This is the fantastic chicken that lays blue eggs.
Although it is known that depending on the species, chickens lay eggs of different colors. Even so, the color of the eggs of this hen is unique in the world.
Despite the fact that eggs are part of our diet and it is common to see them on supermarket shelves, there are still secrets about their formation that we do not know. Not all eggs are the characteristic white color that we are used to buying. Although there are brown eggs, you can also get green eggs naturally. You can even get different colors artificially by giving our chickens dyes as food, although this is not recommended.
Still, there is one type of egg that is naturally available but extremely rare and coveted: Blue Eggs .
These types of eggs are produced by three types of chickens, the Lushi and Dongxiang, which come from China, and the most famous of all, the Araucanian chicken from Chile.
The process of forming an egg takes up to 26 hours, with 20 of these just to create its shell. During this process, the coloration of the bird is carried out, where many factors influence, from the diet, the health of the bird, its habits, if it is in the sun a lot and most importantly: the breed.
The Araucana or Mapuche chicken is native to southern Chile and Argentina. It is protected by the Mapuche people and rediscovered by settlers in the Arauco peninsula. There are no records of the Mapuches in pre-Columbian times.
However, there are chronicles written around 1500 AD in which the existence and breeding of these chickens at the hands of the Mapuches is discussed. This was carried out in the south-central zone of Chile and it is said that they looked very different from European chickens. At present, genetic studies were carried out that intuited a possible relationship with Polynesian species that arrived at least a century before the Spanish. But on the other hand, the origin of the South American chickens cannot yet be proven.
It has a loose plumage and sometimes with a mixture of black and white colors. The Araucana hen wrapped in black, blue or white feathers dotted with black is also common. It can also sometimes be recognized by having a triple crest, a small feathered chin, red ears, olive-colored legs, and feather earrings similar to those on the chest. Medium-sized birds.
Their eggs are known for having a larger yolk and a tough shell, so their contents keep longer. However, its most distinctive feature is its blue-green shell. This color takes on an enzyme that secretes the oviduct of the hen, which transforms hemoglobin into biliverdin, which is incorporated into the egg when the shell is formed. This color can vary depending on the laying of the hen, because the more eggs, the lower the intensity of the color of the egg.
Do not be fooled by its unusual color. These eggs have an excellent flavor and are in great demand in specialized stores, as they are ideal for confectionery.
The Araucanian chicken has special protection in Chile and is considered a national heritage. The species has been known worldwide since 1880 and it was until then that specialists registered its characteristics as a new species.