Araucana Day-Old Chicks

Description

• Egg color: Blue
• Egg size: Medium to large
• Production:  150-200 eggs per year
• Laying start: Around 6 months of age
• Auto-sexing: No

The Araucana is a chicken with both beauty and mystery. Instantly recognizable by its tufts of feathers near the ears, rumpless body (no tail at all), and alert, upright posture, they have an unmistakable silhouette that looks both ancient and elegant, like something out of an old explorer’s sketchbook. Their plumage comes in pretty much any color and pattern you can have in a chicken.

In temperament, Araucanas are curious, intelligent, and self-assured. They’re independent spirits who prefer a little room to roam and explore. Though not known as lap chickens, they’re not flighty or mean-spirited either—more like the thoughtful, observant type of the flock. They’re also quite hardy and adaptable, able to handle a range of climates thanks to their rugged South American origins.

Of course, what really sets Araucanas apart is their egg color—those iconic sky-blue eggs that are naturally colored all the way through the shell. Hens typically lay 150–200 medium to large eggs a year, and every one feels a little bit special. That blue pigment, called oocyanin, is part of the shell itself rather than a surface coating, making it one of nature’s most fascinating little details.

Their history only adds to their mystique. The Araucana traces its roots to the Mapuche people of Chile, whose native chickens already carried the blue-egg gene long before European contact. Early explorers and scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries were captivated by these birds, noting their unusual egg color and rumpless form. In the 1920s and 1930s, breeders began formalizing the breed for exhibition, blending native Mapuche strains such as the Collonca (a tailless blue-egg layer) and the Quetros (a tufted variety). From this mix came the Araucana we know today.

What makes them truly rare and unique is that show standard Araucanas must have both ear tufts and no tail, a combination that’s beautiful but genetically tricky. The tufting gene is linked to a lethal factor, meaning that only a portion of chicks hatch successfully because birds that inherit two copies of the tuft gene die before they hatch. The rumpless trait can also be problematic, causing shortened backs and reduced fertility after generations of breeding rumpless to rumpless birds. For this reason, successful Araucana breeders must keep some birds in their flock without tufts and with tails, to keep their lines healthy. This difficulty in breeding, along with their unusual physical traits, keeps Araucanas uncommon and prized by enthusiasts.

The Araucana isn’t just a pretty face with blue eggs—it’s a living piece of poultry history. Distinctive, resilient, and a bit enigmatic, this Chilean original remains one of the most fascinating breeds in the chicken world.