Araucana Chicken, also known as Mapuche
Chicken, is a native chicken in southern Chile and Argentina. This bird comes
from the union of two races, the Kollonca characterized by the absence of tail
and the Ketro which has a kind of earrings formed of skin near the exit of the
ear canal and covered with feathers similar to the chest. It has physical
properties that are recognizable by their loose feathers and in some cases for
its mix of colors black and white.
It is also common that the Araucana chicken
is completely covered by black feathers, blue or white dotted with black. Also
can be recognized by having a triple Crest, Chin with small feathers, red tabs,
legs olive and earrings of similar to the one of the breast feathers.It is a
unique species, raised in the Chilean fields with medicinal herbs in the diet
to maintain his label of "rampart".
According to historical data from
1850 are discovered the special features of these animals bred by the Mapuches,
his name is adopted from there. It is also known between 1920 and 1930, these
animals were brought to the United State and Europe, for its peculiarity of lay
eggs on color, where until today are raised and where there are associations
and breeders of this race.
Characteristics of the Araucana breed:
• It has three varieties
"Kollonca", "Earrings Kollonca" and "Ketros".
• Rooster size medium (weight of 2.5
kg up to 2.7 kg).
• Small size (weight of 2 kg to 2.2
kg) chicken.
• Green legs olive rather short.
• Clean tarsi, without feathers.
• Small head and very yellow skin.
• Type of small pea Ridge.
• Long-necked, long-wing and short
beak. The Araucana hen is the only one that lays the eggs whose external shell
color is sky blue. This occurs due to an enzyme that secretes the oviductoque
transforms the hemoglobin in biliverdin, a pigment which is embodied in the egg
to form the shell, said color varies depending on the hen sunset, i.e. If you
put every day the color will be more pale, that if you put every two or three
days the color will be more intense.
Araucana chicken usually lay an egg
day by half, so they are collected annually between 120 and 130. The average
weight of an egg is 59.5 grams and presents no major differences with common
eggs.
The Araucana chicken egg is
characterized by a larger yolk and a shell more hard, what makes that you can
be kept longer inside content.
With an excellent flavor, these eggs
are highly demand in Gourmet shops, are ideal for pastry, for athletes by its
high content of protein and not affect cholesterol, due to be raised in rural
conditions. At the same time, the action of carotenoids helps protect the
organism like cancer, diabetes or falls degenerative processes, as well as
cardiovascular diseases.
Apart from these benefits, it has
nutritive characteristics similar to the chestnut in terms of glucose and solid
eggs with a greater intake of carotenoids.
Greater consistency (lower fragility and thicker shell)
The rate of egg yolks blue (ratio
between the height and the diameter of the yolk expressed in percentages): is
an average value of 46.9%, greater than the brown eggs. This would indicate a
higher egg quality, associated with the largest blue egg shell decreases water
loss, preserving the fresh egg for longer.
Also the index and height of Clara
(major and minor in pouring egg relationship between dense albumen height and
average diameters) presented higher values to compare it with brown eggs, with
an average of 7.5%. This index is also an indicator of higher-quality egg,
since the index has a direct relationship with aging. Again, associated with
the greater thickness of the egg shell, blue egg would be a slower aging.
Nutritional balance of the organic araucana
chicken egg:
• 13% protein
• 9.1% highly digestible fats
• 12.2% of minerals (phosphorus,
iron and sulfur) and vitamins contained in the egg and egg yolk (A, D, B1 and
B2).
You can try to raise this chicken at your home, and get all of its benefits.