Legbar Chickens
No. of Eggs 4.5/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Autosexing, Utility Blue Egg Layer.Origin: Cambridge, UK. Eggs: White / Cream or Blue / Green for the Cream Legbar.Weight: Cock: 2.7 – 3.4Kg. Hen: 2 – 2.7Kg.Colours: Gold, Silver and Cream (Standardised UK).Useful to Know: Many Legbars have lost their autosexing qualities. Selection for this quality is important when breeding. Gold Legbars haven’t […]
La Flèche Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.5/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Exhibition, Rare breed conservation. Origin: France. Eggs: 150 – 180 tinted. Weight: Cock: 3.6 – 4.1Kg. Hen: 2.7 – 3.2Kg. Bantam Cock: 1020g. Hen: 790g. Colour: Glossy black with green reflections. Useful to Know: A rare breed that has never been particularly popular in the U.K. The comb had two ‘spikes’ that […]
Kraienköppe Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.5/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Rare Breed / Eggs. Eggs: 150-180 off white. Origin: The Netherlands and Germany. Weight: Cock: 2.5-2.95 Kg. Hen: 1.8-2.5 Kg. Bantam Cock: 850g. Hen: 740g. Colours: Silver, Golden (Standardised UK) and Black Breasted Red. Useful to Know: Classified as a rare breed. Known as Kraienköppe in Germany and the UK, Twentse in The Netherlands. […]
Sussex Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.9/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility – Dual Purpose, Exhibition.Origin: Eggs: 180 – 210 cream / light brown.Weight: Cock: 4 – 4.2 Kg. Hen: 3 – 3.2 Kg.Bantam Cock: 1 – 1.2 Kg. Hen: 780 – 800 g.Colours: Brown, Buff, Coronation, Light, Red, Speckled, Silver, White (Standardised UK).Useful to […]
Rosecomb Bantams
No. of Eggs 2.5/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Exhibition. Eggs: 150 – 180 white or cream. Origin: Great Britain. Weight: Cock: 570g – 620g, Hen: 450 – 510g. Colours: Black, Black-Breasted Red, Birchen, Blue, Columbian, White. Useful to Know: A true bantam. Photo: Rosecomb Bantam owned by SA & G Hodge Research […]
Marans Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.9/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility. Dark egg-laying sex-linked hybrid production.Origin: Marans, France. Eggs: 160 – 210 Dark Brown.Weight: Cock: 3.6 Kg. Hen: 3.2Kg.Bantam Cock: 500 – 550g, Hen: 400 – 450g.Colours: Black, Dark Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Silver Cuckoo (Standardised), Black-Tailed Buff, Brown Red (Copper Black), Copper Blue, Silver Black (Birchen), White, Wheaten, and Columbian (Ermine) (non-standardised).Useful to […]
Scots Grey Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.8/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Rare Breed, Utility – eggs. Eggs: 180 – 200 white. Origin: Great Britain. Weight: Cock: 3.2Kg, Hen: 2.25Kg. Bantam: Cock: 620-680g, Hen: 510-570g. Colour: Steel grey background with black barring. Useful to Know: More popular in its native country of Scotland than elsewhere in […]
Wyandotte Chickens
Breed InFocus Wyandotte chickens have no less than 13 standardised colour varieties in the British Poultry Standards and boasts the most clubs of any poultry breed. Generally calm in nature and good egg producers, the Wyandotte is a popular choice for the back garden, however, a lot of skill is required to breed some of […]
Minorca Chickens
No. of Eggs 3.1/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility – Eggs / Exhibition. Origin: Mediterranean. Eggs: 170 – 220 White. Weight: Cock: 3.2 – 3.6 Kg. Hen: 2.7 – 3.2 Kg. Colours: Black, Blue, White. Useful to Know: Excellent layers of some of the largest white eggs. They will not usually go broody. A breed that enjoys foraging […]
Pekin Bantams
No. of Eggs 2.2/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Exhibition.Origin: Peking, China. Eggs: 120 – 160 White / Cream.Weight: Cock: 680g Max.Hen: 570g Max.Colours: Black, Blue, Buff, Cuckoo, Mottled, Barred, Birchen, Columbian, Lavender, Partridge, Silver Partridge, White (Standardised UK).Useful to Know: Known as Cochin Bantams outside of the U.K. although there are differences between them.Photo: Pekin Bantam owned by Mr. A. […]
Japanese Bantams
No. of Eggs 2.2/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Exhibition / Ornamental.Origin: Japan. Eggs: 80 – 160 white, cream or brown.Weight: Cock: 510 – 600g, Hen: 400 – 510g.Colours: Black Tailed White, Black Tailed Buff, Buff Columbian, White, Black, Birchen Grey, Silver Grey, Dark Grey, Millers Grey, Mottled Black, Mottled Blue, Mottled Red, Blue, Lavender, Cuckoo, Red, Tri-coloured, Wheaten Bred, Partridge […]
Ixworth Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.8/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Originally utility – meat and eggs. Origin: Ixworth, Sussex U.K. Eggs: 160 – 200 tinted. Weight: Cock: 4.1 Kg. Hen: 3.2 Kg. Bantam Cock: 1.02 Kg. Hen: 790g. Colours: White only. Useful to Know: A large rare breed that is alert and active and […]
Plymouth Rock Chickens
No. of Eggs 3.3/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility – meat and eggs. Origin: America. Eggs: 190-240 eggs / year. Weight: Cock: 3.4 Kg. Hen: 2.95 Kg. Bantam Cock: 1.36 Kg Max. Hen: 1.13 Kg Max. Colours: Barred, Black, Buff, Columbian, and White (Standardised UK). Blue, Partridge, Silver Pencilled (Non Standardised). Bantams […]
Indian Game Chickens
No. of Eggs 1.2/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility: Hybrid crosses for table birds.Origin: Cornwall, England. Eggs: 60 – 90 tinted.Weight: Cock: 3.6 Kg, Hen: 2.7 KgBantam Cock: 2.0 Kg, Hen: 2.0 Kg.Colours: Dark, Jubilee, Double Laced Blue.Useful to Know: Grass in the diet helps to keep their feet rich yellow-orange. Exercise […]
Houdan Chickens
No. of Eggs 3.3/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Originally dual purpose utility. Now exhibition. Origin: Houdan, France. Eggs: 180 – 240 white. Weight: Cock: 3.2 – 3.6Kg, Hen: 2.7 – 3.2Kg Bantam Cock: 680 – 790g, Hen: 620 – 740g. Colours: Green-Black with white mottles (Standardised UK) White, Cuckoo Useful to Know: The Houdan has five toes. Males have a V shaped comb. […]
Spanish Chickens
No. of Eggs 2.2/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility – Layer of large white eggs. Origin: Eggs: 120 – 160 White. Weight: Cock: 3.2Kg. Hen: 2.7Kg. Bantam Cock: 1075g. Hen: 910g. Colours: Black with a beetle-green sheen. Some blue bantams exist in North America and White in Australia. Useful to Know: A […]
Leghorn Chickens
No. of Eggs 3.5/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Utility – Eggs.Origin: Italy. Eggs: 180 – 250 large white.Weight: Cock: 3.4Kg.Hen: 2.5Kg.Bantam Cock: 1.02Kg. Hen: 910g.Colours: Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Cuckoo, Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, Exchequer, Black Mottled, Red Mottled, Partridge, Pile, White (Standardised UK).Useful to Know: Can be prolific egg layers that […]
Nankin Bantams
Modern Langshan Chickens
Uses: Rare breed. Eggs: 160-180 brown. Origin: . Weight: Cock: 4.55Kg. Hen: 3.6Kg. Bantam: Cock: 1133g. Hen: 910g Colours: Black, Blue, White. Useful to Know: . Photo: Modern Langshan male owned by Andrew Sheppy. Modern Langshan Chickens text. Research in progress! Photos Books The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages […]
Modern Game Chickens
No. of Eggs 1.1/5 Easy to Keep? 3.5/5 Uses: Exhibition / OrnamentalOrigin: Great Britain. Eggs: 50-80 Tinted.Weight: Cock: 3.2 – 4.1Kg. Hen: 2.25 – 3.2 Kg.Bantam: Cock: 570 – 620g. Hen: 450 – 510gColours: Birchen, Black, Black-Red, Blue, Blue-Red, Brown-Red, Lemon Blue, Pile, Silver Blue, Silver Duckwing, Gold Duckwing, Wheaten, White.Useful to Know: Modern Game Bantams will tame easily, […]