Araucana

Other breeds that are seen to sometimes lay blue eggs have their origins with the Araucana gene pool. The Araucana is the only pure breeding and original blue egg laying domestic chicken.

Classified as light, soft feather birds, Araucana can be Large, Bantam or Rumpless- which means no tail or "Parsons Nose" and with ear tufts of feathers. They are hardier to changes in environment, and can survive conditions that other fancy breeds will often become ill and die in. They have extra feathering on their head, which helps to conserve body heat in cold weather. The bushy "eyebrows" also provide added sun protection enabling them to identify food particles in bright conditions.

The egg colour is blue or green. Originating from Chile, pockets of Araucana can still be seen in the Amazon Basin and in isolated areas in the high reaches of the Andes Range. The usual colours are Lavender, Blue, Black/Red, Silver Duckwing, Golden Duckwing, Blue/Red, Pyle, Crele, Spangled, Cuckoo, Black and White.
Araucana are prolific layers of good-sized eggs and a very hardy bird. When the Spaniards arrived in South America, bringing with them their poultry, they found that the indigenous Indians had their own breeds, which soon crossed with the imported stock.

However, in the High Andes, there were many areas where the terrain made conquest impossible and the Arauca Indians of Northern Chile were never conquered so their poultry remained pure and led to the name Araucana.
The Araucana breed standard in Britain was envisaged by George Malcolm who created the true breeding lavender, among other colours, in Scotland in the 1930s.

The eggs are strong in shell and unique in that the colour permeates throughout the shell. Blue and green eggs have been reported from South America from the mid-sixteenth century onwards.