The Azur hen has Chilean ancestry by way of her mom and Italian by way of her father. The gallinaceous owes the colour of its eggs to the Araucana hen and its egg-laying qualities to the Leghorn . Origin, character, skills…. All a couple of hen whose eggs have a good looking bluish tint .
What’s the story of the Azur hen?
The origins of the Azur hen could be present in Chile the place, in 1914, a Spanish poultry farmer named Salvador Castelló, noticed layers whose eggs possessed a blue shell . In 1921, on the finish of the Nice Struggle, the breeder introduced his specimens on the first World Poultry Congress in The Hague (Holland) the place the animal brought on a sensation. The one that’s first taken for a brand new species truly belongs to the identical household as the opposite home races . The South American hen is then imported into the British Isles. Arrived in Europe, his choice begins in Scotlandin the Nineteen Thirties and was carried out largely underneath the management of breeder George Malcolm. The Azur is the results of crossbreeding between an Araucana hen and a Leghorn rooster . From the mom’s facet, the hen inherited the colour of her eggs, and from the paternal facet, her skills as a very good layer.
Who’s the Araucana, mom of the Azur hen?
The Araucana, ascendant of the Azur, is a really previous breed of hen originating from central Chile and found in 1880 among the many Mapuche Indians by the Spanish conquistadores. The gallinaceous is distinguished first by an uncommon morphology : devoid of tufts of ears (ears) and tail, it has longer tufts of feathers on the stage of the cheeks which resemble a mustache. The plumage of the Araucana is on the market in black, purple or white and in a variety of shades (cuckoo, wheaten, blue wheaten, silver salmon, golden salmon, blue golden salmon, white golden salmon, wild, blue wild, and so forth… .) Along with its atypical physique, the Chilean hen is understood worldwide for its blue-green coloured eggs., a specificity that she bequeathed to her descendants, the Azur hen.
Who’s the Leghorn, father of the hen Azur?
The Leghorn is the most typical hen breed on the earth. It usually wears white plumage however can deploy 17 completely different colours in response to acknowledged requirements in France. Initially from Italy , the hen conquered the planet due to its wonderful laying qualities. The gallinaceous can certainly lay yearly as much as 300 eggs which weigh roughly 55 g. Its good laying skills clarify why the Leghorn has been used for a really very long time (and nonetheless as we speak) as a basis breed to create a lot of the breeds of hens utilized in industrial manufacturing.
What does the Azur hen appear to be?
The feathers of the Azur – fairly offered on the stage of the torso and the tail – underline a effectively marked neck and again and provides the hen a skinny and slender profile . Nonetheless, the hen stays constructed like a layer and weighs between 1.7 and a pair of kg. Devoid of a crest , the Azur hen usually sports activities white plumage (typically silver) however different colours exist reminiscent of pearl grey, purple or black. Its quite rounded beak is yellow, its head is adorned with a typically imposing purple crest , its yellow eyes have an usually black iris however the shades depend upon the colour of the plumage.
Why are Azure eggs blue?
The blue coloration of its eggs is just not the results of any genetic manipulation or particular food regimen. The gallinaceous owes the colour of its eggs to the presence of an enzyme secreted within the oviduct (the tube carrying the oocytes from the ovary to the uterus) which transforms hemoglobin into biliverdin, a pigment discovered within the bile. The pigment is mounted on the shell on the time of its formation, giving it this uncommon hue. Word that contained in the egg, the feel is finer, the yolk significantly creamy and bigger than that contained within the eggs of different laying breeds. From a dietary perspective , the properties stay an identical to these of white or brown eggs.
How is the Azur a very good layer?
As seen beforehand, the Azur hen took its good laying skills from the Leghorn breed. In the course of the first 2 to three years of its life, its annual manufacturing reveals almost 250 eggs of regular measurement (55/60g). Its productiveness is then more likely to decline. By way of meals , she is just not demanding and the usual food regimen of a layer fits her completely. To encourage its laying, the Azur merely must flourish in a inexperienced area the place it will probably peck and scratch the bottom. In any other case, a grit complement is important for it to facilitate its digestion and the assimilation of the vitamins it wants to remain wholesome.
What’s the character of the Azur hen?
The Azur is simple to lift and simply adapts to any sort of atmosphere offered it’s clear and effectively maintained. Endowed with a sociable and acquainted character, it’s appropriate for households with youngsters and its curious nature will make it strategy the fence when people arrive. Not liking loneliness , this layer appreciates the corporate of its congeners together with that of different races. If the Azur is a quite sturdy hen that hardly ever falls in poor health, care should be taken towards intestinal parasitic ailments more likely to have an effect on all gallinaceans generally (coryza, purple lice, and so forth.). Like her ancestor Araucana, she will be able to reside 10 to 12 years.