The Suburban Chicken. Kristina Mercedes Urquhart

of Dr. Bustos’s birds, generating much excitement.

      Within the decade, the blue-egg layer was imported to the United States from South America. The bird that arrived was not exactly the specimen of a refined breed, however. Better described as an assortment of several different breeds of native chickens, this stock laid the foundation for North American breeders to develop the two blue-egg–laying breeds that we know today: the Araucana (pronounced air-ah-CAW-nah) and the Ameraucana. Since gaining recognition by the American Poultry Association (APA), the organization that provides written descriptions of all the standard breeds of poultry in North America, each is now a breed in its own right. This shared heritage is what causes so much confusion between the breeds today.

      Search for reputable breeders when shopping for true Ameraucana and Araucana eggs, chicks, or pullets to add to your flock.

      Blue-Egg—Layer Breeds

      There are three blue-egg–laying breeds, and it can be confusing to distinguish among them. Use the table below to learn some of the differences.

Breed Characteristics	Name of Breed Araucana	Name of Breed Ameraucana	Name of Breed Easter Egger
Comb	Pea	Pea	Any
Muffs	No	Yes	Can
Tail	No (rumpless)	Yes	Yes
Tufts (ear)	Yes	No	Can
Beard	No	Yes	Can
Egg color	Blue or turquoise	Blue	Can carry dominant blue-egg gene, resulting in shades of blue, green, olive, and more
Color/feather variety As recognized by American Poultry Association (APA)	Black, black-breasted red, golden duckwing, silver duckwing, white	Black, blue, blue wheaten, brown-red, buff, silver, wheaten, white	Any
Color/feather variety As recognized by American Birding Association (APA)	Black, black-breasted red, blue, buff, silver, white	—	—
Standard or bantam	Both	Both	Both

      Differentiating the Breeds

      For many years after the blue-egg–laying chicken’s arrival on North American shores, breeders took liberties with the traits they bred into and out of the bird. When the APA chose to create standards for the Araucana breed in 1976, some breeders chose to focus on traits that had been left out of that standard. It caused some upset among breeders who had taken alternate routes with the bird’s looks, such as breeding in tails to the otherwise rumpless breed. Those breeders decided to organize and had their breed officially recognized by the APA in 1984. Originally called the American Araucana, the name was eventually condensed to what it is today, the Ameraucana.

      Araucana or Ameraucana?

      Both breeds lay blue eggs, but to chicken enthusiasts and breeders, the two are otherwise very different. Because both Ameraucanas and Araucanas must conform to a set of standards to be named as one or the other, the qualifications can be dizzying to many hobbyist backyard chicken keepers (including this one).

      For starters, Ameraucanas have full, flowing tails and muffs—facial furnishing similar to beards. Ameraucanas do not have tufts, which are often confused with muffs. Ameraucanas have shanks that are slate to black in color. Though shell color is still a work in progress for Ameraucana breeders, all true Ameraucanas should lay blue-shelled eggs.

      Now let’s look at the Araucana.

      Rumpless and tufted, Araucanas were bred from the imported North American stock to more closely resemble the original Chilean chicken bred by Dr. Bustos. Rumplessness is characterized by a lack of “tailhead,” or the long, flowing feathers of the tail common to most chicken breeds. Another unique characteristic of the Araucana is her tufts. While muffs, mentioned above, are common to other breeds of chickens (such as Silkies, Faverolles, and Houdans), the tuft feather feature, located near the ears, is unique to the Araucana alone.

      Both Ameraucanas and Araucanas have pea combs and both lay blue eggs. Both breeds are bred and recognized in standard and bantam (miniature) sizes, and each breed has its own criteria of colors and varieties.

      Are you thoroughly confused yet? No? Well, good!

      So What’s an Easter Egger?

      To make matters more complicated, there is a third blue-egg–laying chicken. Often mislabeled as an Araucana or Ameraucana (or misspellings thereof, such as Americana), the Easter Egger is not actually a breed. In fact Easter Egger is a catchall name for any mixed chicken that carries the dominant blue-egg–laying gene. Sold commercially, these birds may lay eggs in shades of green, blue, brown, and pink and have any number of characteristics, but they are not recognized by any club or organization.

      There’s good news: This veritable “mutt” chicken makes a great pet. They won’t breed true, nor are they appropriate for showing, but they are readily available from most hatcheries, are very friendly, and can surprise you with beautiful eggs.

      Ameraucanas and Araucanas lay beautiful sky blue eggs; Easter Eggers may lay a variety of colored eggs, including blue, green, olive, pink, and brown.

      Egg Lore

      Did you know that blue eggs are not lower in cholesterol than brown or white? This myth, propagated by hatcheries to sell more chicks, has been hard to shake for decades. Sure, they’re pretty on the outside, but blue eggs have the same nutrients and taste as brown or white ones, provided the birds were raised on the same feed. Diet, not shell color, dictates the nutritional value of eggs.