Author: Cindy Johnson

Belgian

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Belgian

 

 

There are three main breeds of the Belgian chicken, Belgian d’Anvers,Belgian d’Uccle, and the Belgian de Watermael

Coming from Antwerp, the Belgian Bearded d’Anvers is a bantam but it isn’t derived from a larger bird as is common in most bantam breeds.   They are an ornamental bird, kept for breeding for show or for pets and they are very friendly to humans.  They do well with free range, not so well with close confinement..

There are fourteen recognized varieties based upon plumage..The most common is porcelain or quail, a small bird with large breasts that project foward and a tail that arches quite a bit.

d’Anvers will have a large beard of feathers covering the earlobes, a small rose comb and small wattles.  The hens lay small white eggs and will go broody easily.

Black, White, and Cuckoo varieties will have muggs covering the ear lobes and eyes that will vary from black, brown,  even reddish.  Very small wattles usually.

 

The Belgian Bearded d’Uccle  is called the ‘Booted Bantam’ and came from Belgium around the turn of the century.  They are also called Millefleur or Millies in the U.S.  This breed is a very calm bird, small, and creamy or tinted colored feathers.  They are very broody and will lay a clutch of eggs in 14 to 21 eggs.

Thee Belgian Bearded de Watermael was custom bred by a couple named Dresse who were trying to create a bantam breed for backyard flock owners.  These diminutive birds weigh just over a pound and will produce around 120  forty gram eggs per year

The Belgian Bearded roosters will weigh around 1.75 pounds, hens around 1.5 pounds and lay cream colored eggs.  Recognized colors are Black, Golden Neck, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Porcelain, Self Blue, and White.

 


 

 

Campine

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Campine

 

The Campine is a Belgian bird, good layers that don’t get broody very often but they are a nervous bird and easily scared.

Their toes and shanks are a bluish grey, more of an ornamental bird.    They have close fitting feathers are fairly large combs so the aren’t the best for very cold regions but they can survive the winters if the weather doesn’t get below zero too often.  They are good foragers and active when they have the chance to free range.

 The birds first showed up in Britain around 1899 and in America around 1912.   The Campine’s coloration is somewhat bettle green and black with gold head and neck feathers, sometimes a white head and neck.
Roosters weigh around   and hens weight around and lay white colored eggs.

Rooster five to six pounds Hen around five pounds

 

 

 

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Sussex

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Sussex

This breed is one of the oldest know breeds,  first showing up around 42 AD, around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain.  It is a very docile breed and do fine in confinement or with free range

 The Sussex comes from England and is a dual purpose breed as it is a good egg producer and produces a good meat carcass.  It
As its name might suggest, the Sussex originates from the United Kingdom.  It has very good fertility rates and will go broody if you want a hen to hatch her own clutch of eggs.   It has a good feather coat and has no problem surviving in colder regions but the same trait makes it a poor choice for hot regions.

 The tail will protrude at a 45 degree angle from its body and the comb will have five points.  The feathers are soft and the colors will run from black, red, white, speckled, silver, and buff.  Its tail sits at a 45 degree angle from its body, has a rectangular build, a broad, flat back, and its comb has five well-defined points.

 

The roosters weigh over eight pounds and the hens around six  pounds.  The hens can lay as many as 280 light brown eggs per year.   The birds are great for home flocks as they mature quickly and have a very good meat carcass and are excellent layers that will also go broody if you want to hatch your own chicks.

 

 

 

Rosecomb

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Rosecomb

One of the oldest bantam breeds with the earliest historical records coming from 14th century Britain.  They showed up in America around 1849.

 

 

 

The Rosecomb is a true bantam, not a miniaturized version of larger bird.  They tend to be a nervous and easily excited bird.   They are known for good meat considering the size of the bird, not really a meat bird, and they aren’t the best egg layers.  Selective breeding has produced a bird that has reproductive problems and is nearly unsuitable for anything other than show birds.

The breed is mostly used for show bird fanciers.    They have large tail feathers, white ear lobes, bright red face and wattles, and a large rose comb that extends backward.  There are over 25 varieties but  three main varieties, black, white, and blue.

The roosters usually have low fertility, the hens are rarely broody and rarely capable of setting eggs or raising chicks.  The chicks have high mortality rates as well.   Full grown birds tend to be hardy and good fliers.
Roosters will weight around 1.5 pounds, hens just around a pound.  They lay white or cream colored eggs.

 

 

Barnevelder

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Barnevelder

 

 

 Barnevelder

Barnevelder breed originated in Holland, a cross between Dutch Landrace chickens and Asian chickens.  They lay a lot of large brown eggs, have orange eyes, yellow legs and feet.   They are used as dual purpose chickens and for show purposes.  They are good winter layers and are fairly docile birds.

 

The breed is good for free range as it is a good forager and relatively hardy.    The breed is actually more of a show bird here in the U.S. so the dark brown eggs of the original variety are becoming lighter brown as the emphasis is on appearance rather than egg production and color.  They have soft feathers, are reddish brown with some black feathers on their necks and tails with a beetle green sheen.

Roosters will weight around eight pounds and hens will weigh around six pounds.  The hens will lay around 180 eggs per year. 

 

 

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Aracuana

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Aracuana

 

 

Aracuana 

Originating from Chile the bird has distinctive tufts of feathers on each side of its head.  It has a small comb, red wattles and ear lobes.   Their name comes from the Araucanian Indians of Chile.
  They were developed from two South American breeds, the Collonca and the Quetro.     The birds are also unusual because the hens and roosters are very similar in appearance. 

They are medium to large size, lay bluish green eggs,  the distinctive tufts of feathers and should have no beard, and no wattles.     The chicken is rump-less, missing the last vertebrae and missing any form of tail.  They have soft feathers and come in black, white, lavender and bluish red.

Roosters will weight around five pounds and hens will weigh around  four pounds.

 

 

 

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Andalusian

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Andalusian

 Andalusian

 

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Originating from the Mediterranean the bird has white earlobes, reddish brown eyes, rarely goes broody and is a nervous and easily scared bird.  The birds are very nervous in confinement.   The color is usually slate blue although some can look almost black.

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Two blue birds will sometimes produce actual black offspring with mottling. They have soft feathers.  These are considered ornamental birds that were cross bred for appearance rather than utility.
Roosters will weigh around  seven  pounds, hens around five pounds.  The hens lay white eggs, usually around 165 eggs per year. 

 

 

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Australorp

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Australorp

 Australorp

 

 

 

The name Australorp is short for Australian Black Orpington, developed in Australia from the English Orphington in the 1890’s.   It is a prolific layer, over 300 eggs per year in commercial flocks and around 250 eggs per year in a backyard flock.
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The bird is fantastic for free range as it is hardy and calm tempered.   it is a true dual purpose breed that lays a lot of eggs and has a good meat carcass. 

The are black with soft feathers with a green sheen or pure white.    

Rooster will weigh six to eight pounds, hens will weigh five to six pounds.   The hens lay light brown eggs.   2.6 pounds Hen 1.7 pounds 

 

 

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Ancona

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Ancona

 

Originating from Italy the bird is easy to train and a good breed for backyard flocks.  They tend to be flighty and easily spooked but settle down once they get to know their keepers.  They are good fliers so clip one wing or have them completely fenced in.

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The breed was actually developed in England after a flock had been imported from Italy, inter bred to attain the repeating characteristics.  They are related to the Leghorn and in Germany they are called Mottled Leghorns.

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They are very broody and will produce as much as 250 eggs per year.   They are mostly black or beetle green that is mottled with white.   The toes spread out more than usually, yellow legs with black markings.  They are a hardy breed that does well on free range.

Rooster will weigh about five pounds, hens around four pounds and they lay around 220  white to cream colored eggs per year.  There are also bantam breeds.

 

 

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Brahama

Posted on by Cindy Johnson

Brahama

 Brahama Chickens

 

 Originating from large birds brought to the U.S. from Shanghai,  Brahama birds are large and very versatile.   The original stock was extremely large, as much as 18 pounds for roosters and 13 pounds for hens.  The bird was the main meat bird for the U.S between 1850 and the 1930’s.   They will go broody, are calm and friendly birds that tolerate cold weather.  The roosters are generally not aggressive toward humans.

 

They great around children as they are calm and not skittish.    They are docile and easily trained to be handled easily.    

The birds are large with soft feathers in black, white, buff, dark, and light colors with feathered legs and feet
Roosters will weigh around twelve pounds and hens around ten pounds.  4.0 pounds Hen 2.0 pounds

 

 

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