Ameraucana chicken farming is popular among the fancy poultry keepers. Most of the domestic chicken breeds lay either white or brown colored eggs.
While the Ameraucana chickens lay blue colored eggs. This is the main reason of such popularity of Ameraucana chicken farming among the fancy poultry keepers.
The Ameraucana chicken is actually an American domestic chicken breed which was developed in the 1970s. The breed was actually developed by a few people who were trying to standardize the Araucana chicken breed.
The Ameraucana chicken was developed from chickens from a South American country (Chile) that carried the blue egg gene. And it was bred to maintain the blue colored eggs of that breed while eliminating the lethal recessive gene.
In the year of 1976, a breeder’s club was formed which is now called as the ‘Ameraucana Breeders Club’. And there is also a bantam variety of this chicken breed.
The Ameraucana chickens are not among the top egg layers, but they lay blue colored eggs. And they are pretty good for meat production purpose.
So starting Ameraucana chicken farming can be a good business if the fancy poultry breeds, and blue colored eggs have good demand and value in your area. Although you can start Ameraucana chicken farming business for meat and eggs production.
How to Start Ameraucana Chicken Farming
The Ameraucana chickens are very strong and hardy birds. So starting a commercial Ameraucana chicken farming business will be relatively easy.
Here we are trying to describe more information about starting and operating a successful Ameraucana chicken farming business from purchasing birds to caring and marketing.
Purchase Chickens
First of all, you have to purchase very good quality, disease free and healthy birds for starting Ameraucana chicken farming business. You can purchase either day old chicks or mature birds for your business.
Starting with day old chicks is always better, because it will save you a lot of time. Although you will need to take extra care of the chicks.
You can purchase Ameraucana chickens from any of your chicken breeding center or existing farms (if there are any). And also consider searching your local online classified websites. You can also ask for help from an expert if you are a beginner.
Housing
Making a good, comfortable and secure house is important for Ameraucana chicken farming business. Because, a good house not only helps the birds to stay healthy but also helps them to stay free from all types of predators and adverse weather conditions.
While making the house, install good ventilation system and ensure flow of sufficient amount of fresh air and light inside the house. And make the house in such a way so that you can easily clean the house.
As a medium to heavy sized breed (weights between 2.5 and 3.0 kg), a mature Ameraucana chicken will require between 4 and 5 square feet housing space.
Feeding
Feeding the birds with very good quality and nutritious food is the most important part of Ameraucana chicken farming business. So, always try to feed your chickens with enough good and nutritious food as per their demand.
You can feed your chickens either with ready-made/commercial poultry feeds or you can prepare the feeds of your own. Your birds will require less feeds if you allow them to roam freely in the pasture.
Never feed your chickens with contaminated or polluted feeds. And always try to provide them with enough clean and fresh water as per their demand.
Breeding
Like many other domestic chicken breeds, the Ameraucana chickens are also very good breeders. They will breed easily and produce fertile eggs if you keep good ratio of hens and roosters in your flock. Generally one mature rooster is enough for breeding up to 10 hens.
Caring
The Ameraucana chickens are friendly in nature and their personalities can vary widely from bird to bird. But they are very strong and hardy, so they don’t require much caring.
Although taking additional caring will help the birds to grow better and stay healthy. So try to take good care of your birds. Vaccinate them timely and keep good contact with a vet in your area.
Marketing
You should set your marketing strategies before starting this business. You can start this business in your area if blue eggs and fancy breeds have good demand in your area. Although, chicken products have very good demand and value in the market. So you will probably be able to easily sell your products in your local market.
These are the common ways and steps for starting and operating a successful Ameraucana chicken farming business. Hope this guide has helped you! Good luck & may God bless you!
