Arucana or Americana?

[CCUK]

What is the difference between these two? Does a easter egger have to be a cross of one of these or any that has the blue gene?

 

[Pyxis]

It looks like you're in the UK, so your araucanas are different from ours here in the US. In the US, araucana is rumpless and tufted. An ameraucana has muffs, a beard, and comes in certain accepted colors. An americana, the way it's spelled in the thread title, is just another name for an easter egger. An easter egger is a mixed breed chicken that usually lays blue or green eggs. It can be a mix of those two breeds, or it might be a mix of another breed that lays blue/green eggs like a crested cream legbar, etc.

In the UK, araucanas are different. They have muffs, they may have tails or be rumpless, and they have crests.

I don't think ameraucanas have made it to the UK from the US.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Nicely said @Pyxis

 

[CCUK]

So would you say this is an arucana?

 

[lilmillefleur]

I would call it an Easter Egger to be safe. I don't think it's a standard color, however I am in the US and don't know if they have different breed standards in the UK (and I don't really know the US standard anyway either!). 'Easter eggers' are usually crossbreeds, or most often, the descendants of some of the stock used to create the Ameraucana and Araucana breeds. Easter Eggers do not adhere to or have any standards and therefore cannot be shown. However, with no set guidelines on how they need to look, they can look like pretty much anything and are a really great breed to add diversity.
Also please note that the spelling 'americana' is usually meant as a misspelling of 'ameraucana.' But since the 'americanas' sold by commercial hatcheries are often actually Easter Eggers, if someone calls their chicken 'americana' you can be pretty sure it's actually an Easter Egger.
Phew! Sorry for the long post...that was unneccesary..

(Edited for more details ... )

 

[PirateGirl]

Also skin color and thus leg color factor in to the breed standard.

 

[CCUK]

That would be nice if she's a easter egger. Shes called omlet! I don't show birds. I like her colour. She's a really friendly hen.

 

[lilmillefleur]

If you don't show it shouldn't really matter what she is, it's just nice to have a pretty bird that lays pretty eggs!

 

[CCUK]

Yeah. I just like the variety. I just wanted to know what to call them when someone asks. I like easter egger!

 

[PirateGirl]

Awe. I love her name! I ended up with an Ameraucana accidentally, but same as you, I don't show my birds, I was ok with the mix up, she's sweet with the other ladies (though sometimes they pick on her because of her beard), and she now lays me a blue egg most days!