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Ameraucana chickens are pretty awesome. The breed is widely loved and extremely popular all over America due to various reasons. First, because they have these adorable puffy cheeks. Second, because they lay these amazingly beautiful blue tinted eggs. Since they are extremely curious and bright birds with a cheerful mood, they are mostly raised by people due to their exceptional personality. Their breed is very attractive due to their qualities as well as their versatile nature and hence they are adopted in various regions.
The Ameraucana chicken originally derived from a breed that came from Araucania, Chile where one of the rare breeds of blue eggs laying domestic chickens, known as Araucana, is found. Initially, in America, the breed of Ameraucanas was developed the 1970s.
The basic reason for developing this breed in America was to remove the deadly genetic material found in Araucana chickens. This deadly gene occurred in the ear tuft of Araucanas which increased the rate of their death to a great extent. When Araucanas are bred, their hatching rate can be very low. Actually, this breed can be a good option for those breeders who do not care about genetic errors in the birds as these birds can still have their basic advantages like the variety of their color, their general behavior and the color of their eggs, etc.
In 1984, the breed of Ameraucana chickens was recognized by the American Poultry Association after the mission of removing deadly genes from Araucana chickens was completed. Ameraucanas of 8 different colors including blue, black, brown, blue wheaten, silver, red, white and wheaten have also been recognized by the American Standard of Perfection.
Normally the weight of a standard female Ameraucana can vary from 4 to 5 pounds whereas the weight of a standard male Ameraucana varies from 5 to 6 pounds. Usually, Ameraucanas are not a good dual purpose breed for dual purpose because they are not huge in size. In one way it is better that they are not huge in size as they are very efficient on feed. Still, they are large enough to be held easily.
By nature, generally, Ameraucanas are a calm and docile bird. Even male Ameraucanas are also of a very polite nature instead of being aggressive. Though it cannot be said that female Ameraucana will not brood but they usually do not brood excessively. But they prove to be very nurturing and protective mothers whenever they go broody.
You cannot expect that the Ameraucana chicken you are breeding will lay an egg in daily routine. But whenever she will lay an egg you can really get a blue egg that can give a beautiful look to your carton of eggs. Normally an Ameraucana hen will not lay more than 3-4 eggs in one week even in her prime years of laying eggs. Thus, on average, the annual production of their eggs can range between 175 and 200.
For Ameraucana chickens, climatic requirements are not a major issue. Cold climates are an excellent choice for these birds as they can resist frostbite with the help of the pea comb they have. However, in hot climates also they can live quite well. But if they do not have a large comb then you should remember that it can be difficult for them to survive in extremely hot areas. So, you need not worry much about climatic requirements for Ameraucanas unless you live in an extremely hot region.
Nutritional and feeding needs: You can feed Ameraucana chickens similarly as you feed your other domestic birds. You can feed them laying mash regularly during their laying season. However, during molting season you should ensure to increase the amount of protein in their routine diet.
Drinking water: Some of the Ameraucanas usually get wet while drinking the water due to the size of their beards. Though it is not a major problem but you should be careful in this regard during the winter season. They should not spill water over them in winters as icicle beard can not be a pleasant experience for them.
Housing: Ameraucana chickens do not need any special housing facility as they can be housed just like other breeds you have. If you can provide a free range to these birds then they can be raised quite well. You should not expect territorial battles between Ameraucanas and other breeds as they are not defensive by nature. But you should be aware of the fact that even if they have higher muffs but they have a bit low visibility especially while looking for predators on the ground. Though it is not a matter of great concern still you can enjoy with them for a long time if you are a bit careful in this regard.
The breed of Ameraucana chickens with exceptionally blue eggs is adorable and can prove to be the right breed for you. Though the breed of Ameraucanas has been derived from Araucanas, still they are different from each other in looks and behavior but what is common in them is that both of them lay blue eggs.
I hope you learned something about Ameraucana chickens and have decided to add at least one or two to your flock. Make you share this post on social media. Pin it, tweet it, Facebook it. Sharing is caring and helps us grow here at BackyardChickensHQ.com