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, they were not spoiled at all, indeed, they had to provide for themselves and exist on what they could… [Read More]
These beautiful birds are under-represented in 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 UK and Australia but have yet to have a huge following here in the US, which is surprising since they… [Read More]
The Golden Comet is one of the more recent hybrid chickens that has been bred for great egg production.
It was initially ‘made’ for the commercial industry, but it has successfully transitioned into small farms and backyards across the world and is possibly the most widely kept hybrid hen.
In this article we are going to delve into its’ history and personality and learn a bit more about this cheerful and productive little hen.
After… [Read More]
A hen with such a pretty sounding name has to be special – and the Swedish Flower Hens (Skånsk Blommehöna) is certainly that. The name translates as ‘Skane Bloom-hen’; very appropriate since the feathers remind you of flowers.
It was relatively unknown outside of its’ native land of Sweden until 2010 when a few were imported to the US.
Even in its’ own country, it was virtually unknown until the 1980s when its’ plight came… [Read More]
Chickens don’t come any cuter than Belgian D’Uccles – but I am biased of course! If there were only one breed I could keep, they would be it.
Also known as Barbu D’Uccles, these pint-sized birds have personality by the bucketful, they love your company and will often fly up to your arm or shoulder to sit there and chat with you.
D’Uccles’ are true bantams meaning there is no large fowl counterpart for the… [Read More]