If you’re dreaming of a colorful egg basket, a true Ameraucana is one of the best blue egg layers you can add to your backyard flock.

Ameraucanas are best known for their beautiful true blue eggs, fluffy beards and muffs, pea combs, and sweet, curious personalities. They’re a wonderful choice for backyard chicken keepers who want something a little unique without choosing an overly difficult breed.

Here in Arizona, Ameraucanas can do very well when given the right summer setup, including plenty of deep shade, cool fresh water, good airflow, and protection from our extreme desert heat.

Quick Breed Overview

Egg Color: Blue
Egg Production: Approximately 150–200 eggs per year
Egg Size: Medium to Large
Heat Tolerance: Good with proper summer care
Cold Tolerance: Very Good
Temperament: Friendly, curious, generally calm
Beginner Friendly: Yes
Broodiness: Low to Moderate
Comb Type: Pea Comb
Adult Hen Weight: Approximately 5–6 pounds
Adult Rooster Weight: Approximately 6–7 pounds

What Makes a True Ameraucana Special?

The Ameraucana is a recognized American chicken breed developed from blue egg laying birds with ancestry tracing back to South American chickens.

Their most famous trait is the blue egg gene.

Unlike chickens that lay brown eggs because pigment is deposited on the outside of the shell, the blue pigment in an Ameraucana egg is incorporated throughout the shell as it forms. If you crack open a true blue egg, the inside of the shell will also have a bluish tint.

This makes Ameraucanas especially popular with backyard chicken keepers hoping to build a naturally colorful egg basket.

Ameraucana Egg Color

Ameraucana hens lay eggs ranging from:

• Light powder blue
• Sky blue
• Soft turquoise blue
• Occasionally a slightly blue green shade

The exact shade can vary from hen to hen.

One important thing to remember is that egg color can naturally become a little lighter throughout a laying cycle. A hen may begin the season producing especially vibrant blue eggs and gradually lay slightly paler ones.

True Ameraucana vs. Easter Egger

This is probably the most important distinction to understand when shopping for Ameraucanas.

Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers are not the same thing.

A true Ameraucana is a defined breed with specific breed characteristics. Ameraucanas should have traits such as:

• A pea comb
• Beard and muffs
• A tail
• Slate or blue toned legs
• No feathering on the legs
• Four toes
• Blue eggs

Easter Eggers, on the other hand, are mixed or hybrid chickens carrying blue egg genetics. They may lay blue, green, olive, pinkish, or tinted eggs and can come in an enormous variety of colors and appearances.

Easter Eggers are wonderful backyard chickens too, but they should not be sold as pure Ameraucanas.

If you're specifically looking for a true blue egg laying breed, knowing the difference is important.

Ameraucana Temperament

Ameraucanas are usually curious, alert, and relatively easygoing birds.

Many become very comfortable around their owners, especially when handled regularly while young. They may not always be the first chicken demanding to sit in your lap, but they tend to be pleasant flock members and can become very friendly.

Their personalities can vary by individual and bloodline, but overall we consider them a good choice for families and newer chicken keepers.

They are also active foragers and enjoy exploring the yard for bugs, greens, and anything else that looks interesting.

Are Ameraucanas Good for Arizona?

Yes. Ameraucanas can be a good backyard breed for Arizona when appropriate heat precautions are provided.

Their pea comb is especially helpful because it is smaller than the large single combs found on breeds such as Leghorns. While comb size doesn't make a chicken heat proof, Ameraucanas generally adapt well when raised in warm climates.

During our Tempe and Phoenix area summers, however, no chicken breed should be expected to tolerate extreme heat without help.

Ameraucanas should always have access to:

• Deep shade throughout the hottest part of the day
• Unlimited cool, clean drinking water
• Excellent ventilation and airflow
• A dry, well ventilated coop
• Multiple water stations when possible
• Areas where they can dust bathe and escape direct sunlight

During extreme Arizona temperatures, additional cooling precautions may also be necessary.

Ameraucana Egg Production

Ameraucanas are considered moderate layers rather than extremely high production chickens.

A healthy hen will commonly produce around 3–4 eggs per week during her strongest laying periods, although production varies with age, season, nutrition, daylight, molt, weather, and the individual bird.

For many backyard chicken keepers, the beautiful blue eggs are worth having slightly fewer eggs compared with breeds developed primarily for maximum production.

When Do Ameraucanas Start Laying?

Most Ameraucana pullets begin laying somewhere around 5–7 months old.

Some may begin slightly earlier, while others take their time.

Ameraucanas can occasionally be slower to mature than commercial egg laying breeds, so don't panic if your young hen reaches five months old and hasn't produced her first blue egg yet.

Season and daylight can also make a big difference. A pullet reaching laying age during fall or winter may wait longer before beginning consistent production.

What Do Ameraucanas Look Like?

One of the most recognizable features of an Ameraucana is the adorable fluffy face.

They typically have:

• Full beards
• Puffy cheek muffs
• Small pea combs
• Slate or blue toned legs
• Upright tails
• Compact, balanced bodies

Their fluffy cheeks give them an almost permanently surprised expression, which is part of their charm.

Recognized Ameraucana color varieties include several beautiful colors, with Blue, Black, Splash and White Ameraucanas being especially popular among backyard flock owners.

Blue, Black and Splash Ameraucanas

Blue genetics make this breed even more interesting.

When breeding blue chickens, offspring don't necessarily all hatch blue. Depending on the parent pairing, chicks can hatch:

• Blue
• Black
• Splash

Splash Ameraucanas are typically light colored birds with irregular blue or gray splashes throughout their feathers, while Blue Ameraucanas have gorgeous slate blue plumage.

Regardless of feather color, properly bred Ameraucanas carry the genetics for those beautiful blue eggs.

Are Ameraucanas Good for Beginners?

Yes.

We consider Ameraucanas a beginner friendly breed, especially for chicken keepers who have already prepared a secure coop and understand basic summer poultry care.

They generally have manageable temperaments, don't require unusual housing, and integrate nicely into mixed backyard flocks.

They're especially fun for families because collecting a naturally blue egg never really gets old.

Are Ameraucanas Broody?

Ameraucanas can occasionally become broody, but they aren't typically considered one of the most persistently broody breeds.

Individual hens can absolutely surprise you, though.

A broody Ameraucana may decide that her nesting box is suddenly the most important place in the world and attempt to hatch whatever eggs she can collect.

Ameraucanas in a Mixed Flock

Ameraucanas generally do very well in mixed backyard flocks.

They tend to fall somewhere in the middle of the pecking order rather than being extremely dominant.

As with any breed, introductions should always be done gradually. Younger pullets should be large enough to safely interact with mature birds before being fully integrated.

If you're adding young birds to an existing flock, using a see but don't touch introduction period can make the transition much easier.

Why We Love Ameraucanas

Ameraucanas offer a little bit of everything we love in a backyard chicken.

They’re beautiful.

They’re interesting.

They have wonderfully fluffy faces.

And, of course, they give you those unmistakable blue eggs.

For Arizona families hoping to create a colorful backyard egg basket, Ameraucanas are one of our favorite breeds to consider.

Ameraucana Breed Rating

Egg Production: ★★★☆☆
Heat Tolerance: ★★★★☆
Friendliness: ★★★★☆
Beginner Friendly: ★★★★☆
Colorful Egg Basket Factor: ★★★★★

Looking for Ameraucana Pullets in Arizona?

At Izaak’s Happy Hens, we periodically offer Blue, Splash, White, and other Ameraucana varieties depending on our current batches and availability.

Our started pullets are raised with Arizona backyard conditions in mind and are given time to grow past the fragile early brooder stage before heading to their new homes.

Availability changes throughout the year, so check our current chicks and started pullets to see which breeds are available.

Izaak’s Happy Hens
Tempe, Arizona
Serving backyard chicken families throughout Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, and surrounding Arizona communities.