What, you may ask, is a frizzle? It is most definitely a chicken, but a chicken with a very unusual look and some special needs to go with the look. They are fun, conspicuous, and lovable – what more can you ask of the chickens in your life? They are treated differently in some countries, […]
They have gorgeous black plumage, a friendly disposition, and excellent maternal instincts, but the Black Silkie Chicken breed has so much to offer other than those characteristics. This chicken variety possesses several unique features, no wonder it’s highly-prized by poultry fanciers. But behind the glitz and glory of Black Silkies, do you ever wonder about: […]
The Dominique is said to be America’s oldest chicken breed. It was brought to the United States by settlers and helped them to survive the brutal first years of colonization. They were used as a dual purpose hen and even their feathers were used to stuff pillows, truly a multi-purpose hen. Unlike our present-day hens, […]
The Wyandotte is one of Americas’ favorite hens. Created in the North-Eastern US it is a firm favorite of many homesteaders for its reliability in producing eggs and meat. It has the distinction of being the first American breed specifically bred to be dual purpose. It is a beautifully marked heritage bird. Sadly, it fell […]
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is possibly one of America’s most beautiful and beloved chickens and one that is hard to mistake with its stunning plumage. It is a breed that was created in the fairly recent past by poultry farmers looking for a homegrown dual-purpose chicken. At the time there were few truly dual-purpose breeds […]
These beautiful birds are under-represented in the backyard world of chickens. This is a great shame as they have many outstanding attributes for the small homesteader as we shall see. They are a fairly recent addition to chicken breeds, being ‘born’ less than one hundred years ago in the Netherlands. They are popular in the […]
The Cream Legbar has become a firm favorite here in the US at least, in part for its’ blue eggs. It is a fascinating study in genetics as few breeds have had their origins so well mapped. As you may imagine, the breed was not created overnight, in fact, it took several decades of study, […]
The creation of the Wyandotte breed came about from the desire to have a chicken breed that was suitable as an ‘all-rounder’ – that is, for both eggs and table fare. Wyandotte’s are good layers of light to dark brown eggs averaging about 200 eggs/year. Of course, other colors came along later, but the Silver […]
The winter weather here in upstate New York during the winter can be brutal, and certain breeds of chicken don’t survive here. It’s crucial that when you’re considering which breed of chicken to get, you take into account your local climate in addition to the bird’s natural climate. A mismatch of the two can prove […]
Small but mighty, the Serama lays claim to the smallest chicken globally and one of the most expensive! It is a relative newcomer to the Western world but has been known in Singapore for many years. Serama breed has the distinction of being a true bantam – there is no large counterpart chicken. It has […]