Pros and Cons of the Ameraucana!

A very fluffy chicken, with cute ear-muffs, the Ameraucana is an all-time favorite chicken, but it’s not the only chicken. Here’s why:

Pros

1. Blue Eggs!

Here is their main appeal! They lay beautiful bluish eggs! The Ameraucana is very beloved due to this factor. Who doesn’t want some variation!

2. They are nice to humans

The Ameraucana, like most chicken breeds I keep (I like a good cuddle-chicken), are relatively nice to humans. Ours, which we raised, are willing to squat so we can pick them up and give them a hug.

3. They are Hardy

These chickens aren’t just for show. The Ameraucana is good for below freezing and up in the 100s with out issues.

4. They come in many colors

Ameraucanas come in eight colors: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Silver, Buff, Wheaten and White.

Unfortunately I could not find pictures of all these, but here are some of my own:

Unconventional coloring can be common, and pretty too!

5. They are visually appealing

With the Ear-Muffs and Beard, in addition to the colors, this chicken is a beauty!

Cons

1. Can be expensive

These are known to be more expensive, BUT with their rise in popularity in these recent years, they are now about typical in price.

2. Do not usually go broody

Although some view this as a pro, I view it as a con, since they have low egg production anyway (spoiler alert for the next con), it would be nice if they could be self-sufficient.

Our Australorp had to do the job for us:

3. Lay less eggs

Despite their prettiness, the Ameraucana eggs only come at 200 a year, instead of the typical 300 for egg laying breeds.

4. They do not make good meat

That.

5. Mature slower than average

While the normal chicken lays at 4-5 months of age, Ameraucanas are more typically laying at 6-7 months, which can be annoying to people keeping them for quantity of eggs instead of color.

4. Hard to find pure-bred chickens

I have certainly been sold an Ameraucana that lays brown eggs.

That means it was a mix.

So I was ripped off.

But I love Copperhead sooooo much that I keep her around.

They are easy to rip off if you by them young because the staple of their breed is their egg color, which you discover 7 months later.

Conclusion

Again, an amazing breed it may be, but it can’t do everything at that is why I have a mixed flock to get all the pros!

But if anyone wants to try and cross Americauna with a RIR to get the perfect, pretty, blue-egging, prolific chicken breed, please do!