Selection in poultry farming is developing every year, thanks to which new breeds of animals appear. Thus, by crossing two types of chickens, ameraucans were bred. They are of high performance. They are loved by farmers for their excellent egg production and excellent taste of meat.
History of origin
The homeland of chickens of the Ameraucana breed is America. There they were bred in 1967, but the registration of the new breed was carried out only in 1984. They were obtained by crossing American chickens with the Araucan breed. Hence the name of the birds.
The idea to cross local breeds of chickens with araucana came after the Americans visited a fair that unfolded in Montreal. It was there that the Araucans were introduced. Scientists from the USA liked their unusual appearance, as well as the ability to carry colorful eggs. Their shells are blue, brown, olive, pink and green. Because of this feature, these chickens are also called Easter. Their eggs can not be painted for Easter – they already have a natural decorative color.
Due to the unusual color of the eggshell, tasty meat and good egg production, Ameraucans were soon recognized outside of America. Today, this breed is valued by farmers around the world. Consider what visual differences are inherent in Ameraukans, how to select and breed chickens.
Description
Ameraukana is an elegant and graceful bird with a smooth and dense plumage, powerful wings. On her head is a massive beard and feather sideburns, which were inherited from the Araucan.
Chickens can have different colors. There are 8 of them in total. Feathers can have both light shades (yellow, wheaten, white, silver) and be painted in darker colors (black, brown-red, blue).
Features inherent in this breed:
- small head;
- rounded large eyes, having a red or reddish-brown color;
- a small ridge running from the base of the beak to the back of the head;
- small earlobes, having an oval shape;
- tail of small size, located at an angle of 45 ° in relation to the body;
- well-developed muscles and massive wings, thanks to which the bird can fly;
- paws of medium length, not covered with feathers (depending on the color of the animal, they can be painted in gray, white or blue).
Ameraucans are medium-sized birds. Basically, the mass of adult roosters does not exceed three kilograms, and chickens – no more than 2,5 kg. And also breeders managed to bring out decorative ameraucans. Their main difference is the size. The mass of decorative adult males is within a kilogram, and the weight of females does not exceed 800 grams.
Advantages and disadvantages
Ameraukana is an unpretentious bird in breeding and keeping. She is not afraid of moderate frosts, temperature changes, feels great in the heat. Such features allow you to breed chickens of this breed in any area, regardless of climatic conditions. If the rules of care are observed, chickens practically do not get sick.
Other advantages of ameraukan include a number of factors.
- Rapid growth of birds. Sexually mature age occurs from 5-5,5 months.
- Good egg production. With proper care and proper nutrition, the female is able to carry at least 250 eggs per year. Their weight varies from 60 to 64 grams.
- A long period of productivity is at least two years, while in ordinary chickens it is about a year.
- Strong immune system. Birds are naturally healthy, so you can let them go for walks on cold days without fear that the animals will get sick.
- Good taste of meat (reminiscent of quail meat).
Like any other breed, the Ameraukan has its downsides. The disadvantages include the lack of maternal instinct in females. They will not incubate eggs to create offspring. For these purposes, you will have to use an incubator or lay eggs under other chickens.
Another significant drawback is the anger and aggressiveness of roosters. Females are more accommodating, but they also cannot be called calm and tame. Due to excessive cruelty, roosters often have to be isolated. Otherwise, they can bully other roosters, chickens, peck at masonry.
There are frequent cases when ameraukana roosters attack the owners, trying to show their superiority.
How to choose?
Choosing an ameraucana is not an easy task, especially for a beginner poultry breeder. Experts advise purchasing chickens in the spring when they are 5 months old. In summer, such a bird will rush almost every day due to the maximum duration of daylight hours and fresh greenery.
There are two ways to acquire feathered animals:
- at poultry farms;
- at the farmers.
When choosing a bird from private traders, you should pay close attention to the health of birds. They must be active. Lethargy or drowsiness, sunken eyes, sneezing indicate reduced immunity or disease.
There are several signs that indicate a chicken is healthy. When choosing birds, you should carefully examine them. You can buy the following chickens:
- clean and well-groomed – their feathers should be smooth, shiny; they should not have defects in the form of growths (this is important, since sticky feathers in the cloacal area may indicate intestinal infections);
- with a smooth comb without external defects;
- with earlobes of the correct form;
- with bulging and shining eyes;
- with a soft belly and an even keel.
It doesn’t matter who you buy ameraucana from. The main thing to know is that birds living on a farm often have more access to the will. Frequent walks make their health stronger and their immunity more resilient. However, farm birds may not be vaccinated.
Reproduction
Ameraucana chickens completely lack the instinct of incubation, which is why the females will never be able to bring the chicks out of the clutch. There are two ways to breed birds of this breed:
- buying chicks;
- independent hatching of chickens using an incubator.
It is recommended to purchase chicks only at poultry farms or from private farmers with an impeccable reputation. It is best to buy chickens at the age of two weeks. They must be transported in a box with soft bedding at the bottom. In order for the farmer to be able to receive fertilized eggs in the future, not only chickens, but also roosters should be in the hen house. Determining gender is easy. To do this, you should evaluate the nature of birds – males are more active. Unlike females, they are aggressive and pugnacious.
If you plan to purchase eggs for the subsequent breeding of chickens in an incubator, you should follow a few rules for choosing and transporting masonry. Eggs should not have cracks and various defects. In order to assess for damage, it is necessary to carefully examine the masonry in good light.
For breeding, large eggs are suitable, which have an “age” from 2 to 7 days. It is important that the masonry is kept warm. If it is exposed to a temperature of +5.8 degrees Celsius, the embryo will simply die. Purchased eggs should be carefully transported. Otherwise, hatching rates will be reduced.
Content
Chickens are born with good health. Due to good endurance and strong immunity, young animals do not need specialized care. However, some rules still need to be followed.
- In the first 7 days of life, the air temperature in the cage should be within +33.35 degrees. Gradually it must be reduced. Grown up and strengthened birds should be kept at a temperature of +19 degrees Celsius.
- Don’t forget about lighting. In the first 48 hours, artificial lighting should be on around the clock. Next, you need to reduce the amount of light to 16 hours. When the chicks reach 3 weeks of age, you can leave the light on for 9 hours.
- The brood should be fed with compound feed – it contains the optimal amount of protein for the full growth of young birds. The first weeks it is recommended to give a ground boiled egg, greens. Feeding is best done according to the schedule (5 times a day by the hour). After 3 weeks of age, young animals need to be provided with 3 meals a day.
- Growing chickens need a lot of water. The liquid must be boiled. The optimum water temperature is 40 degrees.
Young animals should be kept in a spacious cage with warm bedding on the floor. It must always be clean and dry. To ensure such conditions, it is important to provide a special drinker that prevents water from pouring onto the floor.
Adult Care
Grown up chickens are unpretentious – they perfectly tolerate both heat and cold. They are not afraid of low ambient temperatures due to dense plumage. Adult birds need walking. It is advisable to make a special corral for these purposes. A long fence should be provided, as representatives of this breed can easily fly over small fences.
Before settling chickens in a chicken coop, the room should be prepared in advance. For this, the structure is disinfected, the walls and ceilings are whitewashed. To create a favorable microclimate in the chicken coop, you need to provide a ventilation system.
Adult Ameraucans need to be fed, like all meat and egg breeds. They do not need special nutrition. For feeding, you will need whole grains, vegetables, oilcake, sunflower seeds and various grain mixtures. The diet should be high in calories, since ameraucans are very active. A balanced diet will make up for all energy losses.
In summer, it is recommended to feed chickens 2 times, and in winter at least three times (the increase is due to the lack of pasture).
Diseases, their prevention and care
Ameraucana chickens are not susceptible to serious viral and infectious diseases due to good innate immunity. What farmers may encounter is parasites. Representatives of this breed have stomach worms, trichomonas, syngamosis, chicken lice, feather and scabies mites.
Symptoms vary. The main signs of parasites in Ameraucans:
- small sores on the body;
- peeling of the skin, in some cases – loss of plumage and complete baldness;
- cough and hoarseness;
- weight loss against the background of reduced appetite;
- unusual color of the litter;
- diarrhea;
- decreased egg production;
- nervous behavior of birds.
The sooner the farmer starts pest control, the higher the chances of a favorable outcome. Otherwise, the number of livestock will noticeably decrease.
To get rid of parasites living inside the body, drugs such as Metronidazole and Nystatin should be used. To eliminate wearable parasites, it is recommended to use “Bars”, “Stomazan” or “Butox”. Solutions must be applied to the feathers of affected birds. It is important to process each individual. And also it is necessary to disinfect the chicken coop. To do this, wet cleaning of the premises using water and apple cider vinegar. For greater efficiency, the chicken coop is treated with formalin. This substance is toxic, so all work must be done in a protective suit with a respirator.
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. This also applies to parasites. To prevent infection, it is important to perform a number of measures:
- regularly clean the premises in which ameraucans are kept;
- carry out pest control of the chicken coop with lime or potassium permanganate;
- deworm new birds.
It is recommended to regularly inspect chickens – this way you can detect infection in the early stages.
Reviews
In general, farmers speak positively about ameraucans. They appreciate the good egg production of this breed, the ability to carry eggs with an unusual shell color, and the excellent taste of meat. Breeders confirm the unpretentiousness of these birds, their strong immunity and high resistance to various diseases. Chickens do not cause trouble when breeding.
However, there are also shortcomings of the breed, which are voiced by the owners of ameraukan. The disadvantages include the aggressiveness of roosters in relation to females and people. All owners note the lack of “maternal instinct” in chickens. Getting chickens or the treasured Ameraucan eggs is a big challenge, which is also considered a disadvantage. The “overseas” breed is not very common in Russia and the CIS countries.
See the next video for more about the Ameraucana chicken breed.
