The Ameraucana Chickens: Helping the Easter Bunny, One Egg at a Time.

We know what you might be thinking.
Either
1. What!? Do they lay rainbow eggs or something?
or
2. Oh yeah! They lay colored eggs!
Both of these are right. Ameraucana Chickens are best known for their ability to lay colored eggs. They come in green and brown most of the time but occasionally in blue.We actually had some for a while, so we decided to dedicate this post to Bella and Madea, the best chickens in the universe.

BellaMadea

Ameraucana Chickens actually come in about seven different colors. Ours looked like the ones above. Bella had a strange desire to peck at anything shiny. She was bigger than Madea and pecked at her feet when they were chicks. It was just the pecking order that they established. But as they grew older, Madea seemed to show more dominance than Bella. Madea was a lot more calm than Bella and acted more in-charge. Eventually, they appeared as if they thought of themselves as equals, but Madea had more of a mature nature, and was more comfortable around us. They acted like they were sisters. We don't know if this is true with larger groups of chickens, but it seems to be true for smaller groups.

Our chickens didn't start laying until they were fully fledged and spring had come. They each layed 1 egg every day until the weather started getting cold and winter swept in. Then they each layed 1 egg every couple of days. This is because they need about 12 hours of sun every day in order to have a hard shell. So when the sun is hidden above the clouds all day, they don't lay an egg.

If you are thinking about getting some, just don't let them free roam in your backyard if you want to keep it nice. They will probably dig a bunch of holes in the ground looking for bugs. It really stinks. We know from experience. Your best bet is to have an enclosed area for them to roam around that's outside the coop. They also poop a lot, which is a pain to clean up, but if you really want fresh eggs in the morning (or a fun pet), it's worth it all.

If Dwayne Johnson was a Bird, this is What he Would Be

As most of you probably know, Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock, is bald, sort of like a bald eagle (except for in the new movie Hercules, which, in Kyle's opinion, looks pretty awesome. I just think it looks kinda weird.). He's also pretty strong, like a bald eagle.You'd be surprised at how many similarities they have. Going back to Hercules, in the movie he leaps off of a tree and attacks a giant pig (why a pig?) with a hooked blade or something like that. If you use your imagination, you can relate this to an eagle flying off of a branch and attacking a fish or a mouse with it's sharp talons. If you don't have an imagination, look at the picture. Unlike the solitary soldier, Hercules, bald eagles are pretty social, grouping in large flocks near salmon spawning areas during the winter, where the salmon miraculously die after or before laying their eggs. This is best explained in a poem.

In the light of the sun,

The salmon lay their eggs...

But not on leaves.

AND DIE!

For like,

No reason.

At all.

On the first day,

A bald eagle ate through one fish.

Alone.

On the second day,

A bald eagle ate through two fish.

With his friend.

On the third day,

A bald eagle ate through three fish.

With two of his friends.

On the fourth day,

A bald eagle ate through all the rest of them.

With all of his friends.

Then the bald eagle felt justified;

He didn't have to kill any of the fish.

And he felt just right.

Then he slept

All night.

And in the morning he flew away...

But he wasn't a beautiful butterfly.

The End.

So did you like it? In case you couldn't tell, this poem was our version of Eric Carl's, The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. Basically, the eagles feast on the dead remains of the salmon. But in reality, the fish are probably rotten by the time four days comes around. Most of the fish are going to be eaten on the first day.

Bald eagles also mate for life, meaning that they live with the same mate for their entire lives. This is uncommon among most birds, which have a different mate each breeding season. Their nests are also some of the largest of all the birds, as the different generations will sometimes add on to the existing nest rather than build a new one for their posterity. 

The bald eagle is also the U.S.'s national bird. Chosen for it's elegance, yet toughness, we think that this bird is the perfect symbol for the country.

I AM HERCULES!

FUN FACT: The bald eagle's call is not actually the majestic cry that we all hear in the movies. It's actually more of an ear-piercing KIKIKI! The name 'bald' actually comes from the latin word which means white headed.