Chickens laying blue eggs. What do thrush eggs look like? Amazing color of the eggs of these songbirds! Description of the bird

Today, as a result of breeding work, it has been possible to develop breeds of chickens capable of laying blue eggs. Of course, there are not many of them, but each of them has its own characteristics of appearance, content and productivity. Farmers often breed such birds only because of the opportunity to obtain eggs of unusual color.

Olive Eggers - description of a breed of chicken that lays green eggs

This breed is known for having two genes - blue and dark. This way you can get olive and green eggs. Eggers chickens are not a breed, but a hybrid. Chickens are not picky about care. They eat almost everything. Individuals are distinguished by their lush plumage. Their color can be brown, dark gray, gray-black. The limbs are high, bare, four-fingered.

Find out how to increase the egg production of laying hens.

The body is massive, the tail is bushy. The earrings, beard and comb are scarlet in color. The productivity of chickens is 200 eggs per year. The weight of one is 65 g. The shell is blue in color and is quite durable.

Araucana laying colored eggs

If birds are properly kept, they are capable of laying 160-180 eggs per year. Laying hens mature at 5.5-6 months. But there are some individuals in whom oviposition begins quite late - at 10 months.

Legbar is a bird that can lay blue and blue eggs

Ameraucana laying hen

This breed is a universal breed. Its representatives have a meat and egg direction. But the peculiarity of the breed is its ability to lay blue eggs. It is due to the high productivity and excellent taste of meat that Ameraucana has gained great popularity among farmers, both beginners and experienced. Ameraucana is characterized by another name - Easter chicken. This is due to the fact that laying hens are capable of laying eggs of different colors, among which you can see blue ones.

In addition, the breed has an attractive appearance. The color of the pen, depending on the color, may be different. It's also quite lush. Thanks to this, the appearance of the birds is important and proud. Chickens begin laying eggs at 5 months. At the same time, weight gain occurs very quickly.

Birds are distinguished by widely spaced limbs. The earlobes are small and oval shaped. They are also called earrings. The tail is short, the wings are large, and the beak is rather curved. The comb looks like beads. It originates from the beak and ends at the top of the head.

We are accustomed to the fact that the shell chicken eggs white or different shades brown. But there are chickens that lay blue eggs (pictured). This is an ancient Chilean Araucana breed. It received its name in honor of the region of the same name, once inhabited by the Araucan Indians, or Mapuche. Chickens of this breed have two more features - lush “sideburns” of feathers and the absence of a tail. What causes such an unusual coloring of the eggs of these chickens?

EAV-HP insertion in the gene SLCO1B3 was also found in the Chinese breeds of Dongxiang and Lushi chickens, which also lay blue eggs. Since the location of insertion differs between American and Chinese breeds, it is assumed that this trait was acquired by these breeds independently of each other. But some ducks, which also lay blue eggs, have increased gene expression SLCO1B3 and no insertion was found in it. Apparently, another mechanism is already at work here.

For eggshell color, see also:
Fading shell color (picture of the day).

Nadezhda Potapova

Araucana chickens are one of a small number of chicken species that are unique in that their eggs are blue in color, and sometimes even their color is closer to a green shade. Which is why they can also be called chickens that lay green eggs. The hens themselves too come in different colors, even black ones.

The rather unusual color of eggs and the taste of chicken meat have earned recognition from most poultry farmers around the world.

Chickens of the Araucana breed or, as they are also called, Easter chickens

Description of the Araucana chicken breed

This species was bred in America. The impetus for this was the holding of an exhibition in Montreal in 1967. All participants in the exhibition were shocked when they brought birds laying blue eggs. At first, they did not agree to accept this species as a standard breed. The Aracuan chicken species was recognized as standard only in 1984.

This is one of the few versions of the appearance of Araucana chickens.

There is evidence that it appeared she's in a mountainous area one of the regions of Chile, the settlement of Araucana. This is where the unusual name for this bird species came from. There is evidence that this breed was raised by the Indians, who raised such chickens. The first mention of hens laying blue and green eggs dates back to the pre-Columbian period in 1526.

This species was bred in the mountainous regions of Chile, and “Araucana” received its name from the tribe of Indians of the same name, who bred it and lived in Latin America back in pre-Columbian times. One of the first mentions of hens, that lay blue eggs, dates from 1526.

Due to the amazing color of the eggs, the second name of the Aracuan species is the Easter breed of chickens. The fact is that this is the name given to all chickens whose eggs have an unusual color. Poultry experts say that the uniqueness of the species is not only due to the color of the eggs. These are chickens that have a high quality, and very delicious meat. At the same time, the weight of one carcass, the shape of the individuals, the comb, all this allows us to say that Aracuan birds are an excellent solution making a good profit.

Gallery: Araucana chicken breeds (25 photos)

General description of the Araucana breed

Aracuan chickens come in a variety of colors. Today there are 9 plumage colors:

1. Black
2. White;
3. Red-brown;
4. Blue;
5. Silver;
6. Wheat;
7. Wheat blue;
8. Dark yellow;
9. Lavender color

In addition to the main type, there are several varieties of Cura Arakuana:

1. Dwarf Aracuan chickens;
2. Decorative chickens.

Features of the appearance of the Araucana chicken breed

This type has a special appearance, which differs in the following parameters:

• Birds have fairly dense plumage, evenly distributed throughout the individual’s body;
• Characteristic curvy thick sideburns;
• Having a thick multi-colored beard;
• The presence of three bunches of feathers on the head, which practically cover the entire head of the bird;
• Widely spaced legs of medium length;
• The legs at the base of the body are almost completely without feathers and have white, often blue or gray colored legs, which have 4 straight toes on each leg;
• Very large round eyes that are red-brown in color;
• A pisiform crest reminiscent of mountain peaks, especially when looking at the bird from the beak up to the crest;
• The small earlobes, which are rather oval in shape, are thus more pronounced than the earlobes of ordinary breeds of chickens;
• Beautiful bushy tail located at an angle of 45 degrees. Moreover, in Aracuan roosters it has a slightly curved appearance, shaped like a sickle;
• Curved beak shape;
• Well developed wings. This suggests that Araucana chickens, unlike normal looking chickens, due to the existing strong large wings can fly. Therefore, when purchasing this species, the poultry farmer needs to take care in advance of a sufficiently high pen or fence. Since for these birds it costs nothing to fly over an ordinary fence reaching one and a half meters in height;
• The most important unique difference is the color of the eggs. These chickens can have different colors. But most often their eggs are blue and green. And sometimes there may be eggs with gray, brown, pink or even with olive tone;

Chickens laying colored eggs

Bird with blue eggs. The most main feature This species is that they lay colored eggs. This one is the most important distinctive feature among all other existing breeds of chickens. In addition, the same chicken can lay eggs of all the above colors.

There is a version about the color of the shell blue or green. They say that the shell of this breed of bird got its color as an inheritance from wild birds that lived in the jungles of South America. Probably this color - excellent camouflage in the jungle to give offspring. That is, it was previously a wild bird that was domesticated by the aborigines.

A chicken begins to lay eggs at six months. This is a breed fairly egg-bearing. She can lay up to 250 eggs per year. At the same time, egg production does not decrease for two or three years. But, usually, on farms, this breed is kept for no more than two years. After which the birds are sent for meat. After all, their taste is enough good weight carcasses, allows you to use birds as a meat breed.

Chickens, and especially roosters, gain weight very quickly. TO five months of age their muscle mass reaches the weight of an adult bird. Their meat white, considered very tasty, aromatic, which tastes like quail meat, just as tender and soft.

Features of keeping the Araucana breed

This breed of bird is very easy to keep. It does not require special conditions. Birds tolerate arid climates very easily. They are very resistant to temperature changes. They are not afraid of frost. The birds have a very good calm disposition and flexible character. Even roosters of this breed never show their fighting abilities. The only condition is a fence, since one of the few breeds of chickens that can fly high.

Disadvantages of Araucana chickens

Despite for a large list The advantages of the breed, the Kuri Aracuan breed, also have their disadvantages.

Among which, in first place is the low level of development of instinct. That is, this breed is very difficult to breed on your own. Although they lay eggs, although their egg production is good, the eggs may not always be fertilized. And all because of that very low developed instinct. That is, a rooster of this breed does not always, and almost never, or one might say very rarely, try to fulfill his rooster duty.

But this is not the only drawback. The fact is that even if the eggs have an embryo, chickens of this breed never become quons, since their instinct for offspring is rather close to zero than has any other indicator.

Based on this, poultry farmers must be prepared for the fact that in order to breed the Aracuan breed on their own, they will have to use artificial hatching chicks. In other words, you need to purchase your own incubator.

The average rate of hatching of chicks from the eggs of Araucana chickens is 45-50%.

In addition, roosters of this breed can show aggression towards chicks of another breed. Which means that a poultry farmer, when buying this breed of bird, should not combine different breeds of birds together in one pen. Because of the Araucana roosters, there is always a chance that he will destroy the chicks of another breed. Although such cases happen rarely, it would be wrong not to mention them.

Today, the Araucana chicken species is considered one of the most unique bird breeds. Not every bird can boast such a unique egg color, chic sideburns, beard, mustache, high egg production and good volume and taste quality meat.

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The Araucana chicken breed is distinguished not only by its unusualness, but also by its antiquity. The homeland of these birds is South America. Araucana chickens appeared in one of the Chilean Indian tribes about 500 years ago. The first mention of this breed appeared in 1526, but it began to spread throughout the world much later. Pioneer chickens arrived in Europe at the end of the 19th century. Then some time was spent on mastering, and in 1965 the birds were finally accepted officially, receiving German standards for the Araucana chicken breed.

Description of the breed

When breeding poultry The Indians were guided by two principles: enhancing the fighting qualities of roosters and obtaining beautiful colored eggs from hens. According to one theory, it was possible to obtain an unusual multi-colored product from laying hens by crossing chickens with wild pheasants or similar birds. But this is just an assumption without solid evidence. One way or another, Araucana chickens are famous for two unusual distinctive features.

Araucana - no meat breed. Function of these birds consists of decoration and obtaining eggs. Araucana chickens have proven themselves very well as laying hens. And the blue color of the eggs makes this product especially popular. However, the appearance of the birds themselves is also very interesting and attractive. There are several breed standards that it must strictly comply with:

There are several non-compliances with standards that serve as a reason for culling birds from breeding:

• egg color that differs from that stated in the standards - blue or greenish-blue;
• narrow pointed body;
• the bird's angular figure or general awkwardness;
• presence of a very noticeable beard;
• fallen comb of roosters;
• lack of sideburns on the head on one or both sides;
• presence of a tail.

Possible color options quite a lot: black-red, hawk, wheat-blue, white, golden-maned, silver-maned, wild, black, blue, wild blue and blue edged. All 12 varieties are officially included in the description of breed standards.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Chickens that lay blue eggs have a stable psyche and a calm character. But, like any other breed, this one has its pros and cons. Among the advantages of the Araucanians, the following are noted:

• low demands on living conditions;
• ability to quickly adapt to new conditions;
• calm attitude to changes in ambient temperature;
• high survival rate in young birds, good health;
• early sexual development and the beginning of the egg-bearing period;
• beautiful and unusual appearance of both the birds themselves and their blue eggs.

Compared to the advantages, the breed has very few disadvantages:

• conflict of roosters, due to which they have to be kept separately from each other in order to avoid fights;
• hens lay eggs well, but do not hatch their future offspring at all;
• The Araucana breed is not very common, they are quite rare birds, so the price for purchasing them is quite high.

Productivity

Araucana gained popularity primarily due to the blue color of its eggs. Added to their beauty is the high productivity of laying hens. During the year, one chicken can lay from 160 to 180 eggs. Moreover, the period of oviposition begins quite early, at about six months.

It happens that the beginning of this process is delayed until ten months of age, but this is rather an exception to the rule. Such a delay is usually influenced by external factors. For example, poultry obesity, which a diet will help combat. It is also worth considering the time at which the hen herself was born. If she belongs to an autumn or winter brood, this may also cause a delayed start to the laying period.

In general, Araucana chickens lay eggs very well. Moreover, they do not reduce their performance either during molting or during various stressful external factors. Only moving can interrupt the egg-laying process for a short time.

Weight of laid eggs varies between 56-72 grams. In the first oviposition, the eggs are quite small, and in subsequent oviposition their size increases. There are dwarf Araucana hens, which also lay blue eggs, but are smaller in size - from 45 to 50 grams.

This breed is also not bad as a meat product; the carcasses look good and have good taste. But, given the price and difficulties in breeding, Araucana is still most often used as a supplier of beautiful eggs.

Since representatives of the Araucana breed are unpretentious, their maintenance is no problem for either professionals or amateurs. It is enough to comply with the basic conditions to keep birds healthy and production levels high.

Chicken coop

The place of residence for pets should be prepared in advance. It is necessary to have perches and nests that need to be located at a sufficient height. Each hen should have 30 cm of perch. One nest is enough for 5-6 laying hens.

The coop should also have provisions for feeding and water. During use, it will be necessary to regularly and thoroughly wash and disinfect them. You also need a separate container for mineral feed, into which sources of calcium are poured: coarse sand, chalk, gravel, crushed shells.

When using a chicken coop, it is important to equip an area for the birds to walk. Araucana chickens do not fly well, but you still need to fence the area from above using a chain-link mesh or canopies. This is to protect the birds from possible attacks by predators. In addition, awnings will provide shade, which is very useful on hot sunny days.

If the region has cold winters, then you should think about heating in advance. Birds tolerate cold temperatures down to -8°C well, but lower air temperatures can already be dangerous. Therefore, at such times, the chicken coop needs additional heating.

As mentioned above, Araucana cockerels are very conflicting creatures. They cannot stand other males around them. Therefore, you should not keep two or more individuals together. male. The best option would be separate enclosures for a family of 8-9 birds: 7-8 hens and one rooster. Also, you should not keep the Araucana in the same area as other breeds, regardless of gender. This is fraught with both conflicts and breeding problems.

Feeding

Feeding birds of this breed does not present any difficulties. Food is selected taking into account the opportunities provided by the habitat. The diet is generally the same as that of other birds: grain, garden plants, food waste, root vegetables. In summer you need to give more grass, in winter do not forget about vitamin and mineral supplements.

The diet must be followed quite strictly to avoid obesity in birds. The amount of food should be standardized to eliminate the possibility of overeating. The productivity of laying hens will be highest in the case of three meals a day. At the same time, morning and evening feeding should consist of whole grains, and the day's - from wet mash. Also, for high egg production, you need to carefully monitor the balance of the diet, it should contain sufficient quantity vitamins and minerals.

Breeding

First of all, the breeding process faces the problem of the reluctance of laying hens to hatch eggs. This instinct was almost completely lost by the breed in the process of selective work. Only one out of seven or eight hens can theoretically not only lay eggs, but also become a hen, although this statistic is not a guarantee. Therefore, you can’t do without an incubator. There are two more features that do not at all make it easier to try to increase the population.

When talking about breeding, the age-old question “chicken or the egg” is answered unequivocally by experienced farmers - chicken. It is with the purchase of adult birds that the process needs to begin. Purchasing eggs for their subsequent development in an incubator risks the fact that upon hatching, the breed may not be what was expected. Blue coloration of eggs can be inherited during interbreed matings, therefore appearance they cannot be distinguished from purebreds.

Small chicks are also not worth buying. At least because until the age of three months, females are practically indistinguishable from males. Therefore, you should wait at least 12 weeks. At this time, the cockerels begin to develop braids on their necks, and due to this, it becomes easier to determine the sex.

From young birds It is not advisable to start a family right away. After the first molt, the beard and tufts of both sexes may change or disappear. And as mentioned above, it is the presence of one of these factors in each of the parents that is practically a guarantee of a successful litter.

Araucana birds are also good for interbreeding. As a result, you can get strong offspring and colored eggs. For example, when crossed with a Russian Crested, the resulting chickens are unpretentious. The eggs are blue, like those of the Araucana. You can also get an olive-greenish shell color. This is done by crossing with hens that lay brown eggs. The resulting chickens are usually larger than Araucana chickens.

Acquisition

Since the breed is not very common, it is not so easy to find purebred representatives. First of all, you need to pay attention to the reputation and experience of the breeder, so as not to end up with a completely different breed. There are only three main points of sale in Russia:

On average, prices vary from 250 rubles. for chickens one day old up to 1200 rub. for birds that are already a month old. In any case, it is better to spend some effort and money to accurately obtain purebred Araucana chickens, and not their imitation. Purebred birds They will delight you with both productivity and undemanding conditions.

Ameraucana is a famous breed of chickens that lay blue eggs. In fact, two more interesting breeds of laying hens lay eggs with similar light blue shells - Araucana and Easter hens. But the heroine of this article is the delightful Ameraucana.

Description of the breed

Ameraucana chickens lay eggs in various shades of blue. It is believed that if a laying hen produces eggs with greenish or pink shells, then this is not a purebred Ameraucana, but Easter chickens, which are very similar in appearance.

Egg production is average - laying hens lay about 150 large eggs per year weighing about 60 g. Pullets begin laying eggs somewhat later than highly productive egg breeds; egg laying begins at the age of 6.5-7 months.

The breed has good meat qualities. An adult chicken weighs 2.2-2.5 kg, a rooster weighs 2.9-3.2 kg. Both roosters and hens form a marketable round carcass with tender white meat by the age of about 5 months.

The breed is also presented in a dwarf version - bantam hens weigh on average 750 g, cockerels - about 850 g. Like other bantams, small form Ameraucana chickens have a well-developed brooding instinct.

Appearance of chickens

The magnificent decoration of the breed is chic sideburns and a lush, clearly visible beard made of feathers. These expressive differences are inherent in both roosters and hens. The tail of roosters is of medium length, located at an angle of 45°, long braids are graceful, curved in an arc.

The comb is small, nut-shaped, and the earrings are almost invisible, which is a huge advantage for keeping this bird in cold regions. The comb, earrings and beard are red. Eyes – cherry or brown. The legs are the color of dark slate, the black variation is closer to a rich black tone.

The Ameraucana breed comes in a variety of attractive colors. The most common are black, blue, blue wheat, brown-red, buff (dark yellow) silver, wheat, lavender and white.

Breed Temperament

Fans note the unstable temperament of the breed - character and behavior are individual and vary from individual to individual. Some chickens are easygoing, inquisitive and prone to communication. Others are overly aggressive and eccentric. Some may be skittish, timid and not make contact with people.

And yet, in most cases, Ameraucana hens and roosters are calm and peaceful towards each other within their flock, and are quite tolerant of other birds.

Ameraucana rooster and hens

Resistant to cold, this unpretentious breed tolerates being kept in the limited space of a barn well. However, like most egg-laying chickens, Ameraucanas love to graze on range and are excellent foragers, significantly increasing productivity in the warm season.

During periods of increased egg laying, more calcium and protein are added to the chickens' diet, including legumes or protein-containing feed.

Ameraucana roosters can be aggressive; such individuals are kept separately from the main flock, only allowed in for breeding purposes. Like other breeds, this bird will thrive in clean barns with free range and constant access to fresh water.

Ameraucana chickens are not very willing to sit on eggs, but out of a dozen adult birds, several may well begin to cluck. It is advisable to transfer such hens to another barn, otherwise the rest may become interested in what is happening and, in turn, reduce egg production, and in the future want to hatch chickens.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Ameraucana breed:

History of the breed

The event that marked the beginning of the recognition of the Amerakuana breed occurred in 1976. Until this point, there were two versions of the Chilean Araucana chicken breed that lay blue eggs - tailless birds with whiskers and bearded birds with tails.

In 1976, a kind of lobby was formed on the board of the American Poultry Association (APA) and the first form without a tail and with lush sideburns became a real Araucana and received a standard.

Immediately, the breeders of the second form named their chickens Ameraucana (American Araucana) and began to develop and stabilize the breed. Four years later, in 1980, the breed received its American standard.