Araucana Chicken

Princess

The Araucana chicken is thought to have originated in Chile as the hybrid offspring of two breeds raised by the Araucana Indians: the Collonca, a rumpless breed which produces blue eggs, and the tufted Quetro. Araucana chickens are characterized by the lack of a tail (termed "rumpless") and ear whiskers, or tufts of feathers that grow from the ear region on each side of the head or neck. Most distinctive are their blue or turquoise-coloured eggs.

Araucana chickens were introduced in the U.S. in the 1920s and since then have been bred with other chickens to produce such varieties as the Ameracauna and the Easter Egg chicken, which produces eggs in six colours. In the U.S. the Araucana was crossed with so many other breeds that it is difficult today to recognize it as a distinct breed.

In the past, it was thought that the blue-green eggs of Araucana chickens contained little or no cholesterol and they were prized for their health benefits. However, a 1977 Kansas State University study published in Poultry Science found that shell colour had no influence on cholesterol content. In fact, the study found that Araucana eggs had a slightly higher cholesterol content than that of Leghorn (white eggs) and Plymouth Rock (brown eggs) breeds
(*CHOLESTOEROL CONTENT VS EGG COLOR).

Araucana chickens are bred primarily today for their unique eggs, but they are also noted for their "plump, well-fleshed carcass" .

Cited Link:
*CHOLESTOEROL CONTENT VS EGG COLOR (http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/resource-room/general/poultry/araucana.htm) Oklahoma State University, Spons. (2000, Viewed 13 March 2001).

Contributed by A. Marchildon
Photo used with permission
(Richard Collard, ARAUCANA THE MAIN ROOST, March 1, 2001)