what is the difference between araucana and americana breeds?

[michelle glass]

I've heard both terms and have come to some understanding that Americana is a mixed breed. if so how do you tell the difference? I bought araucanas at an auction, unknowing the person selling them. So I know I may have been dupped. but how do I tell the difference between the two.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm no expert but from what I've read Araucanas should be rumpless (ie no tails) if you are in the USA whereas Ameracaunas should have tails, so pretty easy to tell them apart. Just to confuse you though, here in the UK and possibly elsewhere in the world, Araucanas have tails but then I don't think we have Ameracaunas. Anyway, the biggest confusion/deception seems to be between Ameracaunas and EEs(Easter Eggers) (sometimes labelled Americaunas to deliberately confuse or deceive) EEs and Americaunas are mixed breed birds that have at least one blue egg laying gene in their parentage and therefore may (or may not) lay blue/green eggs..... usually they do. Note one letter change from an a to an i makes the difference between a pure breed Ameracauna and a mixed breed Americauna (EE). Telling these two apart can come down to colour and is perhaps not so easy.

That's my take on it from across the pond, but I could be mistaken.

Regards

Barbara

 

[michelle glass]

thanks rebrascora. I am in Canada. and my birds have tail feathers so I am sure they must be mixed. Chance you take when buying at an auction. They still are pretty so I just hope I get the blueish eggs from them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

EE/Ameraucana/Araucana comparison
http://apa-abayouthpoultryclub.org/Edu_Material/Easter Eggers vs.pdf

Ameraucana History
http://www.ameraucana.org/history.html

Both of these might be interesting to you. What you probably have are EE’s, not Ameraucana or Araucana. As you can see in that comparison, EE really doesn’t mean anything. Hopefully they will lay colored eggs for you.

As you can see from that history, Ameraucana and Araucana breeds were both developed from colored egg laying EE’s that originated in Chile. That’s the way all breeds were developed, somebody decided what they wanted a chicken to be then they created it. The British and Australian Araucana looks different from the American Araucana because they wanted it to look different. I think the Brits were first but I have not researched that.

There is a whole lot of misunderstanding about Ameraucanas, Araucanas, and EE’s out there. Some hatcheries had their colored egg laying flocks before the Ameraucanas were even created, back when Araucana or Ameraucana were just marketing names. It’s easy to get really confused about this.

Hopefully yours will lay blue or green eggs and you will be happy with them. If you want pure Araucana or Ameraucana you need to find a breeder and those will not be inexpensive at all.

Good luck with them.

 

[rebrascora]

I bought a supposed Araucana at auction too and was told she would lay blue eggs..... she doesn't, she lays little pale pink/flesh coloured eggs with a lovely sheen on them. I was so disappointed that they weren't blue and to make matters worse she was really flighty and would not go into the hen house to roost with the others. and I couldn't get anywhere near her.... she was wild! I called her Tasha because I had not seen a hen with a moustache before. Anyway, she has slowly grown on me and is now one of my favourite hens, having successfully reared 2 large clutches of chicks since I got her a year ago and consistently laid eggs in between and right through the winter without artificial light. She is a scruffy little mutt and wiley and quirky and I love her to bits.
I hope your new lady turns out so well regardless of her breeding.

 

[enola]

Americana is a word used by hatcheries because it sounds more 'professional' than Easter Egger. By advertising their chicks as Americanas, hatcheries confuse the general public into thinking they are buying a 'breed' of chickens.

Personally I think the hatcheries would not lose any customers by advertising their Easter Eggers as a "flock of multicolored chickens that lay many different colors of eggs; blue, green, olive and pinkish eggs, and LOTS of them.

There nothing wrong with owning EE (easter eggers) the proof is all over this site, everybody loves EE.

 

[michelle glass]

thanks for the links. I will check them out. You are right, they whole blue egg layers are very confusing. I really don't care to show them or claim to sell pure breed....I just want blue/green eggs LOL. thanks again.