/
What's to stop someone from obtaining a White Leghorn and and Araucana and cross-breeding on our own?

 

[1muttsfan]

These birds were developed as an actual breed. The original breeder started with white leghorns and araucanas, but they were refined over generations to a very consistent bird of type and color and laying ability. They are not just a first generation cross, but the work of years.

 

[ronott1]

These birds were developed as an actual breed. The original breeder started with white leghorns and araucanas, but they were refined over generations to a very consistent bird of type and color and laying ability. They are not just a first generation cross, but the work of years.

Yes, by University Graduate students.

The are very pretty.

 

[springvalley123]

Google says: "The Arkansas Blue is an experimental breed developed at the University of Arkansas. The breed is a cross between a White Leghorn and Araucana and lays blue eggs but is not yet available to the public for purchase. They have a pea comb and yellow legs but have no tufts, muffs, or beards." https://petkeen.com/chicken-breeds-lay-colorful-eggs/
What's to stop someone from obtaining a White Leghorn and and Araucana and cross-breeding on our own?

FWIW last I checked a few hatcheries have eggers that they say are based on, or a cross, with auracauna / white leghorn. I don't know if those hatcheries maintain them as separate breeds like the Arkansas blue or are just hybrids though. I like that the Arkansas Blue is a breed though so you know what you're getting.

 

[ronott1]

FWIW last I checked a few hatcheries have eggers that they say are based on, or a cross, with auracauna / white leghorn. I don't know if those hatcheries maintain them as separate breeds like the Arkansas blue or are just hybrids though. I like that the Arkansas Blue is a breed though so you know what you're getting.

They are not breeds. These are black, blue and splash colors.

 

[TheTreeWalker]

I have a small flock of Arkansas blues, to my knowledge there are only a couple of people who have these birds any longer. They are smallish standard sized, alert, active, tidy, very feed efficient, and excellent layers of large to extra large blue eggs. They are excellent foragers and very hardy in cold weather.
It makes me sad to think that one I stop keeping chickens these birds may go by the wayside.
I will ship eggs to anybody who wants them for the cost of shipping, which can vary a lot depending on the distance and number of eggs/package size involved. Right now my birds are mostly molting and I'm getting very few eggs, and it's really too cold to ship them in the winter. But if you let me know around March or later depending on the weather I could send you some eggs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-egg-layers-from-university-of-arkansas.624359/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/arkansas-blue-egg-layers.874920/

Do you still have these chickens?

 

[1muttsfan]

Due to flock limitations I no longer ship eggs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hello, is there anybody who knows anything about Arkansas blue chickens?

I read that they are not available for public purchase, are there any breeders willing to ship eggs to Washington state?
They say they resemble a blue Sumatra, but they are a mix of Aracauna and white leghorn, are they good birds egg laying wise and are they hardy?

Also are Aracaunas is hard to buy or can you get them at tractor supply or any regular feed store.
I read that Aracaunas don’t live very long and only a few survive because of the tufts on their cheeks, but they are fine they say if you can get them to live past hatching.

I can only answer on the araucanas. They are not avaliable from most hatcheries due to lowered than optimal fertility and hatch rates. Not all will have tufts, and the ones that do are almost always heterozygous since homozygous usually results in embryos dying before hatch.

 

[KiWhi]

Due to flock limitations I no longer ship eggs.

I’m sad to read this. I was trying to find someone who still had these chickens available. I hope your flock can rebound.

 

[nene4ever9]

I have a small flock of Arkansas blues, to my knowledge there are only a couple of people who have these birds any longer. They are smallish standard sized, alert, active, tidy, very feed efficient, and excellent layers of large to extra large blue eggs. They are excellent foragers and very hardy in cold weather.
It makes me sad to think that one I stop keeping chickens these birds may go by the wayside.
I will ship eggs to anybody who wants them for the cost of shipping, which can vary a lot depending on the distance and number of eggs/package size involved. Right now my birds are mostly molting and I'm getting very few eggs, and it's really too cold to ship them in the winter. But if you let me know around March or later depending on the weather I could send you some eggs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-egg-layers-from-university-of-arkansas.624359/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/arkansas-blue-egg-layers.874920/