Description
This beautiful breed of chicken lay blue eggs and are an excellent egg laying breed. They originated in the USA and are a difficult breed of chicken to obtain but are growing in popularity. This breed is docile and people friendly. They will bear confinement well but prefer to free range.
The development of this breed is a complicated story that is long and involved, but I think it’s safe to say that part of its beginnings developed in countries such as Chili and its beginnings were initiated by a breed called the Aruacana. The Ameracauana breeders club says, “it is correct and accurate to say that the ‘Self Blue Ameraucana’ will be America’s most newly recognized APA/ABA Standard Breed. Large Fowl Self Blue Ameraucanas are now an officially recognized variety by the APA due to the approval vote of the APA board at the semi-annual Friday night meeting at the Pearl River Classic in Columbia, Mississippi on Jan. 24, 2020. A breed is not considered a true breed unless it has the APA or ABA stamp of approval. According to the APA or ABA the Ameraucana have slate blue legs, red ear lobes, have pea combs, must be the layer of blue eggs, have beard and muffed. The Ameraucana must have a tail, and cannot have any tufts, unlike the Araucana from which it developed.
According to the Ameraucana Breeders Club the Pea Comb gene and the Blue Egg gene are carried on the same chromosomes and are closely related, therefore one cannot be without the other to be considered a true Ameraucana.
The Ameraucana were admitted in the APA Standards of perfection in 1984. Ameraucana is a general-purpose fowl and has a distinctive blue eggshell coloration. Breeders have been improving the Ameraucana breed since the 1930's. Araucana is the parent stock imported from South America. The breed we see now was developed in 1970's. The Ameraucana has the blue-egged trait of the Araucana but without its tuffs and rumpless characteristic. The Ameraucana breed have a well-spread, medium-length tail, muffs, and small pea comb. They have a stocky build with broad heads and large eyes.
They can have long laying seasons. This breed will lay late into November and December and are the first to start up again in January. The hens will go broody. They are hardy and have active, inquisitive, and friendly attitudes. The Ameraucana breed was the first breed to be admitted into the American Poultry Association in 1984. Colors accepted into APA are Black, White, Wheaten, Silver, Buff, Brown Red, Blue Wheaten, and Blue.
For more information go to http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/
In my own opinion: This breed prefers to be treated as a pet, giving them lots of affection only adds another dimension to the pleasure of owning them. Mine wants to be held and petted frequently.