Ameraucana

Looks how to spot one

Soft feathering with muffs and a beard

A neat, medium-sized, fully tailed bird with a fluffy beard and muffs framing the face, a small pea comb, small round earlobes and tiny or no wattles. The legs are slate blue, darker in black birds, and the skin is white. Hens lay blue eggs.12

Personality what they are like

Generally friendly and docile, though individual birds vary in how much handling they enjoy.2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Moderate. They enjoy daily time outdoors to forage and dust bathe.3

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Chickens keep their own plumage in order by preening and dust bathing, so the owner's job is a dry dust-bath spot, clean dry bedding, daily flock checks and regular egg collection. Hens are very good layers of about 200 large blue eggs a year.32

Home where they are happiest

Needs a secure, dry, well-ventilated coop plus an outdoor run. The RSPCA suggests roughly 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible; veterinary husbandry guidance gives 0.37 m² per large bird as a minimum, and Oregon State University Extension advises about 0.28 m² per bird when there is a run, or 0.75 to 0.9 m² without outdoor access. Allow at least 15 cm of perch per bird (more for big breeds), about one nest box per four hens, and a patch of dry soil for dust bathing. Ameraucanas adapt well to both hot and cold climates.345

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A complete commercial ration forms the base: chick starter first, a lower-calcium grower feed until laying begins, then layer feed. An adult eats around 120 g of layers pellets a day, a little more in winter. Provide insoluble grit, oyster shell as extra calcium for layers, and fresh clean water at all times. In the UK, kitchen scraps may not be fed to poultry.34

Company who they like around

A flock bird that forages, roosts and dust bathes with companions, so keep at least three hens that get along.3

The story where it all began

American breeders in the 1970s worked with imported Araucana stock from Chile to create a blue-egg breed with a full tail and a bearded, muffed face instead of ear tufts. The American Poultry Association accepted the new breed, named the Ameraucana, in 1984.12

Recognised by the official bits

American Poultry Association (Standard of Perfection)

Recognised in 1984; eight colours listed.1