Reviews by Illia

As most I started with Easter Eggers, found out the truth, which honestly made me want true Araucanas even more, so, I ordered myself a big batch of chicks from one of the few people out there who actually offer purebred chicks to order.

Since then I've never given up or turned away from the breed, and now am one of those breeders and promoters of it. Araucanas, being a small to medium sized breed but very fleshy and well-filled out as well as being rumpless, are a GREAT dual purpose breed and excellent free rangers/foragers. Their lack of tail helps them escape predators much easier, they're super fliers, their colors available often allow them to blend in better, and they're smart, fast, and aware birds with good feed conversion as well as some pretty good growth rate. There really isn't much bad to say about them except for some people, most of them are seriously frequently broodies, but when they're not busy incubating something (even nothing) they're very, very dependable layers of beautiful blue eggs ranging from medium to large in size.

I've never met an aggressive or too shy Araucana, however males are a little wild at heart and don't get along with each other or other breed of roosters very well, and, warning - They're skilled fighters. But to people, they can be the greatest pets or just a hoot to watch. Definitely the ladies' man, and definitely love to talk, but are also very alert and protective.

With their big (or little) beautiful tufts, unique body shape, and beautiful duckwing, barred, mottled, columbian, splash, or other neat colors they come in, they're such a beauty to the eye, and surely are a very useful breed. I breed mine for egg production, meat production, and eventually will show mine too. I'll always have some Araucanas around, as there's few breeds that do better than them in a free ranging or pastured environment.

Like most people I started with Easter Eggers thinking they're the same as Ameraucanas, then started my first Ameraucanas with several small flocks/lines of Blue, Black,and Splash birds. They averaged from poor to decent layers, temperaments were okay but slightly shy. The boys were GREAT though, always friendly and talkative but a bit of drama queens when it came to handling. They don't freak physically but they make a slight screamish sound, it's kinda cute.

I then expanded myself into Wheatens, Blue Wheatens, and Buffs after the BBS flock and got into much more friendly, better layers of even brighter blue eggs. Loved them.

In general I think Ameraucanas are an awesome breed, but the confusion of them vs Easter Eggers gets almost tiring in that so many people just don't fully understand what you mean when you're describing them, and the other thing is, I shyly have to admit - Araucanas, the other blue laying breed, have much more desirable characteristics for me. That doesn't make Ameraucanas "un-cool" though, as their having a tail and more availability is nicer, plus their Buff color is just amazingly beautiful.

So in the end my thought is always this - ANY flock must have, if not an Ameraucana, some sort of colored egg layer, but honestly I think Ameraucanas need more recognition out there than their much confusing rival, the Easter Egger. If not a neat blue egg layer with great cold tolerance, the roosters especially make wonderful pets and show birds.

I first started with Polish when I ordered about 5 of each color the hatcheries offered, and was very, very excited for them. Sadly when I got mine, most died off within a few weeks, but I still had some strong survivors. Once they grew to adults, I had a few White Crested Blacks and a Silver Laced hen. Super layers of medium white eggs, extremely cold hardy and pretty heat hardy too but it doesn't get that hot here. Now, my big love of them before also finding out about non-hatchery colors is that they're, if in a flock of more than just a couple Polish, VERY tough, smart, friendly birds with an eagerness to get out there and do with what food they got in their plot. Mine are among the three best foragers of all the breeds I've had, and tough too. I once lost two hens in a terrible storm, and they were toughing it out in the middle of the woods somewhere beyond my place for 2 weeks - A distant neighbor called up and found them in their property, and when I came to get the girls - They were hungry but otherwise quite healthy and okay.



After those girls I expanded to breeding Polish because I love the breed so much, so I fell in love with some very rare colors such as Tolbunt and Crele, and today, I enjoy the wonders of the breed in constantly changing but generally large numbers. They do very well in mixed flocks or in just flocks of Polish, and the roosters are very friendly IF you don't get them from hatchery/feedstore lineage.

Oh, and Polish, at least mine, are super vermin control.

I got myself 10 Silver Laced Wyandottes from Murray McMurray hatchery years ago with a huge order of many other chicks, and, I was quite excited for these birds, but honestly I was expecting more. They weren't huge and fluffy as I hoped, their lacing wasn't much of "lacing," and what honestly had me disappointed was their personalities. The best is talkative, the worst is just downright unfriendly to both people and other chickens. They love to huddle into their own "gang" of Wyandottes, separate from others, but even bicker among each other. They were very hardy gals and very resistant to whatever came their way. They were good layers, too, but not of big eggs.

Now, these were hatchery Wyandottes though. I'm sure non-hatchery stock as I've heard and seen of in person are much bigger, prettier, friendlier, and actually go broody and supply a decent amount of meat as the breed should.