This breed was the first breed I ever became acquainted with, and first impressions are important. Luckily, it was a very good first impression. These birds are well-known for their beautiful light teal eggs, which with the bird's age, get larger in diameter, peaking at about two years of age. The eggs can reach a size well past the "Jumbo" eggs in the store once the hen is about two years old.
The Ameraucana is also a very hardy bird, capable of surviving our wet, freezing winters, and then, in the summer, surviving temperatures of about 106 degrees F. I highly recommend this bird to anyone wanting chickens in such extreme temperature planes.
As for personality, I found the personality of the hens and of the males to be very non-aggressive, and
relatively friendly. I have had only one male that was aggressive, but the other four were very docile and just ran away if approached. Despite the friendly demeanor, they generally do not seem to like being picked up, but if they are caught and picked up, they will calm down, unless they are still under a year. If they are young, they may proceed to flail in panic.
Sadly, out of the original set of hens, I only have one remaining amongst the younger generations.Her name is Anastasia. She is three years old, and is still a bold, friendly little hen. She often comes up to me when I approach, if only to stop two feet away from me. Though she runs when I try to scoop her up, it's a half-hearted run, as if she's only putting up the effort for the drama of it, and when she's finally cornered, she stops running and allows herself to be picked up.
This is my personal experience with these wonderful chickens. I think this breed is a great one to own especially for families with kids.
The Ameraucana is also a very hardy bird, capable of surviving our wet, freezing winters, and then, in the summer, surviving temperatures of about 106 degrees F. I highly recommend this bird to anyone wanting chickens in such extreme temperature planes.
As for personality, I found the personality of the hens and of the males to be very non-aggressive, and
relatively friendly. I have had only one male that was aggressive, but the other four were very docile and just ran away if approached. Despite the friendly demeanor, they generally do not seem to like being picked up, but if they are caught and picked up, they will calm down, unless they are still under a year. If they are young, they may proceed to flail in panic.
Sadly, out of the original set of hens, I only have one remaining amongst the younger generations.Her name is Anastasia. She is three years old, and is still a bold, friendly little hen. She often comes up to me when I approach, if only to stop two feet away from me. Though she runs when I try to scoop her up, it's a half-hearted run, as if she's only putting up the effort for the drama of it, and when she's finally cornered, she stops running and allows herself to be picked up.
This is my personal experience with these wonderful chickens. I think this breed is a great one to own especially for families with kids.