Are Ameraucanas good for showing?

Yes. They're exhibited in the APA's **All Other Standard Breeds** class in 9 large-fowl varieties, judged on their muffs, beard, pea comb, and slate legs. They breed true to color, which makes producing matched show pairs realistic.

How hard are Ameraucanas to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks.

What's the difference between an Ameraucana and an Easter Egger?

The Ameraucana is a recognized APA breed that breeds true to type and lays true blue eggs. An Easter Egger is any mixed-breed bird carrying a blue-egg gene — it can lay blue, green, or other colors and does not breed true.

Are Ameraucanas broody?

Generally not strongly broody — most keepers report they rarely go broody, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs. Individual hens vary.

Ameraucana: The True Blue-Egg Breed

Q: What color eggs do Ameraucanas lay?

True **blue** eggs — a light-to-medium pastel blue. Purebred Ameraucanas lay blue, never green; green or olive eggs indicate Easter Egger ancestry.

Verified September 2026Blue eggs

The short version

The Ameraucana lays a true blue egg and is a distinct APA breed — not an Easter Egger (a mixed-breed blue/green layer) or an Araucana (tufted and rumpless). Recognized by the APA in 1984, it has muffs, a beard, slate legs, and a pea comb, and comes in 9 large-fowl varieties (Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Self Blue, Silver, Wheaten, White). It breeds true to color, which is what separates it from the barnyard Easter Egger.

APA class: AOSB

Egg color: Blue

Broodiness: Rarely broody

Varieties: 9

Egg-color genetics

Ameraucanas carry the dominant blue-egg (oocyan) gene, which lays blue pigment (biliverdin) through the full thickness of the shell — so a true Ameraucana egg is blue inside and out, not just surface-tinted. A pure Ameraucana lays blue, never green: green eggs come from a blue base with a brown coating on top, which shows up in Easter Eggers rather than purebred Ameraucanas.

Ameraucana vs Easter Egger vs Araucana

These three get conflated constantly. The Araucana is the original South American blue-egg fowl — tufted and rumpless (no tail), APA-recognized in 1976 — and carries a lethal gene tied to the ear tufts that complicates breeding. The Ameraucana was developed in the United States from blue-egg stock to keep the blue egg while adding muffs, a beard, and a tail, and was recognized in 1984. The Easter Egger is not a breed at all: it's any mixed-breed bird carrying a blue-egg gene, which is why Easter Eggers lay anything from blue to green to pinkish and don't breed true.

If you want predictable blue eggs and showable birds, buy true Ameraucanas from a breeder; if you just want a rainbow egg basket, Easter Eggers are cheaper and lay well.

What color eggs do Ameraucanas lay?

A true, light-to-medium pastel blue — the breed club's ideal is a medium pastel blue. The Ameraucana Alliance notes there are really only two true shell colors, blue and white; 'green' eggs are a blue base with a brown coating over it, which is a hallmark of mixed Easter Eggers rather than purebred Ameraucanas. If your 'Ameraucana' lays a green or olive egg, it almost certainly has Easter Egger ancestry.

Breeding notes

Set up single-variety pens: Ameraucanas breed true to color, so a Blue pen and a Wheaten pen kept separate produce predictable, showable offspring — the trait that distinguishes the breed from Easter Eggers.
Blue is a dilution of black and does not breed true on its own: Blue × Blue yields roughly 50% Blue, 25% Black, and 25% Splash. Breeders who want mostly Blue often pair Black × Splash, which gives close to 100% Blue.
Select hard for the blue-egg color itself. Because egg color is heritable, saving hatching eggs only from your bluest layers pulls the whole flock toward a deeper, more uniform blue over generations.
Cull to the breed's signature type — full muffs and beard, pea comb, slate legs, and no tail-lifting or single-comb throwbacks — rather than reproducing standard text.

Showing notes

Because it is an American composite breed, the Ameraucana is exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds (AOSB) class; enter by variety (e.g. 'Blue Ameraucana, large fowl').
Judges want the distinctive head furnishings: a full, well-rounded muff and beard, a small pea comb, and clean slate-blue shanks. Condition the beard and muffs and keep white varieties clean and free of brassiness.
A single comb, willow or yellow legs, or a green egg from the pen are all giveaways of Easter Egger blood rather than a true Ameraucana.

Hatching & incubation

No special incubation requirements — treat Ameraucana eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch.
Bearded/muffed chicks occasionally have a little extra fluff around the face at hatch; this is normal and needs no intervention.

Recognized varieties

BlackBlueBlue WheatenBrown RedBuffSelf Blue (Lavender)SilverWheatenWhite

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Ameraucanas lay?: True blue eggs — a light-to-medium pastel blue. Purebred Ameraucanas lay blue, never green; green or olive eggs indicate Easter Egger ancestry.
Are Ameraucanas good for showing?: Yes. They're exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds class in 9 large-fowl varieties, judged on their muffs, beard, pea comb, and slate legs. They breed true to color, which makes producing matched show pairs realistic.
How hard are Ameraucanas to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks.
What's the difference between an Ameraucana and an Easter Egger?: The Ameraucana is a recognized APA breed that breeds true to type and lays true blue eggs. An Easter Egger is any mixed-breed bird carrying a blue-egg gene — it can lay blue, green, or other colors and does not breed true.
Are Ameraucanas broody?: Generally not strongly broody — most keepers report they rarely go broody, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed if you want to hatch their eggs. Individual hens vary.

Sources

Ameraucana Chickens (breed overview & history) — The Ameraucana Alliance (Ameraucana Breeders Club) (Breed club)
Ameraucana Breed Standard (recognized varieties) — The Ameraucana Alliance (Breed club)
Frequently Asked Questions about Ameraucana Chickens — The Ameraucana Alliance (Breed club)

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