Ermine Ameraucana - Chicks
Pre-Orders Open December 1
Local Pick-Up Only (Monterey to San Diego, CA)
Bring the striking elegance of Ermine Ameraucanas into your flock - a rare and refined color project that marries the unique beauty of the Ermine pattern with the reliable type, temperament, and true blue egg color of the Ameraucana. All chicks are sold straight run with a 50/50 chance of males v. females, and will include their hatched egg shells for your reference.
Our breeding program combines one Ermine male and one Dominant White male over a flock of Ermine females and Black Ameraucana females. All of our Black Ameraucana females are exhibition-quality, SOP-aligned birds with correct type and proven conformation. This co-op style pen maintains fertility, strengthens diversity, and reflects a thoughtful balance of utility and aesthetics.
Unlike our hatching eggs, which have a 70% chance of an Ermine, when you pre-purchase chicks, they will be 100% Ermine.
What Sets Our Ermine Ameraucanas Apart:
Exhibition-quality Black Ameraucana foundation stock ensures that even non-Ermine offspring are valuable breeders or show prospects.
Transparency in genetics: All of our Ameraucanas are DNA tested homozygous (carrying two copies of the blue egg gene). Even though some shades of green are acceptable in the APA standards for Ameraucana eggs, we breed only for blue and only hatch our bluest eggs to encourage the blue expression in this line, further limiting the availability of our chicks. By setting only the bluest eggs, this decreases the probability of green "floating" into our lines and yours.
True Ameraucana type: Correct pea combs, full muffs, slate legs
Rare and showy pattern: Ermine’s crisp black-and-white contrasts are among the most striking patterns in the breed.
Vigorous, dual-sire breeding system: Running both an Ermine and Dominant White male ensures excellent coverage, fertility, and vitality while maintaining diversity.
Temperament first: Ameraucanas are intelligent, steady, and people-friendly, making them a joy for both exhibition and homestead flocks. They are very predator-aware, and that advantage can sometimes present as nervousness. We cull for excessive nervousness, but respect that some nervousness is inherent to their genetic awareness of predators, and therefore is an inherent part of the breed's type.
Raised on an NPIP-clean, organic farm: We emphasize health, vigor, and temperament alongside beauty and type.
Availability & Hatching Details
Availability is limited to March 15 – May 31 on a pre-order basis only. We do not hatch chicks unless there is demand.
Our Ermines and Dominant Whites were chosen (and added to our existing exhibition-quality blacks) from the following original breeders, to whom we thank for their tireless work to perfect this beautiful breed:
- Leigh Schilling Edwards
- Nancy Taylor Huston
✨ Whether you’re building your own Ermine Ameraucana project, seeking rare show-quality stock, or simply want to enjoy the beauty of a flock sprinkled with rare black-and-white patterned birds, our Ermine Ameraucanas bring the best of type, utility, and elegance directly to your farmstead.
Important Notes:
- We vaccinate for Marek's. If you do not wish for your chick to be vaccinated, please communicate this in the ORDER NOTES. Vaccination is included in the price.
- Availability is strictly limited and only available from March 15 to May 31 on a pre-order basis – reserve yours early.
- Local Pick-up Only. We do not ship chicks. We have available pick-up points from San Diego to Monterey. Please choose your pick-up point at check-out and we will contact you when we have a pick-up date available.
Minimum 2 chicks, Maximum 4 (You can mix and match chicks across our three available breeds to meet your minimum)
BREED INFO
- Heritage Class: American
- Origin: United States — developed from Araucana imports and standardized into distinct color varieties.
- Recognition: Ameraucanas are recognized by the APA (though Ermine itself is not yet a separately recognized variety)
- Purpose: Dual-purpose heritage bird, valued for steady egg production and striking exhibition quality.
- Egg Color: True blue (We only send out our bluest eggs to set to encourage the blue expression in this line.)
- Annual Egg Production: ~200–220 medium-to-large eggs per hen.
- Egg Size: Medium to large.
- Temperament: Intelligent and observant. Steady companions in the flock, not overly flighty; quick to bond to their human caretakers if given the chance.
- Broodiness: Moderate. Hens may go broody and are often devoted natural mothers.
- Plumage Variety in this Pen: Primarily Ermine (~70%), with occasional White and Black offspring — all from exhibition-quality stock.
- Ideal Breeding Ratio: 1 rooster per 8–10 hens. Our dual-sire system boosts coverage while maintaining diversity.
- Exhibition Qualities: Crisp feather contrasts in Ermine, plus true-to-type Blacks suitable for show.
PICK-UP INFO
Chick Pick-Up Policy
We have five locations for the coordination of chick pick-ups throughout the hatching season (March 15 to May 31). These include:
- Costa Mesa - Serving the O.C.
- Monterey - Serving NorCal
- San Diego - Serving the Southern Most Point of California
- San Luis Obispo - Serving the Central Coast
- LCF Thousand Oaks - Serving LA and Ventura Counties
Please choose the pick-up location nearest you when you check out. We have scheduled the following dates for pick-up for each location. As we are bound by our hatch rates, these dates are subject to change:
- Costa Mesa - Week of March 15, Week of April 5
- Monterey - Week of March 22, Week of April 19
- San Diego - Week of April 5, Week of May 3
- San Luis Obispo - Week of March 30, April 12, and May 10
- LCF Thousand Oaks - Every Thursday from March 1 to May 31
Please choose your closest location during check-out and we will contact you once hatching season begins to notify you of your pick-up date and location.
RETURN & REFUND POLICY
Cancellation Policy
All orders for hatching eggs, chicks, and live birds (including waitlists and pre-orders) are final. No refunds will be issued. By completing your purchase, you agree to this policy.
