Ameraucana

The Ameraucana is a medium-sized chook developed in the United States, now well established on New Zealand lifestyle blocks and in backyard runs from Northland to Southland. Keepers value it chiefly for its blue-shelled eggs and its steady, good-natured temperament. The breed is easy to pick out at a glance thanks to the feathering around its face: a beard under the beak and muffs over the cheeks that give the head a full, rounded look.

Ameraucanas are dual-purpose birds, though most New Zealand keepers run them purely for eggs rather than the table. Hens lay reliably, and the blue shell colour comes from pigment laid down right through the shell wall rather than a surface wash, so the colour shows on the inside as well as the outside once you crack one open. Several recognised colour varieties exist within the breed.

The Ameraucana suits backyard flocks, small lifestyle blocks, and first-time poultry keepers. Birds are alert without being flighty, cope well with either a fully enclosed run or supervised free ranging, and settle calmly alongside other placid breeds in a mixed flock.

Who it suits

The breed fits keepers after coloured eggs and a bird that's easy to handle. Kids and first-time chook owners tend to get on well with Ameraucanas, since the birds are tolerant and rarely stroppy. Anyone chasing a high-output commercial layer or a solid meat bird is better off looking elsewhere.

The Ameraucana's roots trace to blue-egg-laying chickens brought to the United States from South America. Birds carrying the blue-egg gene picked up the general label Araucana in North America, though that original stock was inconsistent in both type and traits.

Through the 1970s, American breeders worked to fix a consistent standard for a blue-egg bird that avoided the lethal genetic faults tied to the tufted, rumpless Araucana. The aim was a tailed, muffed, bearded bird that bred true and laid blue eggs every time.

The American Poultry Association added the Ameraucana to its Standard of Perfection in 1984, and the American Bantam Association recognises a bantam version as well. The breed reached New Zealand later, brought in by small-scale breeders and hatcheries under the Ministry for Primary Industries' import health standards, which tightly control any live poultry or hatching eggs crossing the border. That biosecurity screening is part of why New Zealand flocks stay relatively free of many overseas poultry diseases.

The Ameraucana is a distinct breed from the Araucana and from the Easter Egger, a mixed-type chook that may lay blue, green, or other coloured eggs but has no recognised standard. It's the defined standard for colour, type, and beard that sets the Ameraucana apart from both.

The Ameraucana has a compact, well-rounded body and stands upright. The head is the standout feature, carrying a beard below the beak and muffs over the ear area. The comb is a small pea comb that sits low against the skull, which helps the breed handle a cold snap better than single-combed breeds. Wattles are small to almost absent.

Legs run slate blue to black and carry no feathering, with four toes on each foot. The tail sits at a moderate upward angle. Bantam Ameraucanas follow the same type, just scaled down.

Plumage and colours

The American Poultry Association recognises eight colour varieties: black, blue, blue wheaten, brown red, buff, silver, wheaten, and white. The plumage sits close to the body. The beard and muffs need to be full enough to frame the face clearly, and that's one of the first things judges check at a poultry show.

Ameraucanas have a reputation for a steady, even temperament. They notice what's going on around the section, but they don't spook as easily as some of the lighter breeds. Handle them regularly and they tame down well, tolerating being picked up without much fuss.

In a mixed flock the breed usually sits in the middle of the pecking order rather than throwing its weight around. Hens get on fine with other placid breeds and with people, kids included. Roosters are generally easy enough to manage, though temperament varies bird to bird, and any rooster should still be watched around young children.

The breed isn't a noisy one. Hens give the usual egg song after laying but aren't constant chatterers, which matters if you've got neighbours close by on a smaller section.

Ameraucanas are hardy and don't need any special grooming beyond ordinary flock care. The pea comb and close plumage mean they cope well with a Kiwi winter, so cold-weather care is simple in most parts of the country.

Grooming

• Check the beard and muffs for caked feed or mud, especially near wet feeders
• Look over feet and legs for scaly leg mite or injury while you're handling the birds
• Keep a dry dust-bathing spot on hand so birds can groom themselves
• Watch for external parasites under the muffs and around the vent

Exercise

• Give daily access to a run or supervised free-ranging time
• Allow room to forage, scratch, and dust bathe
• Aim for at least 1 square metre of run per bird where the section allows it

Environment

The breed handles cold well thanks to its small comb, so it copes fine through most New Zealand winters without extra help. In warmer regions or during a hot spell, provide shade and a constant supply of fresh water. A predator-proof coop with good airflow and dry bedding keeps birds in good nick year round.

A complete commercial poultry feed should form the bulk of the diet. Chicks need a starter feed with higher protein, growers move onto a grower ration, and laying hens need a layer feed with extra calcium for strong shells. Fresh water needs to be available at all times.

Treats and supplements

Offer treats such as silverbeet, other leafy greens, mealworms, or cracked grains in small amounts so they don't throw the diet out of balance. Provide crushed oyster shell free choice for laying hens to support shell strength, and offer insoluble grit if birds eat anything beyond complete feed.

The Ameraucana is generally a robust, healthy breed, bred deliberately to avoid the lethal genetics tied to the tufted Araucana. With good husbandry, birds commonly reach 7 to 8 years old. Most health issues that crop up are the ordinary ones that affect any backyard flock, not anything specific to the breed.

New Zealand's strict border biosecurity, overseen by the Ministry for Primary Industries, keeps several serious overseas poultry diseases out of the country, but that makes good on-property hygiene even more important, since local flocks have less natural exposure to build resistance.

Preventive care

• Keep the coop dry, well ventilated, and clear of droppings
• Quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock
• Provide a year-round dust-bathing spot to keep external parasites down
• Supply free-choice calcium for laying hens
• Check weight, comb colour, and feet while handling birds regularly

A standard hen house suits the Ameraucana just fine. The breed copes well with cold, so the main priorities are dry bedding, good airflow without draughts at roost height, and solid protection from predators. Provide roosting bars off the floor and nest boxes for laying hens.

Setup checklist

• Predator-proof coop with secure latches and buried or skirted fencing
• Dry, absorbent bedding refreshed regularly
• Roosting bars raised off the floor
• Nest boxes tucked into a quiet, dim corner
• Fresh water and feeder kept out of the rain
• Shaded spot in the run for warmer weather

Ameraucana eggs incubate like any standard hen egg and hatch in about 21 days. Fertile eggs can go under a broody hen or into an incubator. Ameraucanas aren't strongly broody as a rule, so an incubator is often the more dependable option for hatching a clutch. Hatching eggs brought in from overseas fall under MPI import health standards, so most New Zealand keepers source fertile eggs from local breeders rather than importing them.

Hatching steps

1. Pick clean, undamaged fertile eggs and let them come up to room temperature
2. Set eggs in the incubator at about 37.5°C with humidity around 45 to 55%
3. Turn eggs several times a day through day 18
4. Candle around days 7 to 10 to cull clear or non-developing eggs
5. At day 18 stop turning and lift humidity for lockdown
6. Leave the incubator closed while hatching happens and let chicks dry off before shifting them to a brooder