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 out of favor with the advent of industrial farms, but homesteaders and backyard chicken enthusiasts have brought this bird back from the brink of obscurity.
Keep reading to learn all about the Wyandotte Hen, including its temperament, friendliness, egg-laying capabilities, and much more…
History and Background of Wyandottes
The emergence of the Wyandotte breed can be credited to four people: Fred Houdlette, John Ray, L. Whittaker, and H.M. Doubleday.
These fellows set out to create an American dual purpose hen, something that was lacking in the late 1800s.
The original name of the breed was American Sebright but when the bird was accepted by the American Poultry Association, the name was changed to Wyandotte.
It was named for the Wyandotte Indian Nation to honor the help and aid they had given to the first white settlers of the area.
The very first Wyandotte was a Silver Laced variety created in upstate New York back in the 1860s. The second variety was the Gold laced Wyandotte, created in Wisconsin, also in the 1860s.
The gold-laced variety was created by using a silver-laced Wyandotte hen with a gold spangled Hamburg and Partridge Cochin cock.
They were originally called Winnebagoes before the name was changed to Wyandotte.
In the early 1880s, the first Wyandottes crossed the Atlantic to impress the British poultry fanciers.
By 1904 the Wyandotte was so popular in England that prices varied from 35 – 165 Great British pounds per bird – the price of a small house at that time!
Appearance and Standard
The Wyandotte is a large, heavy bird. The roosters will weigh around 8-9lb, while the hens will weigh in around 6-7lb.
Wyandotte bantams weigh around 36oz and 40oz for females and males respectively.
It is described as a deep, full-breasted bird with a broad frame.
It has a large broad head with a rose comb. The general shape has been said to be rotund.
The yellow legs are stout and well-spaced to hold the heavy frame of the bird, legs are clean – no feathers. There are 4 toes to each foot.
Their face, wattles, comb, and earlobes are all red and the beak is horn/yellowish in color tending towards the darker color. Eyes are orange in color.
Wyandottes have yellow skin as preferred by the American market.
The gold-laced variety has golden feathers that are laced with black. If you look carefully you will see whitish central veining in the feather.
The Wyandotte was first admitted to the American Poultry Association in 1883. Other colors followed:
- 1883 – silver laced
- 1888 – gold laced Wyandotte
- 1893 – black, buff, partridge
- 1902 – silver penciled
- 1905 – Colombian
- 1977 – Blue
The Poultry Club of Great Britain recognized varieties are: barred, black, blue, blue laced, blue partridge, buff, buff laced, Colombian, gold-laced, partridge, red, silver laced, silver penciled, and white.
The Entente Europeenne lists 30 different colors.
The APA classifies the Wyandotte as American while the PCGB classifies it as a soft feathered, heavy breed.
Bantam Wyandottes were admitted to the standard in1933. They are difficult to find but there are some dedicated breeders out there.
Temperament
The Wyandotte in general is a calm, docile and friendly bird. That doesn’t mean it will tolerate being pushed around by other breeds.
The Wyandotte tends to be high in the pecking order because of this dominant streak. They are a bit aloof from the other breeds tending to stick to their own kind.
They tolerate confinement well enough but enjoy free-ranging through the yard where they are avid hunters of bugs and seeds. It’s restful to watch them patrolling the yard at a sedate pace – they rarely hurry.
Wyandottes have a really good feather covering which makes them hardy in the colder climates. In the warmer areas, they require shade and cool water.
They usually live to be anywhere between 6-12 years if allowed to die naturally.
Varieties of Wyandotte Chickens
There are several varieties of Wyandotte chickens.
The original was a Silver laced variety – made by crossing a silver spangled Hamburg with a dark Brahma.
White and black ‘sports’ issued from this pairing also. White is the rarest of the Wyandotte coloring.
The Colombian variety was created by crossing a white Wyandotte with a Barred Plymouth Rock.
The Gold laced Wyandotte was originally created in Wisconsin by crossing a Silver laced Wyandotte with Gold Spangled Hamburg and Partridge Cochin.
The Buff was a silver laced crossed with a Buff Cochin.
The Partridge variety can be divided into two separate strains. In the Eastern states, the cross was a Partridge Cochin with a Buff Wyandotte.
In the Western states, it was a Partridge Cochin with a Cornish/Buff Wyandotte. This is a ‘simplified version of the Partridge. In reality, multiple crosses were needed to obtain the pattern.
There are several other varieties of Wyandotte out there – Blue, Silver-penciled, Blue Laced Red, Red, and even more.
Please note that the crossings of various varieties and breeds here are not exhaustive. Different sources offer different or more extensive breeding practices, much of it being guesswork.
Egg Laying and Health Issues
The Wyandotte lays medium-large brown eggs at a rate of roughly 4 eggs per week.
They have a fairly strong brooding instinct although this can vary between different strains. Wyandotte hens make great mothers fiercely protecting their chicks from danger.
In terms of health, the Wyandotte has been described as robust in appearance – it is also robust in health. The rose comb is well suited for colder climates where frostbite can be an issue.
There are no specific ailments noted for this breed. The usual assortment of ectoparasites can be expected since the bird has pretty dense feathering and the rear end may need some feather trimming at times.
Is the Wyandotte Right for You?
The Wyandotte is a breed well suited for homesteading or the backyard of a suburban family. They enjoy being fussed over and are known to be child-friendly.
They are dependable layers of eggs even through the winter it is said, and also round out to a decent size for table fare.
Wyandotte’s are docile, non-aggressive birds although not exactly ‘lap chickens’.
Wyandottes are said to be talkative and noisy so this could be problematic if you have close neighbors.
They make fabulous ‘project’ or 4H birds since they are calm and affable, which also makes them a show ring favorite.
The Mid-western States of America and the country of Germany really enjoy showing their Wyandottes and the breed usually shows very well winning many awards.
Summary
The Wyandotte chicken in all its’ varieties of color is a firm favorite in many countries around the world.
In my opinion, for sheer stunning looks and contrast, the silver and gold-laced show the best.
The allure of this bird is probably a combination of several things:
- It is calm.
- Docile demeanor makes it great for a family bird or the show-ring.
- Dependable layer even through the winter months.
- A reliable setter and a great mother.
- A stunning array of colors and patterns is available.
The Wyandotte chicken is easily recognizable from the shape of its body and the rose comb.
Do you keep any Wyandottes, if so what colors? Let us know in the comments section below…
I have silver and gold laced Wyandotte. I find them no trouble but not really friendly. They are a good all around bird. visitors love them for their coloring and calmness. When one became egg bound she was very calm while I was caring for her, the minute she was better, no more pet status!
Thank you for sharing JoAnne 🙂
Claire
I have two Silver-laced Wyandottes. I don’t find them to be friendly at all. One of them is always pecking my other hens. I have two Colombian Wyandottes and they are sweethearts. They let me pick them up and hold them as long as I want. They are a lot smaller than my silver-laced.
I purchased 6 silver laced only to find they are all hens , happy about that but I cant seem to find a silver laced rooster any help you can give would be appreciated..
Where do you live. I have many nice ones
I have had buff wyandottes for many years. My friend had silver penciled . The hens are nice and I think the buff are gorgeous with the buff color on their yellow legs and tight rose comb. The only trouble both of us had were the aggressive roosters. I know of others that were calm and good tempered but both of us had troublesome cock birds. I wish the buff were more common. They were hard to find. Also, several of the ones that I have gotten had the blade of the comb going out or up instead of following the shape of the head.
I’ve got a silver laced, a couple of gold laced, a few blue laced red, a few black laced reds. Theyre good birds EXCEPT for the silver laced one. She’s mean to other birds as well as humans. A friend has the same issue with his silver laced one. (Yes from different suppliers. ) If she wern’t a good layer, she’d be Sunday dinner.
I have a silver lacy wynadotte in my flock and she is wonderful. I bring her out of the run and let her free range for a while and she loves it. She gets along well with the other breeds and is a great layer.
Hi Karin,
What other breeds do you keep in your flock 🙂 ?
Claire
Clair my family has two wyandottes one black heritage austrolorp and three ISA browns we just tried putting them in the same cage but then the isa browns started coing and making noises towards them and we put them in a shed is there anyway to have them settling in together withought them fighting
I have one silver laced and two golden laced Wyancottes all around one year old. I raised them since 2 days old. I am having a difficult time with the golden ones feathers on their butts and back. There are none. I have tried vitamins and high protein food and snacks because part of the problem originally,was stress because their original coop was too small. At that time I saw some pecking by the others and I applied BluKote to deter this habit and heal the area. Now since February they have a large very nice coop and I can not understand why their feathers are gone and not growing back.. I have checked for lice, etc and do not see any. I had to put up a shade cloth to prevent them from getting sun burned. I am at my wits ends.I do not see the others pecking them, but I do see them pecking themselves Please help.I love my hens and am a loss of what else I can do for them. Thank you so much for your kind help. I love your website and informative newsletter, etc.
Thank you for your kind words Linda 🙂
Please send us an email with some photos of them and I will try to help,
Claire
Claire,
I have the same problem as Linda, only one columbian wyandotte, and the rest are assorted. I also have tried more protein enriched foods etc. but sadly no luck. I hope you can help me with this problem. I have a rather large run 25′ X 15′ with 10 chickens. Thanks for your help.
Jerry
Please send us an email with photos Jerry, and I will do my best 🙂
Claire
Hi, I have my favorites, the black sex link, and gold wyandotte , and another breed that is unfriendly and skiddish (auracauna?). Mine free range in mountain forest during day and secured at night, Have never had any pecking, pulling or feathers missing, just molting in fall and occassional mites (avoid wheat straw i use hay for coop and nest boxes). I think it could be the confined spaces because always a bully or three that harass. I also try to rid the community of bullies (harassers at nitetime and food time) by giving to families wanting a small number of chickens or layers.
It sounds like we have the same problem. We have a Rooster and I think he is pulling at them when he has his way with them. Hope this helps.
When some of my chickens had bare backs, I ordered little chicken coats for them…. they snapped under their wings and stayed on for some time……growing back feathers time seems to be about December…seems like it should be BEFORE winter….but that seems to be how it is….some of ones I had that were bare, are now full of glossy feathers!
I have 3. 2 adult, and 1 about 12 weeks. The 2 older ones are the black and silver (although they look more white than silver) and my little one is black and gold. The 2 older ones are good to hangout all day with my Rhode Island Reds (and my little one has a RIR to hangout with also).
I have noticed that the older ones are for sure #1 on the pecking order and they will chase off and take food from the others.
Thank you for sharing this Brianna 🙂
Claire
I’ve had Silver lace Wyandottes, they are excellent egg layers. However, if you decide on the breed do not have them with other breeds, they are very dominant! I had a flock of 24 birds,that were equal numbers of Wyandottes and Americaunas…the Wyandottes were very dominant over the Americaunas, and they were all free-range!
I have 23 of the silver lace 10 of those are hens I live in a neighbor Hood I was reading the information about them being loud and noisy is that true will they make up a lot of noise
We love all of our 8 wyandotte chickens, five Silver laced and three Colombian. They are fun to watch with their different personalities and chatter. The Colombians tend to be “bossy” but docile. They are all good egg layers but we bought them to eat bugs and grasshoppers since we don’t eat meat or eggs.(We give our eggs away to the Salvation Army).
They do their job by keeping the bugs & grasshoppers under control without insecticide.
They are now 4 and 2 years old and very entertaining.
I have two gold lace wing Wyandottes and two Black jersey Giant hens. They get along well. Were raised from chicks bought at local farm supply store.
Were purchased in early June and got first egg on Nov 1. Since then they have produced 3-4 eggs daily.
One of the jersey wanted to brood – got her some fertilized eggs, within 2 days she decided ‘nope’ not for her. All that sitting around doing nothing I guess.
After just a few days she went right back to producing her egg a day. She is an especially friendly girl – loves hugs and cuddles. In fact, demands them!!!!
Because of a bird dog as a pet, I can’t let them free range – but they do have a run and seem happy with that – as long as I throw them in some grass clippings and weeds every day.
Their eggs are very easy to peel after boiling – the shells practically fall off – not the messiness of most eggs. Don’t know why.
I have a black laced and blue laced hens!
Get 2 med. eggs/day every day of the week. They love to be outside scratching and carrying on. I so enjoy them!
We have a two year old silver lace, excellent layer. She is the only one out of 8 hens that won’t let me pet her. About a week ago she almost lost her life to a Fox, the fox had her by the neck and my hubby went running to her the fox dropped her, and she and one of our other girls went running back to the run and right into the coop! We check her out she lost some feathers but was ago. She actually laid an egg later that day. We have not let them free range since. They are not happy girls! We live out in the county woods all around us, had chickens a year now, this is first time we have had a Fox come right up in the middle of the day.
I am new in keeping wyandottes. I have 2 golden laced roos and 3 silver laced pullets. What will be the result if I allow them to breed?
We have 3 blue laced red Wyandottes amongst our flock of 32. They were hatched April 2018 and were the last chicks we bought for the year. They share a coop with close in age black sex link and calico princess. I did notice they stick together, will talk, consider themselves HIGHEST in the coop and are a bit fussy. We call them our “Aunt Bea” Chickens because of their large, fluffy behinds. It’s the funniest sight when they run through the yard. They LOVE being picked up and scratched and will come when they’re called by name. We just got a regular Wyandotte chick today and she’s quite friendly. Can’t wait to see how she turns out.
We had a social, gentle Silver-Laced for about a year who died suddenly during a dust bath. She was my favorite; she liked to hang around us and she was so statuesque and beautiful! Our neighbor also has a gentle Silver-Laced who broke her leg several years ago. The vet set it, she convalesced peacefully in the kitchen for a couple months then went back to her life like nothing ever happened.
One of my very first chickens was a silver laced wayandotte named Silvia, Silvie for short. Unfortunately, she fell victim to a hawk at 3 years old, I often miss her. Since she was my only wayandotte, so I don’t know if she was typical for the breed or not. She was not a lap chicken per say, but did form a strong bond with me and would purr and chatter softly to me when I was around. She was always gentle about taking treats from my hand, even when the other chickens were going for the same treats. While she didn’t specifically come perch on my lap, she would willingly let me pick her up to check her weight and inspect her for mites. As a chick she had an independent streak and would range farther from me than the others would when I would take them out of the brooder to explore outside. But would “check in” frequently by calling to me to make sure I was still there. If I didn’t answer right away she’d get a little panicky and start looking for me. As she grew and moved to the coop she would watch for me and begin calling to me as soon as she saw me. When allowed to be out ranging as an adult, she continued to check in with me periodically. Whether it would be coming up on the porch to peer into the screen door, or coming over to inspect what I was doing in the yard or garden. Although I didn’t specifically try to teach her, she did learn her name and would eagerly come running when called. Even if she was in one of her favorite foraging spots. She was also a very dependable layer. Typically laying 5 eggs a week unless molting. I’ve decided to expand my flock this spring and opted to add 3 Columbian Wayndottes. I’m hoping they have similar traits to Silvie. While I would be thrilled if they have the same level of friendliness as Silvie, I’m not expecting them to learn their names and come when called lol
Can Wyandottes do well in sub-tropical climates given shade and cool water? I have also seen articles that said that they can’t fly well and need only minimal fencing. Is this true?
My gold laced wyandotte couldn’t exactly FLY but it could hop on a 6 foot fence with hardly a start at all. But that was when she was younger and leaner. under a year old. But she did want to sleep in the trees until i built an enclosed run. Given the chance they will explore the neighborhood.
Great article, thank you. One demur from me, however: we have two Wyandottes, and both lay cream-colored eggs (their earlobes are cream-colored, as well, despite rose comb and wattles).
One of our two, Wendy, has gone broody, and we can’t seem to break her of it. She has been psycho-chicken from the get-go, however, and this could just be stubbornness. Any thoughts?
Here is our guide on how to solve broody hen problmes https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/what-exactly-is-a-broody-hen-and-how-to-stop-it/
We had two buff laced and one silver laced bantams. They laid cream coloured eggs but when one of the girls was in the coop laying, the other two used to shriek and squawk; the noise was horrific! As they were infrequent layers we put up with it but as we live in a residential area we eventually sold them at market.
I have 4 Columbian and 4 blues, got them the 1st of march, only getting 1 or 2 small eggs a day, is this normal?? please advise, PS; they have been on layer crumbles for about 1 month
This could be a number of things- depending on time of year or health.
Blues produce about 200 eggs a year.
Columbian is the same.
There are things you can do to get them to lay more.
Read here: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/make-your-hens-lay-more-eggs/
Claire
Claire
The hens are now 8 months old and still have 6, of them but only getting 1egg per day, this has been going on for about 9 days, What could be the problem? please advise. Thank you for helping me Dave Kelz
I have 3 Blues and 3 Silver laced , they are 11 months old. was getting 4 eggs per day, now for last 9 days only 1 per day, I even tried a lite in the coop. Same food. What could be my problem? they all seem to be healthy
We have two Wyandottes, Wendy and Wanda, both mostly silver-laced but with some gold mixed in. They lay cream-colored eggs. Production tapered off from November through January, but as the days lengthen they have come back pretty strongly. Wendy is an evil genius, and plays tricks on my wife. They’re gorgeous birds, and lots of fun. Their eggs are not as huge as the ones our Rhode Island Reds, Rhoda and (especially) Big Red lay, but they’re dependable.
Wendy has gotten broody at least three times, and the only way to turn it off is to put her in chicken jail, a smaller cage within the run. It takes about 5 days. Then she’s good for a few months.
Hello!! I just LOVE the wyandottes! They are so pretty and robust! I Have 6 silver laced, 9 blue laced red and 2 splash roosters, and 5 lavender wyandottes amongst my flock of 300+ very different chickens. (It breaks down to about 38 different breeds in the flock of 300+) I really love the dark blue laced reds! And the splash roos are just as stunning! They are great birds!!!
me and my family are looking for chickens. so far we have done a lot of research. me, my dad, and my sis all made a list of the chickens that we want to get, and i wanted a brahma because it is big, cuddly, and calm. then my mom said that it eats to much. i think it eats half a pound. first i wanted ducks from my neighbor, but when my mom called, he said that he already gave them away. THAT is how i came to like chickens.
I got 2 gold laced, along with 4 silkies and two Plymouth rocks, that were not rocks, no clue what they were. Anyway, the Wyandottes took top two spots on pecking order and have been there for almost 6 years. Never have gone broody, are quieter than the rest. Not lap chickens, but they will jump onto my lap if I sit outside with them. 2 fat birds and a black silkie make a lapfull. Just got 3 more wyandotte chicks, a pair of orpingtons and an Easter egger to add to the flock. Lost a few originals, but the Wyandottes never had health problems.
I have four silvers and they are about a week old. One that is named cuddles has very little white on her head, she loves shoulder rides. There is one rooster and his name is cam, short for Cameron, the rest are hens. I also have twelve orpingtons and are going to get more chickens soon.
I could really use some help. I’m not sure if I have 8 silver laced roosters and no hens or 7 roosters and 1 mean hen who is caring for chicks. It has been very violent and they are all only 10 weeks old. No one is crowing so I am going my saddle feathers and what looks like extreme Cock fighting. I don’t think I can weight until maturity. Does anyone have any advice?
My dream chicken breed. Dual purpose, somewhat steady layers, docile enough but not overly confident, and they don’t have that ‘nothing can hurt me’ air about them. They’re also gorgeous, cold hardy, low maintenance, and easily sexlinked!
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I would love to have some Wyandottes, but I live in South Carolina and wondering if the summer is going to be too hot for them, before I order them. I realize that they will need to have plenty of shade and cool water is there anything else that I could do for them if I get them. They will be let out to roam on a daily basis. Really would like to have them worried about the heat.
Hey Becky… we have them here in NC and haven’t had any issues with the heat. We have six (3 blue-red laced & 3 silver laced) that are housed in a 4’x8′ hen house with an 8’x8′ run. Our ladies are a huge fan of frozen watermelon, as it helps keep them cool. The largest issue I have had is keeping the coop dry… it gets rather humid here on the coast. I’d say go for it! Good luck!
Hello Wyandotte fanciers. I am caring for a rescued cockerel that as best as I can figure is either a Wyandotte cross or full breed. “Clarence” has the rose comb and brilliant crimson color on comb, wattles and earlobes. He has iridescent black plumage with what I suppose are a few gold laceings, buff wattles and gold saddle. His tail feathers are just grown out to the point of beginning to crest over. He stands about 18″ high at the head.
He was evidently abandoned during a severe cold spell and suffered some frostbite on his comb and wattles which has pretty much cleared up. I think there was some frostbite damage to his legs and feet but that too is improving. They are colored gray and pink –the pink is fading but I can’t detect the proper yellow coloring. What I would appreciate is help figuring out his likely age, and also solving a mystery about his spurs. They look artificially blunted to me but perhaps that is typical of the breed — it’s so hard to find photos of spurs in a growing cockeral.
Speaking of which Clarence is eating like a teenager and has grown considerably in the past couple of weeks as he recovers indoors here. He is a tremendous cuddle bug who does not mind being picked up and handled, fortunately, as he needs help getting up and down from his preferred night roost (shelves over the toilet tank!). He loves attention and has a lot of conversation. His temporary coop is supplied with extra mirrors so he can socialize with a virtual flock as well as the real inhabitants. As you gather I want to do the best for this boy who has been through quite an ordeal. I will send photos to any of you who would like to see him and offer your opinions.