Chick-Chuck is a cutie! :) Congrats to you both on her becoming a laying hen!

And you are right, she's part Americaunas. Sadly, the Wattle Fairy has passed her by, but the Facial Tuft Fairy more than made up for it, huh? :)

My Americaunas/cochin hen, Skitters, lays the same color eggs as Chick-Chuck.

Velvet ~:>

And what a fine egg it is! Thanks for the update, johanna!

Thanks for sharing. Pictures make genetics so much easier to follow. I had a hen many years ago that layed that color egg. It's an odd looking color and I always wondered about it.
I'm excited today! One of my little silkie hens layed her first egg. I have two showgirl roosters and can't wait to get some eggs incubated to see what I get. I'll wait a couple of weeks for the other silkie hens to start laying then set up the incubator. For now I left the lone egg in the nest so the other hens will catch on. It's so cold here that I doubt the egg would be viable.
Congrats to you and chick chuck!

Thanks for the kind thoughts! Chick-Chuck layed a second egg the next day, a very small one like a banty egg, with less brown on it. Today she seems to be taking the day off, but she's MOST proud of herself!

--Johanna

I have a chicken (Frieda) who looks a lot like your Americana.

Frieda:
{{gwi:37797}}

Now, I was told that Frieda was an Araucana. Is that coloring common in both? Or do you think Frieda could actually be an Ameraucana?

--Jonathan

Here is a link that might be useful:

Jonathan--

True Araucanas have NO tail, so I'd say Frieda is an Ameraucana. Where did she come from? Mine were from Murray McMurray.

--Johanna

Araucanas can have tails actually, just not for show. The dominant (Rp) gene is responsible for a lack of the coccyx which is the tail vertabrae. It does make for a lowered hatch rate as they have difficulty copulating. Added to the effects of the lethal ear tuft gene these are some reasons a good Araucana is hard to find. There is also a recessive gene(rp-2) which causes rumpless birds and roachback, a serious fault.
the bird above has the wrong shank color but does appear to have a pea comb and has a muff/beard. It is most likely ,( if obtained from a commercial hatchery such as McMurray, Stromberg, etc.) a mutt commonly called easter egger. easter egger is not a breed but does have some Araucana or Ameraucana genetics in its heritage. Most breeders agree that hatcheries do a diservice to the breed and the customer by calling their crossed up blue/green eggers Ameracaunas, they simply are not that.

Don't be suprised or alarmed If a new layer lays a few goofed up eggs. Shell-less and distorted sizes and colors is pretty common the first week or 2 of laying for a young hen

Frieda came from Murray McMurray. Perhaps they are cousins!

--Jonathan

P.S. Note to self: Don't breed Frieda....

Somewhere fairly lately I've read that if you mix an Americauna/Araucana chicken with a type of chicken that lays white eggs the resulting hens will lay blue eggs. If you cross the Americana/Araucana chicken with a type of chicken that lays brown eggs you will get a green egg.

A friend who is a chemistry prof has done studies of the blue shell. He breeeds white Leghorns which make the most white shells to his blue eggers to try and make the blue bluer. it works to a point but then the blue begins to fade. The Leghorn carries genes which cause a more white shell. He has incorporated his chem clases with his poultry hobby to the benefit of his college students and his own quest for knowledge if the subject.

He is the only person I have been able to find who had a hen which layed a solidly brown egg shell, He bred this hen with her siblings and sire hoping to re-combine some genes and thus get more solid brown shells but, no luck.