Araucana chickens: The wacky blue-egg layers
It’s hard not to fall in love with Araucana chickens. Physically, they are small and strange-looking (but in the most adorable way). Temperamentally, they are wacky and sweet.
These birds are only 4-5 lbs. They have feather tufts coming out of their cheeks. And they have no tails. (Well, not quite all of them, but more on that below). Araucanas have been bred to be calm, curious, and friendly.
And of course, they lay gorgeous blue or blue-green eggs, sure to delight any backyard keeper.
But are these darling little chickens right for you and your flock? In this article, you’ll get all your questions about Araucanas answered. Here, I cover:
What Araucana chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns
Everything you ever wanted to know about Araucana egg laying
Araucana broodiness (do they want to hatch their chicks or not?)
Climate considerations for Araucana chickens (are they a good fit for your region?)
Araucana temperament (are they right for you and your family?)
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Araucana Chicken Facts
Category: Pet & eggs
Origin: Chile
Egg laying ability: Moderate-good
Broodiness: Moderate-high
Cold tolerance: Good
Heat tolerance: Good
Predator evasion: Exceptional
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Good
Temperament: Variable (flighty to docile)
Aggression toward flock members: Low-moderate
Noise level: Moderate-high
Origin of Araucana Chickens
The precursors to the Araucana chicken are the Collonca and Quetro chickens. These two types of chickens had been kept for centuries by the Mapuche tribe of Chile.
Mystery shrouds the origin of these older native chickens. Their predecessors were either brought over by Europeans during colonization, or they could be pre-Columbian in nature. (Imagine the implications of that!) Historians don’t agree.
In the early 1900s, a Chilean professor of animal science, Dr. Reuben Bustos, selectively bred Collonca and Quetro chickens together to create a chicken that we would now call the Araucana breed. The breed combined the rumplessness (i.e., no tail feathers) and blue eggs of the Collonca chickens with the ear tufts and pea comb of the Quetro chickens.
Dr. Bustos originally named the Araucana breed “Collonca de Arêtes,” which translates to “Collonca with Earrings.” But birds with this appearance later became known as Araucanas, which comes from the word “Araucanians.” “Araucanians” was the Spanish name for the Mapuche tribal members. The name was derived from the Gulf of Arauco, located near Conception, Chile.
Dr. Bustos published information on the Araucana in 1914, but the western world did not become familiar with the chickens until a 1921 publication by a Spanish poultry expert, Professor Salvador Castello. Castello mistakenly wrote that the Araucana were native Chilean fowl, rather than a breed recently developed by Dr. Bustos through selective breeding. Some chicken keepers are still propagating this false information today.
The first Araucanas were imported to the United States in 1925. This flock was tufted and rumpless as we know the breed today, but other blue-egg layers that had different qualities were imported shortly afterward. All of these chickens were collectively called Araucanas until 1976, when the American Poultry Association (APA) declared that only the tufted and rumpless birds could be considered the Araucana breed.
This declaration was a somewhat arbitrary decision. If you want to learn more about the other blue-egg-laying chickens, now called Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers, and how they relate to the modern Araucana breed, check out my article, Why Everything You’ve Heard is Wrong: Ameraucanas, Easter Eggers, and Arauacanas.
If you’d like to see photos of the Collonca and Quetro chickens (the Araucana predecessors), check out this page and scroll about ¾ the way down. If you have photos of Colloncas or Quetros that you would like to share, please upload your photos here.
What do Araucana Chickens look like?
There are 8 varieties of regular-sized Araucana chickens, and several varieties of bantam (i.e. miniature) Araucana chickens.
Araucana feather colors and patterns
Araucana chickens are found in 8 different feather colors or patterns. Below is a chart that summarizes the different plumage appearances, as well as other physical traits for each plumage variety.
The varieties listed above are the “official” varieties, those recognized by the American Poultry Association. Unofficial (i.e., unrecognized varieties) can come in many different colors and patterns.
What the heck are Araucana ear tufts?
What exactly are tufts? Tuft anatomy is twofold.
First, there’s the plicae. The what? The authors of The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens, explain it this way: ”On either side of their head, where normally the earlobes are found, there are wart-like skin folds, or plicae…”
Then, there’s the feathering. From out of the plicae are bunches of feathers, the so-called “tufts.”
What purpose do ear tufts serve for Araucana chickens?
What in the world is the purpose of these strange, feathery appendages?
Dr. Reuben Bustos, the first Araucana breeder, purposely bred the tuft genes into the birds because he liked the way they looked. And until this day, breeders are still selecting for these genes (even though they are ‘semi-lethal,’ more on that below—see Araucana chicken health problems).
The Araucana’s tuft genes originally came from one of the Araucana’s parent stocks, the Quetro breed of chicken.
Scientists aren’t sure why birds like the Quetro chickens have ear tufts, but a number of hypotheses have been put forward, including:
For camouflage (where’d she go?)
For sexual appeal (you know what they say about ear tuft size and…)
For protection against predators (because ear tufts make you look big and scary)
The silly truth about Araucana ear tufts
Here’s the truth about Araucana ear tufts: they don’t normally turn out right. For one thing, the gene is semi-lethal, meaning that many Araucana chicks end up dying before they hatch, and others die in their first few weeks of life (see Araucana chicken health problems below for more information).
But aside from that, tufts, more often than not, just don’t grow quite right. Ideally, tufts will grow out of both sides of the head near the ears, and will be symmetric in size and shape. They also are supposed to slant backwards, not forwards.
Here are the many silly ways that ear tufts often grow instead:
Only a single tuft grows
One tuft grows large and the other stays small
Tufts slant forward instead of backward
One tuft slants forward, whereas the other slants backward
Tufts grow strangely large
Tufts grow strangely small
Only the fleshy part of the tuft grows (i.e., no feathers come out of the plicae)
Tufts grow out of the throat
Tufts grow internally (and this is often fatal)
The tuft on one side of the head grows out of a different part of the head than the tuft on the other side
The tuft can be shaped differently on each side of the head
Sometimes more than two tufts grow out of a bird’s head
And, much to the chagrin of Araucana breeders, many of the chicks are born without tufts at all. In fact, according to Araucana breeder, Dr. Alan Stanford, only 1 in every 4 or 5 Araucana chicks are actually born with tufts.
Below is a YouTube video of one Araucana breeder’s latest batch of Araucanas (at the time of recording). These Araucanas are of the Golden Duckwing variety.
In this video, you’ll see that out of 5 chickens, only one has tufts. If you fast forward to 1 minute and 40 seconds into the video, the breeder explains that the 1 chicken who ended up with tufts is actually “triple-tufted” with a third tuft growing out of his neck.
Araucana tufts end up silly more often than not.
What does it mean for an Araucana chicken to be “rumpless?”
Araucana chickens have been bred not to have a tail. This is what “rumpless” means. They have saddle feathers that grow down over their backs instead.
Because Araucanas have no tails, their spines are actually shortened, relative to other chickens. They are missing their coccyx, the last couple of vertebrae in their spines.
Unfortunately, they are also missing the uropygial gland at the base of their backs. This is a gland that chickens use for preening. Preening is how birds clean and align their feathers. Chickens use their beaks to get oil from this gland onto their beaks, and then they run the oil over their feathers.
In the short YouTube video below, you can see a hen (not an Araucana) pressing on her uropygial gland with her beak and then preening her feathers with the oil.
Because Araucana chickens are missing a uropygial gland, they’re at a preening disadvantage. They must preen with only their beaks. No essential oils for these little birds.
Why don’t Araucana chickens have tails?
Again, just as with ear tufts, the Araucana were bred to have no tails because the original breeder liked the way it looked, and so do modern breeders.
Some Araucana chickens are actually still born with tails—tails are a recessive trait—but many believe these chickens somehow “don’t count” as Araucanas. Basically, the APA doesn’t recognize them as meeting the breed standard. So, they are considered “less than.” Yeah, it’s silly.
But where did the “rumpless” trait originally come from? The trait was bred into the Araucana from its predecessor, the Collonca chicken. According to the Araucana breeder, Dr. Alan Stanford, the Mapuche natives, who originally raised the Collonca chickens, believed that the rumpless birds were better able to escape predators because they had no tails for the predators to grab ahold of.
Dr. Stanford says that others believe that rumpless birds fare better in fights. No one seems to really know if these claims are true.
What else is notable about the Araucana chicken’s appearance?
Araucana chickens have small pea combs that may be irregularly shaped. And they have very small wattles, or sometimes no wattles at all.
How big do Araucana chickens get?
Araucanas are fairly small chickens.
Roosters: 5 lbs
Hens: 4 lbs
Bantam roosters: 26 oz
Bantam hens: 24 oz
What do Araucana chicks look like?
Araucana chicks take on many different appearances depending on what variety they are.
Below is a photo of an Araucana chick.
Araucana Chicken Growth
Araucana chickens may be slow to feather out in comparison with other breeds.
Are you getting Araucana chicks?
Share your photos, week by week!
Araucana Chickens and Egg Laying
Egg color: Blue or blue-green
Egg size: Medium
Age of lay: 6 months
Eggs/week: 2-5
Eggs/year: 150-250 (depends on the strain)
Although most Araucana chickens will start laying around 6 months of age, some may take up to 10 or even 12 months.
Araucana hens are particularly valued because they tend to continue laying well into the winter.
Broodiness: Do Araucana hens want to hatch their eggs?
Araucana chickens do tend to go broody. They are very reliable at sitting on and hatching their eggs, and they are excellent mothers.
Below is a video of a broody Araucana hen trying to hatch a golf ball.
Meat Production of Araucana Chickens
Surprise! Some people actually eat these birds. I can’t imagine there is very much meat on them, seeing as they only weigh 4-5 lbs. But homesteaders have been known to eat their extra roosters. I guess you can make anything work in a crock pot.
Araucana Chickens: A Hardy Breed
Despite being tiny, Araucana chickens are hardy birds if they make it to adulthood. The authors of The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens say that Aracuanas are “one of the most vigorous and hardy breeds.”
How do Araucana chickens do in the heat?
Araucana chickens, although not as heat hardy as Mediterranean breeds, do tend to do well in the heat. They will always need shade and plenty of fresh water, though.
How do Araucana chickens do in the cold?
Araucana chickens tend to be very cold hardy. Unlike many other breeds, their combs and wattles are small enough as not to be prone to frostbite. They are a great choice for a colder climate.
I do still recommend that you hang Sweeter Heaters over their roosting bars for comfort during low temperatures. They will very much appreciate this on the freezing cold winter nights.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here. I hang Sweeter Heaters in all my coops, even for my cold-hardy breeds, and I can’t recommend them enough.
Araucana chickens vs. predators
Araucanas are better at handling predators than many other breeds. They are a cautious and vigilant breed. And they are faster than many larger chickens. Some believe they are better able to escape predators because they don’t have tails for predators to grab ahold of.
Below is a video that shows how flighty Araucana chickens can be when they’re startled:
Araucana chickens: Avid little foragers
Araucana chickens do great in free-range situations. They very much enjoy exploring and foraging.
Araucana chickens: Can they handle confinement?
Most Araucana chickens can handle confinement, but they prefer to roam. The larger you can make their run, the better. Free-range setups are also a great fit for these birds.
Araucana chicken temperament: Just what kind of birds are they?
Araucana temperament can vary. Some birds are flighty and do not like to be handled or even touched. (But even these birds may still like to be around people.)
Others are docile and like to be held. It never hurts to ask your potential breeder what dispositions they tend to find in their birds.
Araucana breeder, Dr. Alan Stanford, says of his chickens’ temperaments: “…they are unusual, graceful, beautiful, intelligent, friendly…”
Overall, these do tend to be calm and friendly birds. And they’re often described as active, curious, and quirky.
One chicken keeper said of her hens, “Araucanas are hands down my favorite breed… unique, definitely quirky, sociable, great layers, and extremely intelligent.” Another said her Araucanas are “a hoot to watch.”
How are Araucana chickens around children?
Some Araucanas are excellent around children. They enjoy attention and enjoy being held. Others may be nervous and flighty.
How well do Araucana chickens get along with other chickens?
Araucana hens tend to do very well with other chickens. They are a good choice for a mixed flock. Some roosters can be aggressive to other roosters, but that’s not uncommon for roosters in general.
Are Araucana roosters aggressive to people?
Like many breeds, some roosters are aggressive and some aren’t. Araucana roosters really can go either way.
Araucana chickens: Are they noisy?
Araucana chickens aren’t louder than other breeds, but they do tend to be more talkative than a lot of other breeds.
Araucana chicken health problems
Two of the characteristics that make Araucanas so unique—ear tufts and rumplessness—are also two characteristics that cause significant health problems.
Health problems that come with the ear tufts gene
The genes that give the Araucanas their ear tufts are called “autosomal dominant lethal alleles.” This means that if the ear tuft gene is inherited from both parents, the chicks will die. These chicks have deformed ears, mouths, or throats.
According to a study conducted by Somes and Pabilonia in the Journal of Heredity, most of the chicks who get the gene from both parents will die towards the end of incubation, between 17-19 days (hatch occurs at 21 days). A few may hatch, but these chicks will likely not live beyond the week. However, very rarely, one will make it to maturity—this chick is called an “escaper.”
What if a chick gets the ear tuft gene from only one parent? A few different things may happen:
The chick will live and have ear tufts.
The chick will live but won’t have ear tufts.
The chick will die.
Yep, even some of these chicks will die. Some will die in incubation. Others will hatch and then die. Others will hatch and remain frail (and then may die).
So, in order to continue breeding Araucanas with ear tufts, a lot of chicks have to die.
Health problems that come with the rumplessness gene
Araucanas that are rumpless have shorter backs and are missing vertebrae. According to many Araucana breeders, the longer they breed rumpless Araucanas together, the shorter their progenies’ backs become with each generation. Eventually, the progeny can no longer breed naturally. I haven’t found any scientific articles that back this up, but it does seem to be accepted as true among breeders.
Araucana Breeder, Dr. Alan Stanford, also says that the rumpless gene decreases fertility in Araucanas by 10-20%. Because the rumpless gene is a dominant gene, some Araucana chicks may be born with tails, even though both parents were rumpless.
And, of course, as I mentioned earlier in this article, rumpless Araucanas are missing uropygial glands, which means they will be less effective at preening and keeping their feathers in great condition.
Araucana life expectancy
As explained in the section above, Araucana chicks are much more susceptible to dying than other chickens because of the semi-lethal ear tuft gene.
But as long as your Araucana chicks survive into adulthood and aren’t frail, you can expect them to live as long as other breeds. So, if you raise your Araucanas in ideal conditions, they may live for 5-8 years, or even longer.
Breeds you may want instead of Araucanas: Other blue-egg layers
Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers: Loosely related to Araucanas
While Araucanas are very special and loveable chickens, they do carry semi-lethal genes. This means that for every Araucana born, several other chicks had to die. And if you’re interested in breeding your birds, you’re going to end up with a lot of dead chicks.
If any of that bothers you, you may want to consider chickens that are similar to Araucanas, but that don’t carry the same health problems. Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers have much in common with Araucanas, and they don’t carry any lethal genes.
Ameraucanas also lay blue or blue-green eggs, and Easter Eggers can as well, although they’re not limited to blue eggs. Check with your breeder or hatchery to see what color of eggs their Easter Eggers lay.
Ameraucanas don’t have the ear tufts or rumplessness that characterizes many Araucanas. They have muffs and beards (i.e, soft feathers growing out of their faces and chins—so cute!).
Easter Eggers aren’t a standard breed—they have a wide variety of heritages. They contain some of the genetics of blue-egg-laying chickens, but they can also have parent stock from literally any other breed as well. They may look exactly like Ameraucanas or they may have other features (e.g., non-pea comb, no muffs, no beards, etc.).
Both of these types of chickens (Ameraucana and Easter Eggers) are incredibly hardy birds, doing well both in the sun and the heat. I have these birds in my flock and they are my favorite. I love that they all have unique looks and unique personalities. They are just such fun birds to have. I highly recommend them!
For more information on these breeds, check out my articles:
Ameraucana Chickens: The Healthy and Hardy (and Hilarious) Blue-Egg Layers
Why Everything You’ve Heard is Wrong: Ameraucanas, Easter Eggers, and Arauacanas
Cream Legbars
Another excellent layer of blue eggs is the Cream Legbar chicken. This breed was developed by crossing Brown Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Araucanas.
The Cream Legbar breed, therefore, has the following characteristics:
Tremendous egg production from the Brown Leghorns
Autosexing (i.e., the ability to tell male chicks from female chicks by their appearances) from the Barred Rocks
Blue eggs from the Araucanas
Note, that the Cream Legbar is a British breed, and so British Araucana chickens were used. These Araucanas were bred for different characteristics than the American Araucanas I’ve detailed in this article. However, both types of Araucanas lay beautiful blue eggs.
You can see a photo of a British Araucana hen below—in the United States, she would be considered an Easter Egger!
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Araucana Sources
Bassom, Frances. Mini Encyclopedia: Chicken Breeds and Care. Dorking: Interpet Publishing, 2011.
Damerow, Gail. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2017.
Ekarius, Carol. Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2007.
Somes, Ralph and Pabilonia, Mary. “Ear tuftedness: a lethal condition in Araucana fowl.” Journal of Heredity, v. 72, 1981, p. 121-124.
Stanford, Alan. “Araucanas.” Backyard Poultry, June/July 2007, p. 56-58.
Verhoef, Esther and Rijs, Aad. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005.