Ameraucana chickens

I think the photo above says it all about the
niche Ameraucanas have in the chicken world — they join Salmon Faverolles as
being favorite chicken pets.  Here’s what two of our readers
had to say:



“We have six hens:
two Rhode Island Reds, two Black Sex Links, and recently we added
two Americaunas, which are still pullets at this point. We love
the Americaunas because they are so playful and loving with
children, but mostly because of their WHISKERS*.*”  — Kaat



“I like Easter
Egger/ Americaunas.  The ones I have have such a gentle
temperament (except when the babies hatch — then they are fierce
protectors!). They are good layers, too.



“I love the little
beards, ear tufts & their green legs.  I also like 
getting their green eggs.  For where we live (in Virginia),
they are well suited for our climate.” — Darla



You’ve probably heard of Ameraucanas even if
you don’t know the name — this is one of the breeds that lays
blue eggs (as well as green ones and a range of other
colors).  If you want to be a stickler, most blue-egg-layers
in the U.S. aren’t actually pure breeds and should be called
“Easter Eggers.”  True Ameraucanas (a hard-to-spell word
built by merging “American” and “Araucana”) have green legs and
yellow soles to their feet.  The Araucana is even less common
here, being another blue-egg-layer, this time with darker legs,
black or white soles, and the distinct lack of a tail.



But most folks don’t
particularly care whether their bird is an Ameraucana, an
Araucana, or an Easter Egger.  They simply enjoy the unique
eggs, already colored for Easter.