Araucana Chickens
Posted on Mar 09, 2009 under Breeding Chickens |Arauncana chickens originated from Chile and are named after the Arauca Indians 9once known as the Incas).They have a very small irregularly shaped pea comb no wattles and have thick feathers round their faces with a small crest .
The blue green color of the egg goes through the shell so the inside is as blue as the outside. Blue and green eggs are most common although colour can range from a greyish or violet blue to a turquoise or greenish blue. Khaki and olive eggs suggest that the hens have been crossed with other breeds. There are two main varieties - ‘tailed’ or ‘rumpless’.
Hatcheries also produce the Ameraucana, which are mostly mongrels, but there are now moves to standardise some colours and they are getting recognition as true breeding lines . There are likely to be birds offered which will be mongrels rather than anything recognised. The blue tint is so popular that demand for birds outstrips supply, which means that some breeders are cashing in.
We only breed Araucanas that will give blue eggs and blue green.
The true Araucanas have no rumps, but many of the birds now have rumps and have an unusual wart-like feature on either side of their heads called plicae where the earlobes are usually seen. These have feathers on them - the tailed variety has muffs and the rumpless have tufts.
Behaviour
Araucana chicks are strong, fast growers and mature quickly. They do tend towards broodiness and make excellent mothers. They don\’t mind being kept in a pen but like fresh grass so the coop or ark will need moving on regularly.
Araucana Chicks are strong, fast growers and mature quickly.
They tend towards broodiness and make good mothers. They do not mind being kept in a pen but like fresh grass so you’ll need to move the run or coop. Apparently the eggs are lower in cholesterol than other eggs which make them healthier although we haven’t found specific evidence to back this up.