Ameraucana
Muffs, Beards and Blue Eggs
Standard bred Ameraucanas are a hardy bird with a solid build, pea comb and no wattles which make them hardy in cold climates. They have a beard and muffs making them one of the most adorable chickens (our kids love our Ameraucanas).
Ameraucanas were created in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. Eight Varieties were admitted into the standard in 1984, the Self-Blue variety in 2020 (Large Fowl) and the Splash variety (Large Fowl) in 2023. They are well known for their friendly, calm and underfoot type temperament. Hens and roosters are both easily handled, great with our kids and do not mind sitting on our kid’s laps or being picked up. They are also very alert and predator savvy. It is because of these traits that they are a popular choice for families and backyard flocks, they even make great companions and pets.
The standard bred Ameraucana chicken is not to be confused with the Araucana or the hatchery variety “Ameracana or Americana” or easter eggers. The Standard bred Ameraucana is a popular choice and favourite among many poultry keepers and fanciers. Here at Birch Acres we are focused on heritage breeds and only offer APA standard bred Ameraucana. We breed the following varieties, though not all varieties are available every season. Blue, Black, Splash (Mixed Pen), Self-Blue (Lavender), Straight Black and Black Splits to both Lavender and Chocolate, Chocolate (Project Colour some seasons we offer them as sex-links). In 2027 we will have a new variety release and are super excited to share this new variety with you all.
Blue Ameraucana chickens are named for their beautiful blue-coloured plumage, they have a solid blue colouring over the body with dark blue/black lacing. Many lines do not show true lacing and are either lacking lacing altogether or have a slight edging of dark blue. We are working on breeding laced birds within our lines, results will vary and some especially pullets will have minimal lacing. We have mixed Blue, Black, Splash pens which means you will either hatch or pickup chicks that are blue, black, or splash. Splash (2023) is now recognized by the APA which is a white to light ash feather speckled with either blue or black feathers giving them a spotted appearance.
Self-Blue more commonly known as Lavender Ameraucana are a medium shade of clear blue. The feathers are to be free of lacing, shafting or mealiness and there is to be no contrast in colour resulting in one even shade cast over the entire body from head to tail. Males will display a slightly metallic sheen over their hackles, backs, saddles and mid wing section. We breed our self-blues back into black splits yearly.
Black Ameraucana display black feathering throughout the body with a lustrous green sheen, they have black shanks and toes, black beaks, muffs and beards, a bright red face and comb which is a striking and beautiful contrast to be seen.
Chocolate Ameraucana are a project colour. We do breed this variety to the APA standard for Large fowl Ameraucana but the chocolate variety is not recognized by the APA.
The Chocolate variety is as it sounds, a bird with rich chocolate plumage from head to tail. We work with what some breeders refer to as the Dominant Chocolate (not Dunn) our chocolate colour variety can be sex-linked.
Standard bred Ameraucanas lay 200 – 250 medium to large size blue eggs a year. The shade of blue can vary from a lighter pale blue to a richer shade of blue. They generally take a little longer than most breeds to start laying but when they do start, they lay prolifically. We have recorded most of our pullets laying around 21 weeks of age.
We breed and offer when available the following large fowl varieties - Black, Blue, Splash, Self-Blue (Lavender), Straight Black, Black Splits, Chocolate, and Ermine.
Standard Bred Large Fowl Blue (1984), Black (1984), Splash (2023), Self-Blue (2020), Wheaten (1984), and Blue Wheaten (1984) colour varieties of Ameraucana fall under the “All Other Standard Breed” (AOSB) class of chicken and are recognized by the American Poultry Association.
Our Breeding Program
Our program is curated to each line and colour variety, each has its own set of faults and its own highlights. We practice compensation pairing and we do pair breed to better track lineage and so we know exactly who is producing which set of traits within our program.
We have sourced our breeding stock from breeders across Canada and even have some U.S imported lines to ensure genetic diversity among our Ameraucana varieties. We keep a minimum of two bloodlines per variety we breed and have our 2 straight black lines to add in genetic diversity when needed. We keep these bloodlines in separate pens and line cross selectively to keep the gene pool diverse.
