Amerucana Standard Breed This breed was developed in the 1970's in the United States. It came about as a result of the efforts by the people who admired some of the traits of the Araucana but did not want to contend with some of the self-limiting factors inherent in that breed. Thus, developing a practical fowl for home food production, flocks that had the unique feature of pastel-colored egg shells, together with relatively small head furnishings and a plump, well-featherd body became the goal of these breeders. Ameraucanas lay eggs with blue shells and therefore are directly linked with the Araucana stocks brought to the U.S. in the 1920's. Subsequent crossbreeding created a diverse genetic base from which dedicated breeders have evolved the Ameraucana breed with uniform and distinctive features. Ameraucanas were admitted to the standard in 1984. DISQUALIFICATIONS Presence of ear tuffs, absence of beard and muffs. Standard Weights Cock...............................6 1/2 lbs. Cockeral.........................5 1/2 lbs. Hen................................5 1/2 lbs. Pullet.............................4 1/2 lbs. SHAPE - MALE Comb: Pea, relatively small, higher in the center than the front or rear. Beak: strong, curved. Face: nearly hidden by muffs. Eyes: expressive, relatively large. Wattles: very small, preferably absent. Earlobes: small, oval. Muffs and Beards: full, well-rounded, medium length, forming three separate lobes. Head: relatively broad and medium size. Neck: well-arched, medium length. Hackle: full, abundant, flowing well over the shoulders and nearly meeting at the front of neck. Back: medium in length, abundant, providing smooth transition to angle of tail. Wings: fairly large, tips carried above the hock joint, fronts concealed by the hackle. Breast: prominent, well-rounded. Body And Stern: body of medium length, stern well-tucked up. Legs and Toes: medium length, set apart, four toes, straight and well spread. SHAPE -FEMALE Comb: Pea, small. Beak: strong, curved. Face: nearly hidded by muffs. Eyes: expressive, relatively large. Wattles: very small, preferably absent. Earlobes: small oval, pale. Muffs and Beards: full, well rounded, medium length, forming three separate lobes. Head: relatively broad and medium size. Neck: slightly arched, medium length. Hackle: full, moderately long. Back: medium length, relatively broad, slightly elevated at the shoulders. Cushion: moderate, providing smooth transition to angle of tail. Tail: medium length, well spread, top two feathers slightly curved, carried at 40* angle above horizontal. Wings: fairly prominant, carried well, folded and above the hock joint. Breast: full, well-rounded. Body and Stern: full but trim, fluff well-tucked up. Legs and Toes: legs set well apart, medium length, four toes, straight and well spread. This is the general requirements on picking a show quality Ameraucana Breed bird. There are several different varieties of Amerucana, and I will get them posted with their requirements soon. *** NOTE*** Information contained in this post is for learning purposes only. And it cannot and should not be reproduced for any sort of commercial gain. Reference for this material comes from the, American Standard of Perfection, which is a copyrighted work by the American Poultry Association. Use of this information is only to be used for educational purposes! Photo property of Mama Gozzard Page design by Mama Gozzard all rights reserved