Chicken Breed Focus - Ameraucana

[Brawley Leigh]

Actual Ameraucana or Easter Eggers? Easter Eggers tend to be decent layers, as long as they get enough protein. True Ameraucana can be very poor, inconsistent layers. True Ameraucana always have a color/variety specified and are a consistent breed. Easter Eggers are frequently sold as Ameraucana, but they aren't really a breed at all. They are more of a landrace or type, and vary widely.

We have actual Ameraucana hens. In researching this breed I never read anything about being poor in egg production. Sweet breed.

 

[junebuggena]

We have actual Ameraucana hens. In researching this breed I never read anything about being poor in egg production. Sweet breed.

What variety? Some colors are better layers than others.

 

[Brawley Leigh]

What variety? Some colors are better layers than others.

Mine are blue wheaten

 

[junebuggena]

Mine are blue wheaten

Some of Blue/Splash Wheaten lines are very poor layers. It pays to do your research when selecting a breeder.

 

[Master Hatcher]

Wanna sell me some hatching eggs off of her ? she is gorgeous !

 

[mellieandthepastries]

Hey Everyone!! I was just gobbling up all the info on this thread. Thought I would share a picture of one of my two Splash Ameraucana’s. Her name is Sue. She’s about 15-16 weeks old. I have two EE’s as well and their physical traits are so different from Ameraucana’s. I love them all so much!

 

[rfmat1950]

This was posted in another location as well but didn't find this particular site at first...

Myself and several friends raise Ameraucana hens and we have all experienced them to stop laying after doing so for several weeks/months. They stop, then after a couple weeks they start laying again. We all feed high quality, organic, layer pellets with high protein treats, plenty of fresh water, free roam during the day and of course oyster shell and grit. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to how they stop laying....anyone else ever experience this with the Ameraucana breed? All of our other hens are producing well and almost daily, just skipping every 4th or 5th day.,

I guess I should have checked this tread first before just posting a similar question. I have a small flock of 5 hens including a Blue Ameraucana and I have just experienced exactly the same issue. My Blue is about 1 year old and since she started laying in February of this year, has been the most consistent of all my hens. About 1 1/2 weeks ago she just stopped. She seemed a little "off" for the first few days she didn't lay and then she was back to absolutely normal after that but not 1 egg out of her. I have to assume that it must be something about this breed that has them go thru this cycle of not laying for a few weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she kicks back into production soon cause I sure miss the sight of those little blue eggs.

 

[3riverschick]

This looks like a very early article on the Araucana? What do you think?
Transactions of the First World's Poultry Congress at the Hague-Scheveningen, September 5-9, 1921. Page 45 This is an excerpt, there is more to the article.
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009126076

TYPE OF AN ANUROPYGIDIOUS (RUMPLESS) COCK AND HEN.
BREED WITH EARRINGS IN CHILI,
by Prof. SALVADOR CASTELLO CARRERAS,
Headmaster of the Royal Official School of Poultry Industry in Spain,
Arenys de Mar — Barcelona.
Proposed scientifieal name: Gallus inauris (Castello).
This breed was discovered by Professor Salvador Castello in Chili in
1914. Shanks and beak are yellow or white. Eye dark red. Comb small.
Tail always absent. It lays rather small eggs, maximum weight 60
grammes and always of a bluish colour or bluish, with small brown spots.
It is found more plentiful in the South of Chili than in Araucaria, but is
found again towards the North, even in the latitude of the Panama Canal,
where it lays eggs, which are always of on a uniformly blue colour.
It was described for the first time in the ,,Special Zootechnies of
domestic fowls” by Prof. Salvador Castello, Headmaster of the Royal
Official School of Poultry industry at Arenys de Mar (Barcelona-Spain)
and it is at the Worlds’s Congress at the Hague, that the abovementioned
professor will present her to the poultry-keeping world.
POULTRY INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA.
ACCOUNT OF A NEW SOUTH AMERICAN BREED,
by Professor SALVADOR CASTELLO CARRERAS.
Headmaster of the Royal Official School of Poultry Industry in Spain,
Arenys de Mar — Barcelona.

 

[CarolineSpark]

I have two Ameraucanas (one cream color, one grey/blue) born Feb 2018. And one I am not sure about - she has the fluffy cheeks but may be an Easter Egger (she's the speckled one in the photo below) ? I also have 1 Blue Andalusian, 1 Australorp, 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 3 sexlinks (1 golden, 2 black) and 6 Rhode Island Reds.

I am interested in Ameraucana temperament and behavior -- mine all seem to be on the timid side.

The older one came to us having been the rooster's favorite and she was quite beat up - it took her over a year to gain confidence, grow her feathers back and dare to eat from human hands.

The babies got left out/picked on as pullets - but that seems to be changing now they are older and free ranging. The grey one was always well... odd .. endearingly so (named Little Owl as she didn't seem much like a chicken at first). The cream one (Rose) was confident at first but became shyer as she grew up.

I am wondering if they are typical of their breed, or if they got singled out because they were of a gentler nature than the others (the RIRs and Sexlinks seems to be more bold)

 

[bonsaiherb]

I've really been enjoying see all the Ameraucana bird photos (and hope to see more) but could someone please post a photo of the blue eggs they are getting from these girls?

Will include my own limited colors, Speckled Sussex eggs mixed in. Was pondering this issue as the 'blue' seems to be sorely singular and not what I remember Araucana chickens having. Please note. These six Ameraucana chicks came from TWO separate sources and basically produce the same coloration. ADD this note, the gal at the feed store who has some herself had one laying a brown egg.
This breed is but 10 generations old as I guess it and sometimes genetic reversions will happen. I also suspect that newer generation Easter Eggers are also not producing the same 'blue' colors but have more green in them.
Mine are just out of the pullet stage so perhaps the colors will get darker by time.