The Ameraucana is one of our two main focus breeds. It was developed in the United States from the rumpless, tufted Araucana, (the US version not the UK version), and is known for laying blue eggs. Egg production can vary slightly, but Ameraucanas are generally considered good layers. They are typically friendly and docile, making them enjoyable additions to a flock.
However, here is the reality of the breed in South Africa. The local Ameraucanas were bred from Easter Eggers (including the show lines) except for the original Brown Reds, which have since been interbred with the local black “Ameraucanas”.
As a result, what we have differs slightly from what the breed should be.
For example, our Ameraucanas lay eggs ranging in colours from blue to green (even the eggs of a single hen can fluctuate between blue and green), although we are selecting and breeding for blue. More importantly, the local Ameraucana lines, including the show lines, are not fixed for two copies of the blue-egg gene. We had our flock genetically tested in 2024 and subsequently locked our lines for two copies of the blue-egg gene.
The type of our Ameraucanas is still somewhat inconsistent, and we struggle with eye and sole colour. When the eye colour is correct, the soles are often too yellow. When the sole colour is correct, the eyes tend to have a slight brown tint.
Many of the Black lines also struggle with copper leakage in the roosters, which we still see occasionally. Most of the roosters shown at national shows still have poor combs.
The “Ameraucanas” and “Araucanas” (UK version with a tail) in South Africa have frequently been interbred. It is therefore not unusual to hatch the occasional throwback, such as an Ameraucana with a crest or an Araucana without one. We were still hatching these throwbacks in 2023.
The only colours currently found in South Africa are Black, White, Lavender (called Self-Blue in the US), and Brown Red. Of these colours, we breed only Black and Lavender, although we do carry Recessive White in our lines as our original parent stock included a white pair. We gave up on White because they did not mix well with our red soil and could sometimes be mistaken for Buff.
We are, however, working on several project colours. Of the recognised Ameraucana colours, we are working on Blue, Splash and Silver.
Our Blue Ameraucana project is progressing well. We were able to show our first Blue pullet in 2026. We will eventually also be able to produce Splash from this Blue line.
Our Silver (Duckwing) Ameraucana project is still a considerable number of generations away from completion.
Here is a sneak peek at our Silver (Duckwing) Ameraucana project. He has a horrible comb and chest leakage. Obviously, as this is still a project, he has only one silver gene, hence the light gold colour rather than silver/white. Mongrel though he may be, we are making progress towards our goal.
We are also working on one additional new colour, combining Duckwing with the Mahogany colouring from the Brown Red lines. We have been showing these birds under AOC (Any Other Colour) since 2025.