Chickens

The Orpington breed was created in 1886 by William Cook, who crossed Minorcas, Langshans and Plymouth Rocks, and named the breed after his hometown. He first created black Orpingtons and then went on to create white, buff and blue colored. The original purpose of the breed was to be dual-purpose, for both egg and meat […]

Frizzles are a popular chicken breed due to its backwards feathers which give it a striking appearance. Frizzle feathering apparently originated in south east Asia where it was recorded around 300 years ago. Frizzles can be introduced into any breed of chicken, but Frizzle is now recognized as a separate breed as well. They are […]

The Welsummer breed originated in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s it was imported to England. Representations of cockerels in the media are often based upon the “classic” Welsummer look. The most common example of this would be the Kelloggs Cornflakes rooster. Wellsummers lay beautiful brown eggs, but are […]

The Sussex breed is one of the oldest that still exists today. It was developed over a century ago in Sussex, England. The Sussex is a popular exhibition bird as well as backyard pet. The Sussex chickens come in a variety of colors and can be found in brown, red, buff, silver, white and speckled. […]

The Plymouth Rock breed (also called Rock) was developed in the United States. The most popular variety is the Barred Rock, but it also comes in blue, buff, Columbian, partridge, silver-penciled and white. Until World War Ii, this was the most popular chicken breed on farms in the U.S., because of its hardiness, docility, broodiness, […]

The Faverolles breed was developed in the 1860s in France. It was named after a French village and the singular form also includes the “s.” The breed was originally meant for both eggs and meat but is more commonly used as an exhibition chicken today. The most commonly available variety is the Salmon Faverolles. Faverolles […]

The Dorking is an ancient and endangered species of chicken. It is the only purely British breed, has five toes instead of four and is the only breed with red earlobes which lays a white-shelled egg. They need the support of small backyard flock owners to ensure their continued existence. Dorkings have been documented as […]

Brahmas came to the United States from Asia in 1846. They reached England in 1853 when Queen Victoria was presented with a quill pen made from a Brahma feather. Brahmas were then known for their excellent laying characteristics, but breeding for color has reduced these abilities. Brahmas come in light, dark, buff and partridge. They […]

Silkies are an ancient, Asiatic breed of poultry, most notably known for their fur like feathers. While the structure of a Silkies feather is much like other birds, they lack barbicels between each strand of ‘hair’ on the feathers shaft. These barbicels are tiny, cartilage hooks, that act like Velcro and give a feather its […]

Barnevelders are named after the Dutch town of Barnevelder. They were developed through the crossing of chickens from Asia with local Dutch breeds. Barnevelders lay a fair amount of brown eggs. Recently, breeders have focused on this breed as a show breeder, ignoring the quality of the eggs. Now many Barnevelders lay light brown eggs. […]