Araucana facts for kids
A white Araucana hen showing ear-tufts
|
|
| Conservation status | FAO (2007): not at risk |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Country of origin | Chile |
| Distribution | world-wide |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Skin colour | white |
| Egg colour | blue or green |
| Comb type | pea |
| Classification | |
| APA | All other standard breeds |
| ABA | All other comb clean leg |
| PCGB | Soft feather: light |
| APS | light breed softfeather |
|
|
The Araucana (Spanish: Gallina Mapuche) is a special kind of chicken from Chile. It gets its name from the Araucanía region in Chile. This is where people believe these chickens first came from.
Araucana chickens are famous for laying eggs with blue or green shells. Not many other chicken breeds can do this! They can also have unique tufts of feathers near their ears. Some Araucanas are "rumpless," which means they don't have a tail or tail-bone. In the United States, they are sometimes called the South American Rumpless because of this.
The Ameraucana breed and "Easter egger" chickens, which also lay blue or green eggs, came from the Araucana.
Contents
History of the Araucana
The exact beginning of the Araucana chicken is not fully known. These birds were commonly seen in South America in the early 1900s.
How the Araucana Got Its Name
In 1914, a Spanish bird expert named Salvador Castelló visited Chile. He saw these unique chickens, especially among the Mapuche people. The Mapuche lived in the Araucanía region. The Spanish called the Mapuche people Araucanos. So, Castelló named the chickens "Gallina Araucana." He thought they were a new type of chicken.
The Mystery of Blue Eggs
For a long time, people thought the Araucana was the only chicken that laid blue eggs. In 1933, a scientist named Reginald Punnett discovered why. He found that a special gene makes the eggs blue. This "blue egg" gene is strong. If a chicken has this gene, its eggs will be blue. When this blue gene mixes with genes for brown eggs, you can get green or olive-colored eggs.
Scientists have different ideas about why Araucanas lay blue eggs. Some think it's because of a genetic mutation, which is a natural change in a gene. Others believe it might be due to a type of retrovirus that affected chickens a long time ago.
Araucanas Around the World
Blue Araucana eggs were brought to Australia from New Zealand in the 1930s. The breed became officially recognized there in the 1980s.
In the early 1900s, blue-egg chickens from South America also arrived in the British Isles. The Araucanas in Britain today came from birds on a Chilean ship that crashed in the Hebrides. A man named George Malcolm helped develop the British Araucana in Scotland in the 1930s. He also created the smaller bantam Araucana chickens.
In the United States, two different breeds were developed from the Araucana. The American Araucana has ear-tufts and no tail. The Ameraucana has a beard, muffs (feathers around the face), and a tail.
Old Chickens or New?
There has been a long discussion about whether Araucana chickens were in South America before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. Some studies suggested they might have been there already, possibly brought by people from Polynesia. However, other studies have not found clear proof of this.
Today, the Araucana chicken breed is not in danger of disappearing.
What Araucanas Look Like
Araucanas come in two sizes: full-sized and smaller bantam chickens. They can have a normal tail or be rumpless (without a tail).
Special Features
- Comb: Araucanas have a pea comb, which is a small, low comb on their head.
- Eggs: They lay about 250 blue or green eggs each year.
- Ear Tufts: Many Araucanas have unique feather tufts near their ears.
- Rumplessness: Some Araucanas do not have a tail. Both the ear tufts and rumplessness are caused by special genes. Because of how these genes work, not all Araucana chickens will have these traits.
Different Standards Around the World
How an Araucana is officially described can be different in various countries:
- Australia: Only Araucanas with tails are officially recognized.
- Britain: Both tailed and rumpless Araucanas are accepted. The British type often has a beard and muffs (feathers covering the earlobes).
- North America: Araucanas usually have long ear-tufts and are rumpless.
Feather Colors
Araucanas come in many different feather colors. Some common colors include black, white, blue, cuckoo (barred pattern), and lavender. There are also colors like black-red, silver duckwing, and golden duckwing.
Images for kids
-
An Araucana egg (left) with white and brown eggs for comparison.
See also
In Spanish: Gallina mapuche para niños
