Category:Gallus Inauris Chicken

This is the name given by Professor Salvador Castello of Spain, to a breed of chickens, that he had discovered in Chile, South America, in 1914. The breed has yellow or white shanks, red eye, small comb, is tailless and is especially characterized by a muff on each side of the face, near the ear. "These tufts originate in a small epidermic protuberance which is connected with the head by a thread of elastic skin which allows the protuberance to be stretched to a certain length from the head." The ear tuft on the male is raised at time of mating. These ear muffs have been called "earrings." The Latin word "inauris" corresponds to that of rings.

The most peculiar trait of the breed is the blue eggs, sometimes spotted like those of a turkey hen, which are laid by the females. The birds have shanks that are free from feathers. The breed is indigenous to South America and has been bred to some extent in Argentina. There are two varieties, a red, and one that is mostly white. Their eggs are indistinguishable from other hen eggs when cooked. When crossed with other breeds, the blue torquoise color of the egg shells has proven to be a dominant character.