Are you in love? We certainly are with the blue of the eggs of Araucana chickens. Often described as flighty, Araucanas are not so much sought after for use as pets, but rather for their stunning blue eggs! Originally from the Araucania region of Chile in South America, these beautiful birds steal your heart the moment you see the eggs they lay! Admittedly, their muffs and crests also make them look super cute along with their pea comb and overall appearance. They are medium-size birds and very hardy, being able to not only tolerate but also thrive in a variety of environments. They are excellent consistent layers that do not often go broody. Although they mature fast, their first eggs are small, gradually increasing in size as they approach their first year of age. They come in various colours, in both standard and bantam types. It should be noted that the breed standards vary from country to country. In Australia, only the tailed Araucana is recognised in the Australian Poultry Standards. At Agia Skepi farm, we breed the lavender Araucanas as well as blue, splash, black and various other colours. Although our main focus is to perfect our birds based on the Australian Poultry Standards for the breed, we also endeavour to select for the deeper, more blue-turquoise coloured eggs, which we also use in our easter and olive egger breeding programs. Indeed, the blue egg gene when combined with the dark brown egg genes (e.g. from Marans or Welsummers) results in various shades of green and olive eggs, colours that are very sought after amongst rainbow egg lovers. Similar to Marans and other heritage breeds, the egg shell shade of blue can change depending on the age of the hen, her diet, the season and other factors.