Araucana chickens start laying eggs between 20-24 weeks’ of age. Araucana hens are great layers, typically laying around 200-230 blue - that’s right, blue! - eggs per year. This unique looking breed of chicken is a great backyard pet.
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How Many Eggs Do Araucanas Lay?
The best estimate I can make is that under normal conditions, you can expect an Araucana hen to lay around 200-230 eggs per year.
That works out at around 4 per week on average. Although they do tend to lay much better throughout the summer and take a break during the winter like a lot of breeds.
What Color Eggs Do Araucanas Lay?
This is what really makes this breed interesting and unique - because they are one of few breeds to lay the much sought after bright blue eggs.
To be more precise, the colors of their eggs range from a bright blue to a blueish-green. I’ve heard their eggs referred to as olive-colored or “easter eggs”, too.
One thing I can guarantee you; they are definitely not your standard brown eggs. Neither are they cream-colored. There seems to be a good deal of fascination with blue eggs, which is the main reason most people raise this breed.
It’s probably because it’s such a rare sight, people tend to like rare and unusual things.
I’ll state the obvious though, blue eggs taste the same as brown eggs. The color of the eggshell does not change the taste of an egg, the quality of food a chicken eats and their lifestyle is what affects taste.
How Long Do Araucana Chickens Lay Eggs?
With no known hereditary health issues and assuming they have all their basic needs met, Araucana chickens have a life expectancy of 7-8 years.
Obviously, there are always exceptions. I did some research and couldn’t find too many people talking about how old their’s lived, but I did find someone who said they had a 12-year-old bird.
Related - Looking for the best egg-laying breeds?
Some History and Facts About Araucana Chickens
Native to Chile, the Araucana is the result of breeding a Colloncas and a Quetros. It was the Colloncas that laid striking blue eggs, and also had no tailbone or tail feathers.
This is why this breed is also called the South American Rumpless sometimes.
The Quetros has a pea comb (check out other pea comb breeds here) a full tail and those distinctive tufted ears.
This is why the Araucana has no tail, tufts, and lays blue eggs. Along with these characteristics, they also don’t have wattles which is unusual.
One of the best things about them (apart from those blue eggs!) is that they’re very personable and friendly.
If you’re a bit of a crazy chicken person like me, I’m sure you appreciate spending time with your hens and having a chat.
Araucanas are typically more than happy to spend some time with someone, and they’ll have a natter back. Making them a great choice for busy households.
Some quick facts:
- Roosters weigh around 6.6 lbs
- Rooster bantams weigh around 1.7 lbs
- Hens weigh around 5.5 lbs
- Hen bantams weigh around 1.6 lbs
- Comb type - Pea
- Egg color - Blue
Varieties recognized by the American Poultry Association:
- Black
- Black Breasted Red
- Golden Duckwing
- Silver Duckwing
- White
Where To Buy Araucana Chickens, Chicks, and Hatching Eggs
The place I get all my poultry from online and am always happy to recommend is Cackle Hatchery.
They have a massive range of poultry, hatching eggs, and chicks for sale You are almost certain to find even the rarest breeds. They are also NPIP registered and have an excellent reputation.
At the time of writing this, Cackle Hatchery was selling:
- Black Araucanas
- Blue Araucanas, and
- Easter Egger pullets and chickens
Easter Eggers are not pure Araucanas, but I mention them as they’re also popular and can lay blue eggs.
They have full beards rather than tufts, tails (opposed to being rumpless), and are not available as pure color types.
The color of their eggs ranges from pale blue to dark green, pink, creme, and every shade in between. So, if you’re after a colorful layer but don’t mind if they’re not blue, it’s worth checking an Easter Egger.
You can check out exactly which colors/breeds are available at Cackle Hatchery by clicking this link.
Are Araucanas a Good Choice for a Backyard Breed?
Araucanas are an excellent backyard chicken breed. OK, I’d say that about almost every breed as I’m a huge chicken enthusiast - but they really are.
First of all, the main reason most people raise them is for their blue eggs. It never seems to get old or less novel handing out blue eggs, so that’s a huge plus.
Combined with the fact that they are friendly, personable, easy to look after, and prolific layers in the summer months, and you have yourself an excellent backyard chicken.
There are some challenges in successfully breeding them, so I’d leave that to the professionals. Once you have some chicks, however, they are very easy to care for and raise.
Being native to Chile, they’re not heavily feathered or plump and probably prefer the warmer weather. Although, I’ve spoken with people living in colder climates that tell me they do just fine in the winter months.
In a nutshell, Araucanas are a great all-around breed. They’re hardy, friendly, great layers, dual-purpose birds.
Resources
Image credits - Photos by Daniel Tuttle and Kelly Neil on Unsplash
Araucana Club of America - Araucana.net
American Poultry Association - Accepted Araucana Breeds
