So were they Araucanas or what?

[wolftracks]

I've only been back into chickens for a couple of years now. I've had them and then not had them for years apart.

Way Way back, I bought chickens with some friends. I think we got 40-50 and split them up. They were very expensive and I was pretty young, so I didn't get a big number of them.

These birds were imported from South America, I'm old and it was a long time ago, so some things are vague.

They did not lay the blue eggs that I've seen around these days. They did lay blue, but also other colors, no not like EEs either. They had swirls and looked kind of marbled. Most of the time they had the colors of a peacock all swirled together. These birds could also be rumpless or have tails. They had come from SQ birds. We got some of both types. The eggs were anywhere from pastel to very dark and the most gorgeous eggs I have ever seen.

I didn't see these eggs again until about 15 years ago. I lived in Union City, CA and I was a bartender. One of my customers/friends came in one day with eggs. I didn't even know he had chickens, but in his basket were those swirled eggs. I was so surprised and bet him to the name of the breed. Araucana. He was shocked that I knew about them. Couldn't talk him out of any or fertile eggs either. I wish I could go track him down now.

Anyway I've been telling myself I was going to ask here, but just never have.

I was too busy raising, training and showing dogs until a few years ago, so never even thought to show a chicken or I might have stuck with them.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about and if so, what are they and where can I get them now?

 

[Illia]

Araucanas should only lay blue eggs, honestly. They should also have greenish colored legs, no tail, a pea comb, and likely have tufts. Like this:

What you're describing is what our Araucanas and Ameraucanas originated from. They're basically mutt birds from South America, and are indeed a treasure of a find, but they are not today's standard Araucana.

 

[wolftracks]

The bird resembled them but I don't remember how much. They were a breed. I really want to find them again.

You know the marbled looking eggs you can dye at Easter? That's basically what these birds laid. Not that dark, but they swirled with different colors.

Hopefully someone has them or know what they were for sure. Been so many years since I had mine and I really didn't get a chance to ask a lot of questions of the gut that had them 15 years ago. I never saw his birds, but I knew those eggs the second I saw them.

I can narrow it down to the name sounded like Araucana. LOL Geez I knew it when I saw his eggs and he was surprised that I had even heard of them. They definately were not EEs. The only difference was some were rumpless.

 

[wolftracks]

BTW that's a beautiful bird!

 

[Illia]

I'd just say they were the originals that we got Araucanas and Ameraucanas from.

Those eggs sound amazing though! I know one person who has Olive Eggers that do that, but wow. . .

 

[wolftracks]

I'd love to see those

Wish the guy with the ones I saw the most recently was on BYC.

I'd love to get hold of these birds again.

Alex are you out there?? LOL

 

[cashdl]

I asked over at the Araucana club website and will let you know if anyone knows what type of chicken it is and who might have them.

Lanae

 

[cashdl]

No reply from the Araucana club but there are many breeds from south america that lay different colored eggs.

The Araucana is derived from a cross of the Quetro - which is a tufted, tailed bantam breed from the Lake Titicaca area that lays lilac, blue, orange, red, spotted pink, or green eggs. And the Colloncas - a rumpless clean faced bird from Peru and Chile that lays white, tan, yellowish, Aqua, or grayish eggs.

The Ameraucana is derived from a cross of the Quetros mentioned above and the Quechua - which was tailed or rumpless, had muffs and beards, laid grey green, spotted pinkish, or yellow tinted eggs and was found in Bolivia and Argentina.

Of course both the Araucana and the Ameraucana breeds were refined into the breeds we have today by selective breeding but that is a very generalized overview so that you could see the different colored eggs you could possible get from the crossing of the original stock.

It is a shame we don't see a breed of chicken today that lays a orange, red, or lilac egg.

I would imagine that the early mixing of those breeds produced pretty cool looking eggs.


Lanae

 

[wolftracks]

Just to update, when I had these birds was 35+ years ago the first time. maybe that would help, but the name was more like Ameraucana or Araucana.

Maybe this was the starting point of th breed we have now, but i'll tell you, those original birds and the colors of the eggs were amazing. Sad to think it the breeds today were produced by using the crosses, that the colors were depleted and only blue is available.

I've never seen eggs like these on this site, but now I'm determined to try and locate the breed. They were what I wanted when I came back into chickens and I've found my favorites for now, but if I could locate these again I would snatch them up in a heartbeat. I wish I still had pics of them. I used to love to see what colors were combined and took pictures of a lot of them. Probably then using a 110 camera, LOL

 

[wolftracks]

Was hoping something had come back from the club.

Nothing yet?