This is Carl, named after Bill Murray’s character in Caddy Shack.

This poor girl is a survivor.  She is much smaller than the rest of the Ameraucanas, she has had trouble getting enough food since she was a chick.  When we got her, as a tiny chick, she had a broken beak.  Carl has always been a bit of an outsider, and yet she is the most trusting chicken I have ever met.  She caught on early, that my little girl was going to go out of her way to feed her.  She would try to escape just so she could be with her, and, well, get fed.  Carl is a bit of a pig, early deprivation and all.

Here she is flying up to me.

Here she is on my arm.

Here she is heading for the food.

Here she is eating.

It may seem like Carl is a rather huge bird, but she is half the size of her sisters.

Carl then has to go back for food.

After Carl has pigged out enough, and perched enough, she takes off.

Huge wings and flurry, a bit scary really.

I did not teach Carl this trick.  Carl came up with it all on her own.  This was her way of not sharing her special bowl of food with the rest of the chickens.  It didn’t last long, There are five other chickens that feel that it is perfectly within their rights to fly up on me.  Fortunately they are very gentle and don’t dig in with their talons.

Bob

I love my chickens, they are truly the best I have ever had or seen.

Alert, fast, bug eating chickens.

The feather patterns are brilliant,

and some are quite striking.

They also lay blue eggs, and will leap up into your lap.

Amongst the blue egg laying chickens there are three types;

Araucanas, which have a lack of tail feathers.  They also have ear tufts, this trait is a deadly gene that kills 20 percent of them if it is from one parent or if it is from both parents, all of them.  Whatever other qualities they have, I think I would rather not select for a deadly gene so I don’t really want to raise araucanas.

Ameraucanas,  have tail feathers, neck muffs, like you can see in the picture above, and beards like you can see below.  This bearded girl does not have tail feathers though.

And last, Easter Egg Chickens.  These are the non purebred mongrels that still make blue eggs.  Aparently a lot of breeders raise and sell Easter Egg Chickens, as one or the other of the two recognised breeds, but in fact they are mongrels.

Not all of these chickens have all the traits, so in fact, I have Ameraucana/Easter Egg Chickens.  Not a clearly distinct breed.  Nor will I ever have a true flock of Ameraucana’s, I plan to breed for temperament, health and egg laying.  After that comes pretty.    Inbreeding them to fit a precise physical form is not even on the list.

Bob