~Arkansas blue chicken info wanted~

[RoosterWhisperer]

Hello, is there anybody who knows anything about Arkansas blue chickens?

I read that they are not available for public purchase, are there any breeders willing to ship eggs to Washington state?
They say they resemble a blue Sumatra, but they are a mix of Aracauna and white leghorn, are they good birds egg laying wise and are they hardy?

Also are Aracaunas is hard to buy or can you get them at tractor supply or any regular feed store.
I read that Aracaunas don’t live very long and only a few survive because of the tufts on their cheeks, but they are fine they say if you can get them to live past hatching.

 

[springvalley123]

Not having owned either cross, there are several different names/crosses of Aracauna/white leghorn, with pea combs. Another is the prairie bluebell egger from Hoovers, and of course the Whiting true blue from McMurray (and perhaps other sources). I really don't see how one cross could resemble a Sumatra, but who knows--they don't just take any aracauna and cross any white leghorn, maybe somehow they select for type in addition to blue egg laying, productivity, etc.

 

[springvalley123]

just remembered, I think @Overo Mare is an expert in this type of cross (loosely, easter egger types).??

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

Not having owned either cross, there are several different names/crosses of Aracauna/white leghorn, with pea combs. Another is the prairie bluebell egger from Hoovers, and of course the Whiting true blue from McMurray (and perhaps other sources). I really don't see how one cross could resemble a Sumatra, but who knows--they don't just take any aracauna and cross any white leghorn, maybe somehow they select for type in addition to blue egg laying, productivity, etc.

Okay, thank you!

It drives me nuts because of how many different names there are for just one or two identical chickens.

I mean I have blue Andalusians, but blue Sumatra and sapphire gems look exactly the same.

 

[Sally PB]

Hello, is there anybody who knows anything about Arkansas blue chickens?

I think that @1muttsfan has some Arkansas blues...?

 

[1muttsfan]

Edited to add on 1/29/2023:

I no longer ship eggs

I have a small flock of Arkansas blues, to my knowledge there are only a couple of people who have these birds any longer. They are smallish standard sized, alert, active, tidy, very feed efficient, and excellent layers of large to extra large blue eggs. They are excellent foragers and very hardy in cold weather.
It makes me sad to think that one I stop keeping chickens these birds may go by the wayside.
I will ship eggs to anybody who wants them for the cost of shipping, which can vary a lot depending on the distance and number of eggs/package size involved. Right now my birds are mostly molting and I'm getting very few eggs, and it's really too cold to ship them in the winter. But if you let me know around March or later depending on the weather I could send you some eggs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/blue-egg-layers-from-university-of-arkansas.624359/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/arkansas-blue-egg-layers.874920/

 

[1muttsfan]

@ronott1 has a few birds as well

 

[ronott1]

@ronott1 has a few birds as well

I have two hens and one of them is still laying an egg every other day!

 

[1muttsfan]

They must be getting up there in age, Ron

 

[ronott1]

They must be getting up there in age, Ron

Yes! I am amazed at how well they do.

They are also heat tolerant.