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Ameraucana

The Ameraucana was developed in the 70's by a few people who were trying to standardize the...

General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Pea
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
All Climates
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Medium
Egg Color
Blue/Green
Breed Temperament
Friendly, Flighty, Easily handled, Calm, Bears confinement well, Quiet, Docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten, and White. Colors being worked on include Lavender, Splash, Splash Wheaten, Mottled, Salmon, Red Pyle and Black Gold.
Breed Size
Large Fowl
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The Ameraucana is an American breed of chicken developed in the USA in the 1970s. It was derived from chickens brought from South America (Chile) that carried the blue egg gene and was bred to maintain the blue egg colour gene of that breed. There is also an Ameraucana bantam variety and both the LF and bantam variety were added to the APA Standard of Perfection (SOP) in 1984. Recognised varieties are: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten, White.

The Ameraucana is one of the few chicken breeds to lay blue eggs, another being the Cream Legbar, which also have an Araucana influence. The Ameraucana breed shows many similarities to the Araucana breed, such as pea combs and of course the blue egg gene. The Araucana however has earmuffs and is rumpless, whereas the Ameraucana has a tail and is muffed and bearded. Their earlobes are small and round, wattles small or absent, earlobes, comb and wattles are all red. Their shanks are slate-blue, (tending to black in the Black variety). In Australia and UK both Ameraucana and Araucana breeds are viewed as varieties of the Araucana - tailed and rumpless.

Less rare than Araucanas, Ameraucana are still considered quite rare. They are often confused with Easter Eggers (EE's are often advertised and sold as Ameraucanas), which can lay blue AND green eggs.

See here: Differences Between EEs, Ameraucanas, and Araucanas

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Ameraucana eggs

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Ameraucana chicks

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Ameraucana pullet

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Ameraucana rooster

For more info on Ameraucanas and their owners' and breeders' experiences, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/975512/chicken-breed-focus-ameraucana/0_30

Latest reviews

The perfect mid chickens
Pros: Docile
Good for both eggs and meat
Love the cheek fluffs
Cons: Not large eggs
Not a lot of eggs (Still good for eggs though)
I love americaunas, and they are definitely a good breed to get for eggs and meat. Very sweet when trained.
Lots of colors and once more, we love the cheek fluffs.
Great review, love it! Good job.
Love my Ameraucanas
Pros: Beautiful, friendly, adorable, gorgeous eggs, funny, curious, nice size.
Cons: Can be towards the top of the pecking order

Often confused with Easter Eggers.

Feedstores sell EEs as Ameraucanas.
Ameraucanas have always been my favorite breed. I have raised several blue wheatens, and currently have white and lavender. Have had both male and female, never had one I didn’t adore.
Purchase Price
$10, $19.95.
Purchase Date
March 2020, February 2021.
A True Favorite!
Pros: So adorable, super personable when raised from hatch, beautiful to look at and wonderful blue eggs to mystify your non-chicken friends with. A very intelligent chicken compared to many others.
Cons: None
I found a beautiful Easter Egger and dove into the history of the Ameraucana after. It amazed me that they were so sought after that shops used phony names! What is the wonder of this breed? I saved my pennies and shipped a few purebreds across the country and I am smitten. Beautiful funny intelligent birds who have become family overnight!

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Comments

How cute! My Americanna chick does the same thing - wonder if it's a breed thing (?) She screams when I pick her up, but then settles right down and seems to enjoy being held. If I pick someone else up, she'll rush over and try to knock or even pull them out of my hand. And when I'm putting someone back down, she HAS to rush over and give them a good going over. I guess she's checking to see if they got anything good that she missed?
 
EE's been a choice since this new feature has been here. EE is just the acronym for Easter Egger. But trust me, even his dad was more than likely an Easter Egger. If you got him from a feedstore or hatchery, he's an Easter Egger. If he was crossed to a non-Ameraucana, he's an Easter Egger. If he was from parents or siblings in which the hens were mixed colors or had green legs, he's an Easter Egger.
 
I have 15 Ameraucanas. What a wonderful breed of chicken. I have a crossbeak hen named Betty. She follows me all over my ranch along with my 2 dogs and a cat. My Ameraucana rooster is one tough little buckaroo.
 
You get what you pay for when it comes to this breed. My purebreds are awesome. Whe5re did you get them ?
 
My hatchery Ameraucanas (EE's) all act like that, but the purebreds are awesome. I have 12 because I love them so much, from 5 breeders. You should give them another try, but make sure it is from a good BYC breeder. There are several on here
 
americauna, I had three now down to two as of yesterday gave the rooster back to the lady i bought him from.he was just days old when i bought him.he was three months old last week and crowed for the first time he was so mean to his flock mates. he would peck and bite and would not let go until he pulled their feathers out.the lady i bought him from told me that americanuas was famous for being just down right mean.she breeds and raises all kinds of poultry.any roosters you end up with ,you don't want she will take back.he was one of a flock of ten.he was a holy terror.so glad to be rid of him.
 
One of our Ameraucana hens also turned out to be a cockerel. We were able to give him to a free range farm where they will raise him up. He was a big time playground bully too, always herding the others around and pinning them to the ground. It is amazing how peaceful it is in the coop now without him. I wish our two remaining Ameraucana pullets would chill out a little bit, but I'm afraid that it's just their nature.
 
My hen (Baby) went a little wacko when our rooster went to live somewhere else (no, not the stew pot), and she became the boss--clucking and bossing the other hens around, telling them to go to bed at sunset, etc. She NEVER physically challenged the others though. She remains sweet to us, and we are going to get her another rooster. Glad I live somewhere I can have one, as it was a mistake to get rid of him. Maybe your girl needed a roo.
 
I'm waiting for my Blue Americaunas to hatch along with my Salmon Favorolles and Ancaunas..so far just one Ancona.
 
I have an Americauna who is 3rd out of my five hens. she is the friendliest and cuddliest of all of them. Pretty good layer as well, I love her little mint-green eggs. Quiet too. My Leghorn screeches in the morning to be let out of her pen into the yard.
 
The older she is getting, the more friendly she is too. She doesn't squawk anymore either, she's one of my sweetest girls.
 
I have 4 ameraucans but they are not to aggressive yet . instead the white silkie is she thinks she is soo big and pecks are all of them
 
I have two Ameraucanas and two EE. All of them are curious, brave birds. They run to me for their treats.
 
We have one Ameraucana and you are right about them being shy and running away, but I haven't seen the aggressiveness as of yet. Our Elizabeth Taylor is a beautiful bird with puffy cheeks that make you want to pick her up and cuddle, but that's not happening. We haven't seen any eggs, but she is 22 weeks old so I'm guessing it may not be much longer. We're all taking bets on what color eggs she will lay.
 
That's because they're chickens & they don't have the capacity for anything like what people think of as "love".
 
My Ameracanunas are pretty friendly. the friendliest of all my chickens. My Buckeyes are the ones who really don't love me back. And I've nursed each one of them.
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
pips&peeps
Views
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Watchers
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Comments
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Reviews
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Last update
Rating
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