Ameraucana chickens are one of the rarest domestic birds, laying eggs in blue, olive and green. Puberty occurs at the age of 5 months, and the large number of eggs brought in a year makes even experienced farmers wonder.
History of the origin of the breed
Inexperienced poultry farmers are sometimes mistaken and confuse these birds with other more famous Araucan chickens. These are completely different poultry, they differ in the history of origin, productivity and exactingness to the conditions of keeping. However, birds have one thing in common - they are very similar to each other.
The Araucan bird breed is the ancestor of Ameraucana. American scientists have been working on the breed considered in this article for a long time. Work began in 1970. Breeders have combined chickens of American origin with tailless Araucanos.
The selection did not stop at these works, and in 1984 this variety was fixed, scientists were able to fully approve the standard. Despite the outstanding rates of egg laying, hens are also famous for their tender and unusual meat tastes, so the breed is usually referred to as a meat and egg group.
Advantages and disadvantages
The American breed, like other representatives of poultry, has advantages and disadvantages in breeding, they should be considered.
Advantages of the breed of chickens Ameraukan:
- amazing and unique eggs of different colors;
- juicy and tender meat;
- undemanding care;
- the possibility of detention in the northern regions;
- unpretentiousness in nutrition.
Disadvantages of the Ameraukan chicken breed:
- lack of incubation instinct;
- too pugnacious.
Description and specifications
American scientists could not stop at breeding only one color of this breed of chickens, and they presented nature with 8 different colors, which will be discussed further. In addition to multi-colored birds, there are also miniature Ameraukans, they are called bentamiki, that is, dwarf birds.
The bentamki of the Ameraukan breed are no different from their big brothers, except for the size of the birds themselves and the eggs that they bring.
Appearance
A full picture of the appearance will be clear only with knowledge of the weight parameters of the bird. Males with good care and conditions reach 3.5 kg, laying hens 1-1.5 kg less. Dwarf Ameraucans weigh up to 1 kg.
What colors are found
Breeders in breeding were able to create many colors, but not all of them were selected for standardization. Only 8 varieties have been officially approved:
- white;
- black;
- silvery;
- wheat;
- wheat blue;
- reddish brown;
- blue.
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" color white
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" color black
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" color silver
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" wheat color
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" color wheat-blue
breed of hens “Ameraukana” red-brown color
breed of chickens "Ameraukana" color blue
Signs of Ameraucan Chickens
The individuals of this breed have two main features that distinguish them from other chickens - the presence of a beard and massive whiskers. The birds look very proud and arrogant, and the sideburns make them look more aristocratic.
Eye color red, strong beak curved. The crest is large, pea-shaped, in the middle it is slightly higher than at the beginning and end. The earlobes are medium in size, red in color. In males, they are more pronounced.
The tail is small, the musculature of the wings is developed, the birds can fly. There is no feather cover on the legs, the setting is not narrow. The color of the paws depends on the color of the chicken itself. Laying brings eggs of different colors: blue, green, blue. Pink instances also happen.
The presence of developed and long wings is a problem for the poultry farmer. Individuals love to fly, so flying over the partition is not a problem for them, the farmer should take this into account when building the chicken coop and patio for walking.
Nature and behavior
Layers behave more or less modestly and quietly, but males cannot boast of such character traits. They are very cocky and aggressive. The males behave in a boorish way, they harm not only the owners, but also their layers.
So that the males do not harm the hens, they are kept separately from the females. Aggression is not the only drawback of the breed, individuals are very curious, they constantly run around the site, try to find food everywhere, are interested in everything and everyone.
They love to fly, so they are constantly eager for freedom. Representatives of the breed must be constantly monitored so that they do not do anything.
Productivity and ripening rate
Breeders of this breed are often chosen not so much for productivity as for obtaining unusual multi-colored eggs. Some farmers have called the hens Easter hens. Ripening in birds earlier is at 5 months, sometimes the first eggs can bring sooner or later. It all depends on the conditions of their keeping and caring for the birds.
Egg production rates are not the highest, but they are not bad. For a year, one layer can bring more than 200 eggs, the weight of one - up to 70 g.
Maternal instinct
Almost all purebred breeds have a brooding instinct, but the Ameraukan breed is an exception. Birds grieve their creators, they bring beautiful bright eggs, but they cannot hatch their offspring. In the course of breeding work, this characteristic was lost, and now incubation for birds is problematic.
Careless "mummies" do not willingly sit on eggs, sit on them for about a couple of minutes and start running around the chicken coop. They can do anything at this moment, just not hatching offspring. However, this is not so bad.
After the birth of babies, hens begin to be hostile to their “children”, in exceptional cases, brood hens peck chicks. Due to the similar behavior of adults, babies are kept in other rooms.
Maintenance and care conditions
Amerukan's poultry breed is popular with poultry farmers due to its frost resistance. Birds quickly get used to cold weather, they do not need additional heating of the chicken coop. Birds tolerate freezing temperatures and cold without any problems.
In the video below, see an overview of the Ameraukana chicken breed with a description of their eggs:
Bird house
Do not forget that individuals of this breed are very active and curious. Despite their small body size, Ameraucana chickens need a large room.
Algorithm for preparing a chicken coop before moving in chickens:
- Treat the chicken coop and all equipment with special disinfectants.
- Make clay flooring and lay hay or straw on top. If the covering material is already in the room, then replace it.
- Insulate and whitewash the ceiling and walls. Whitewashing will help get rid of harmful bacteria and slightly improve the microflora in the room.
- Build a site for relaxation, food and walks.
- Set up separate containers for food and water. Wash and clean them regularly.
- Set the temperature in the chicken coop from +18 to +28 degrees Celsius. Keep humidity between 60-70%.
- Set roosts, they can be placed high - birds can fly on them.
- Layers need nests, build them from boxes, at the bottom of which you put straw or hay.
- Ventilate your chicken coop as chicken droppings contain a small proportion of ammonia, which damages their respiratory system.
The breed of chickens Ameraukan loves fresh air, so it is necessary to build a walking yard for them. It will not only create a place for the birds to entertain, but also protect the birds from birds of prey and animals.
Fence the enclosure for walking with a net so that the birds cannot fly over it, otherwise they will get to your garden and vegetable garden. Build a canopy over the walking yard, it will protect birds from heavy rain and bright sunlight.
Food in the summer is supplemented with street food, it includes fresh herbs and worms. So that representatives of the chicken breed Ameraukan can reach it, the walking yard is set up on open soil, into which greenery is sown.
It is better to build a chicken coop on a hill so that melt and rainwater do not flood it.
Although caring for the Ameraucan birds is not difficult, some problems may appear. The main danger is the male, he scares the hens and does not allow them to live normally. The rooster is transplanted into a separate cage. The reason for his fierce aggression is the incorrect settlement of the livestock. Poultry farmers recommend populating no more than 8 animals per 1 sq. Km. m.
Food and drink
Chickens of the Ameraucana breed are no more demanding on the diet than other poultry. They do not present special nutritional requirements. But you need to follow the simple rules for feeding adult birds, and they can hit the poultry farmer with their productivity.
Rules for building the correct diet for birds:
- Layers and roosters are not prone to obesity, so feed them enough without worrying about it. Birds are very active, so everything that they managed to eat in a day is very quickly digested. If the laying hens eat only 2 times a day, then make sure that the food is high in calories and that the birds have enough energy for a long time.
- In the summer, reduce the amount of food intake by up to 2 times, since the birds walk in the fresh air during the day, eating street food. In winter, increase the number of meals up to 3 or 4 times.
- If the birds do not have access to juicy herbs in the summer, then bring them greens daily. For the winter period, dry or granulate the grass so that the birds eat food rich in minerals and healthy components every day.
- Don't be afraid to give them high-fat grains. Perfectly fill the diet: corn, sunflower meal, sunflower seeds, wheat, oats and barley.
- Place containers with clean and fresh water in the chicken coop and in the walking yard. Change it daily. Always wash the dishes and do not leave food leftovers in it; in the summer, carry out these procedures as often as possible.
Molt and lay break
Shedding is a standard normal occurrence characteristic of each breed of chickens. It happens every year in the fall. It lasts about 2 months, sometimes it takes up to 3 months. The peculiarity of the molt in Ameraukan is that the shed ones resume quite soon and begin to lay eggs already in winter.
During moulting, oviposition stops in birds.
Birds seem pitiful and unhappy in the fall, but this is actually not the case, chickens do not experience much discomfort or pain. During this period, the breed should be fed quality so that they do not start pecking each other.
Frequent illnesses
The work of experienced American breeders has already made the breed such that at birth it develops strong immunity to many diseases. There are no special diseases in the world that attack this particular type of poultry.
Layers of Amerukan breed suffer less from diseases of viral or infectious origin than from attacks of various parasites. Therefore, the main preventive measures should be aimed at disinfecting the chicken coop and the entire livestock.
The main symptoms of a sick bird are poor or no appetite, discoloration of droppings, poor egg production, excessive irritability or apathy.
Breeding
As soon as the adult herd is 1 year old, it's time to think about breeding a new generation. The poultry breeder should be aware that the maximum productive period lasts from 1 to 2 years, then the egg laying becomes not so active, and the quality of the meat deteriorates significantly.
Rules for choosing eggs for an incubator
If you have decided to start breeding Ameraukan in your area, then you should understand and competently select eggs for the incubator. Buying a suitable purebred egg will cost you 200 rubles apiece. Stop the choice on those copies that are larger.
The main points of choosing eggs for an incubator:
- The age of the eggs is from 2 to 7 days after laying.
- The egg should have a standard oval shape.
- It is almost impossible to illuminate it well, so check for cracks under good lighting.
- Before being placed in the incubator, the embryo in the egg is already developing. Be extremely careful with it so that it does not fall or crash.
- The embryo dies at a temperature of +5 to +8 degrees Celsius. If the eggs have been exposed to this temperature, then they cannot be used for the incubator.
Read the article about the features of incubating chicken eggs at home.
Chick care
Raising chickens of the Ameraukan breed is much easier than other varieties of chickens. Young animals are already born with plumage, they have a warm fluff that protects babies from hypothermia and drafts. Chickens are very active, they have excellent appetite, so they grow quickly and develop well.
Many poultry farmers are confident that productivity in the future depends on the care of the young in the first two months after birth. At this time, the chicks fully develop the skeleton and muscle mass. After 2.5 months, the bird will begin to gain weight twice as fast as before. After 3 months after birth, they will consume a lot of food.
During this period, it is necessary to monitor each bird so that no one is offended, each laying hen gets food and water, and they should gain mass in about the same way.
Industrial breeding of chickens of the Ameraucana breed provides for the artificial division of young animals into large and small individuals. Sorting the birds into such groups will help the breeder achieve full and even development of the herd.
Without this measure, some birds will remain hungry and will not grow as desired. Some individuals will become overly aggressive and lively, in large groups leaders will begin to appear who will eat food faster than weak chickens. All this will negatively affect the total mass of livestock. After 5 months, the chickens begin to lay eggs.
Poultry farmers argue that the larger the laying hen, the faster it begins to lay eggs, and the larger they get.
Top tips for chick care:
- To stimulate the development of young animals, leave the light on for the first two days, then alternate 2 hours of “night” with 4 hours of “day”.
- Build a chicken coop spacious and ventilated. To save time on cleaning it, keep the young in cages. Place drinkers and feeders in them. How to make a feeder yourself, it is written here.
Making a drinker with your own hands is described in this article.
Young cattle diet
Ameraucan Chicken Standard Menu. The diet is based on feeds with a high protein and calcium content. In the early days, babies are fed a boiled egg mixed with semolina, then herbs and special vitamins are added.
By the age of 1.5 months, meals are supplemented with boiled vegetables. The presence of good appetite and stable development lies not only in food, but also in its mode. From the first day, young animals are fed every two hours. About 18 days after birth - 5-6 times a day, after that they switch to 3-4 meals a day.
An obligatory component is clean and fresh water, the more young animals drink it, the better. Adult chickens and babies are very sensitive to water quality, so it should be boiled and chilled.
The young are very strong, but until a certain age the babies are kept warm. The first 7 days the temperature is up to +32 degrees Celsius, the next - up to +30 degrees, so it is necessary to reduce the figure to +26 degrees.
Reviews of farmers about chickens of the Ameraukan breed
Alexandra, 66 years old, agronomist, Krasnodar.I love poultry, whom I just do not have and geese, and ducks, and chickens. Grandchildren gave 20 eggs of the Ameraukan breed for their birthday. Of these, 12 were born - 3 cockerels and 9 layers. The males immediately began to show their temperament, bullying each other, offended the girls. Hooligans, in a word. Now these beauties are growing up, I'll see what happens next. They gain weight quickly, eat a lot.
Gleb, 35 years old, programmer, Arkhangelsk.My wife loves farming, and I decided to give her a gift. I bought 10 Ameraukan chickens at the poultry farm. Her beloved's delight knew no bounds. Oviposition began at 5 months, only the female was delayed with sexual development and was able to bring eggs only at 7 months. 2 cockerels are very pugnacious, they had to be seated in different cages, they did not allow even other breeds of chickens to exist normally. Our daughter is simply delighted with the multi-colored eggs, the only drawback of the breed is its excessive aggressiveness.
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Chickens of the Ameraucana breed are unique poultry, they are distinguished by their wayward temperament and pugnaciousness, but they bring beautiful, unusual-colored eggs.