Araucanas or Ameraucanas, Both Lay Blue/Green Eggs....but which came first!!??

ARAUCANA- This breeds distinguishing features include Blue eggs, the colour permeating through to the inside of the shell, unlike all other egg colouring; Remarkable feathering around the face : Muffs, tufts, beard, ears; Rumplessness
The Araucana is an unusual bird with an, as yet, undetermined path of movement around the world. There are many tall tales. We have been collating social and industrial history that might give some answers how they came to Northern Europe.

Egg colour :This is the only breed which should carry the blue egg gene alone, it was used in the creation of the Cream Legbar to give that breed its blue tinted egg.
Unfortunately the genetics are no longer as pure as they would have been in the early 1900's, which means that most birds will lay a wide variety of shades from greyish blue, through green into khaki and olive. As breeders over the decades have introduce new feather colouring to the breed, as well as altering other features, so the blood lines introduced from other breeds to achieve their end goal have caused the contamination of the egg colour genetics. Examples include using Marans to 'improve' the cuckoo barring, the mix of blue and dark brown eggs gives the dirty khaki coloured eggs." From Auracanas.co.uk.

AMERAUCANA- "The Ameraucana is a breed of chicken developed in the United States. The name is a portmanteau term of American and Araucana (a related breed). Ameraucanas come in both a large and bantam variety. Eight colors are officially recognized for poultry shows by the American Poultry Association: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten and White.

Ameraucanas are similar to Araucana chickens because both have pea combs and lay blue shelled eggs, but they have many differences and are completely different breeds. Some other Ameraucana traits include full tails, muffs and slate or black legs depending on the variety. Bantam cocks weigh 30 ounces and bantam hens weigh 26 ounces while large fowl cocks weigh 6 1/2 pounds and large fowl hens weigh 5 1/2 pounds." From Wikipedia.

Check out this site too, RichardDawkins.net.







I still don't know the answer to which came first, but it was sure fun learning a little bit about these wonderful Easter Egg laying chickens.

Enjoy your Monday!

Cheers,
Viviana