Scots Dumpy Sussex and Welsummer

Scots Dumpy is a very rare breed that I have been keeping since 1991. Bought hatching eggs from a breeder in Boston during the early 90’s. The breed comes from the Scottish Highlands and is very ancient. Some historians place its beginning in the first century. Its bones from the 11th century have been discovered. Its a unusual breed with extremely short legs. They should be between two and three inches long. Closer to the ground than dorkings. They have a deep rectangular body with lots of meat. I have the cuckoo variety. Also had the blacks and silver greys but they didnt lay as well. They fatten easy and mature early. They waddle as they walk like ducks because of the short legs. You must make sure their short bodies can reach the water bowl. Easy to catch since they cannot run. Good layers of tinted eggs. The meat is really fat and juicy like wyandottes. They go broody only ocassionally. Sussex was my great grandma’s favorite breed of chicken. In fact its the only breed she ever had. They are wonderful dual purpose chickens that lay as well as rhode island reds. They make excellent fryers and baking hens. Juicy tender meat with good flavor. The speckled variety is the most pure and tastes the best. The other varieties lay a few more eggs per year but you sacrifice meat quality. Sometimes a hen will set and makes a good mother. Cold weather doesnt affect their laying and they are calm birds. Grandma loved this breed because it worked well in town since it isnt noisy. Brought the flock with her when she moved from the farm. While in her nineties the hens were easy for her to manage. The breed comes from England and is still very popular in the United Kingdom. Sussex cocks weigh about nine pounds and the hens around 7. The scots dumpy weighs about one pound less. Welsummers lay a beautiful dark brown egg often with spots. They were my choice for a dark brown egg layer. Since they lay more and bigger eggs than marans and barnvelders. They also dont go broody as often. At farmer markets everyone loved my welsummer eggs. They are now very much in demand. The roosters weigh around six pounds and the hens near five pounds. Welsummers are docile beautiful birds comfortable around people they dont recognize. Mine lay extra large eggs and the hens are productive for three years. They originated in Holland. I always keep a light on in my hen house to get more eggs. Also the layers stay more calm.

Saipan Shamo and Sumatra

These are three nice rare oriental breeds of chickens. Saipans are the largest fowl that I have ever raised rivaling my jersey giants. Some people call them a form of jungle fowl because they use to roam the jungles of the island of Saipan in the south Pacific. They are very tall, muscular birds with nearly a vertical carriage. They are an excellent roasting bird. Mine sometimes drink from the livestock tank since they are twenty eight to thirty two inches tall. My hens weigh around eleven pounds and the roosters are thirteen to fourteen pounds. Needless to say they are more than capable of taking care of themselves while free ranging. With this breed its best to make roosts no taller than twelve inches. My roosts are made from 2X6 lumber. To make certain they will grow a straight keel and not sprain their legs. I also do this with my jersey giants malays shamos aseels and brahmas. Its better safe than sorry. A little cat food seems to make the hens lay better as a treat. These primitive breeds dont lay as many eggs if you dont pamper them. The breed doesnt have many feathers so raising them in the north is pretty time intensive keeping them warm and dry. The roosters dont fight that much if you dont seperate them. Got my first ones in 1971 after joining the SPPA. Shamo’s come from Japan and the roosters are territorial. They originated in Thailand in the 17th century. The Shamo has wonderful tasting meat like the aseel and dark cornish. Some people believe they are eating pheasant when they taste these breeds for the first time. After frying oriental breeds they should be baked in the oven covered for a period to make them tender as well as flavorful. Shamos weigh about three pounds less than Saipans. Hens around eight pounds and roosters around eleven pounds. Shamo hens are very bossy so best not to mix them with timid breeds. Smart birds with a good personality around people. Many people think my black sumatra chickens are the prettiest with their black long shiny feathers. They can fly amazing distances for a chicken. Most my sumatra roosters have three spurs on each leg. They are from the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. The breed is quiet and the roosters seldom crow. Never ate any of these beautiful birds so I dont know what they taste like. Always had buyers for my older birds. The cocks go about five pounds and the hens four. Lay small eggs and have no wattles. Worth keeping for their beauty. Mine loved to roost in the trees.

Polish Red Cap and Rhode Island Red

The most striking characteristic of the Polish fowl is the large protuberance or knob on top of the skull from which the crest of feathers grow and the large cavernous nostrils are found only in crested breeds. They are an ancient breed coming from eastern europe in the 11th and 12th century. They are good non setting white egg layers. This breed needs protection from the rain and freezing temperatures because of their crests. An insulated hen house should work fine in northern climates. Good show specimens are stunning to look at. Because of their restricted vision they dont stray far if allowed to free range. Its a good breed for small children because they seldom peck people. A challenging breed for show. It takes about ten years to develop a good strain of polish show birds. So if you plan on showing yours raise many to get a few correct ones. Just an average table bird since its main use is ornamental and eggs. They often get bullied by other breeds. Red Caps make good fryers with tender fine grained meat. The lay a good number of white eggs. They make good free range birds and they are quite wild. The roosters love to bite and will do so whenever handled. I was never fond of this bred but raised it because of its beauty and rarity. Most of the roosters will go seven pounds and the mature hens six. Rhode Island Reds are the most common brown egg layers. Very hardy and lay through cold weather. Fast growers and fast feathering. If allowed to set the hens make good mothers. Rhode Island Red roosters often turn aggressive. My aunt was spurred in the back by one and required stitches. Thats the only negative thing about this lovely breed. Sometimes its hard to find show chickens colored correctly. Their large brown eggs incubate well. They make a good table bird. They are not easy excited when strangers enter the hen house. Some judges prefer a lighter or darker shade of red. Even when mine got rained on they still laid. This breed has excellent health. They eat more than leghorns because of being a bigger bird but under less than ideal conditions they will out lay the leghorns. Free range chickens must be wormed every few months also inspect chickens for lice. I often keep some cedars branches in the hen house to repell bugs. Once a year all the litter needs to be removed. During the year sprinkle fresh litter on top of the old to keep it clean. If you use hay as litter or grass clippings it makes wonderful compost for your vegtable garden or just roto till it into garden soil. It contains plenty of nitrogen and minerals for plants.

Old English Game Orpington and Plymouth Rock

Old English Games have been around since recorded history and come the closest to being like wild jungle fowl. In many parts of the country they live in a feral state. The breed is highly territorial so the roosters must be seperated or live on a large parcel of land where each cock can have his own territory. In the southern half of the country they do just fine roosting in trees and dont require a hen house. Mom used ours to keep the bugs out of the gardens because they are excellent fliers. They also relish eating ticks which can cause disease. Old English Games and Aseel hens are the best mothers in the chicken kingdom. Most every egg they incubate hatches and they protect the baby chicks with their lives. They are very resistant to evading predators. The baby chicks can fly not long after they hatch and roost with mom. For show they say to dub the comb but I wouldnt on the standard size because you might have problems with animal rights activists. The breed can get along fine with a little hen scratch and oyster shells once grown and allowed to free range. They dont lay many eggs and their meat gets tough if they are not eaten young. They are great for incubating eggs from non setting breeds. Since they automatically go broody when they find a nest of eggs. Orpingtons are a very nice breed wonderful layers and also a good table bird. If you live up north this breed is for you. They lay right through cold weather. My buff orpingtons and cochins are allowed to brood fall chicks because of all their feathers and big warmth producing body. Brahmas and jersey giants also fit into this category. Often you get poor hatches with an incubator however hens usually do a terrific job. I have lost many chicks due to my electricity being off because of thunder storms. Once eggs get chilled in the incubator embryo’s usually die. The cheap incubators are junk so dont purchase them. I have had only the buff and black varieties. Make wonderful show birds being calm and beautiful. They are good layers of large brown eggs. They must be kept out of the rain because their fluffy feathers doesnt repell it. Cocks weigh around ten and hens eight pounds. Sun will bleach the buff color so if showing keep your in shade. Plymouth Rocks are an american breed developed in the middle of the 19th century. They are the female half of the cornish rock cross. They have a nice thick meaty body and are good brown egg layers. Barred is the original color variety. White Rocks are one of the most common commercial breeds in the entire world. The cocks go about nine and a half pound and the hens around seven. Will sometimes go broody. They are fast growers and big eats because of their metabolism. Sometimes Plymouth Rock roosters get aggressive after two years old.

Malay Minorca and Naked Neck

Malays are an ancient breed from Southeast Asia. They have been used in the creation of many breeds to add vitality for vigorous growth and good health. I sell most of mine as pets because of their unusual appearance and intelligence. They seem to be the smartest chicken breed. I teach mine some simple tricks which is quite remarkable considering their tiny brain. They are good at recognizing people and seldom forget the people who have tormented them in the past. The roosters are protective of the hens and chicks. They dont lay many eggs but the chicks are very healthy. Malays cornish aseels and shamos must have low roosts or else their legs will get injured. They have become rare with only a few people keeping this magnificent breed alive. My roosters weigh around eight pounds and the hens about five. Most have the black breasted red pattern. He can be aggressive around other roosters. Minorcas are wonderful layers of large to jumbo sized eggs that are chalk white. They do well both in the hen house or free range. Minorcas give me my largest and whitest eggs. They are the largest and most popular of the spanish breeds. A good breed for fryers since the flesh is fine grained and white. My roosters go about nine pounds and the hens eight. They lay right through the cold winter months. Because of the large comb they are unsuitable for northern climates in my opinion. They dont go broody so you will get plenty of eggs from this breed. A drafty hen house is okay for this breed. Lastly we shall take a good look at the naked neck or turken as some people say. Naked Necks are not a cross of the chicken and turkey. Their bare skin turns red when exposed to the sun. Breed must be given extra protection from the elements because of the lack of as many feathers. Turkens come from eastern europe. They make good mothers and lay fairly well. The breed is sure an attention getter. Many people have dropped by my house asking about these unique birds. Either you love them or hate them there isnt much middle ground with this fowl. Males eight to nine pounds and females six to seven.

La Fleche Lakenvelder and Leghorn

La Fleche is a wonderful breed for fried chicken. The meat is filled with flavor and is tender and fine grained. In europe they have won taste tests and have been favorites of french and italian chefs for decades. This chicken has remarkable white meat and comes from France. The breed is average layers and has a V shaped comb. Because of the unusual comb it has earned the nickname devil bird. La Fleches date back to the 15th century. These are active fowl and good foragers. They have beautiful black feathers and the breed is very fertile. My roosters weighed about seven pounds and the hens around six. Expect about 160 eggs per year. Next I will discuss the lakenvelder breed of chickens. Although it carries a dutch name experts believe the breed originates in Germany. Its a very striking bird contrasting from black to white. The lakenvelders will range far and wide preferring green plans and insects. Often our neighbors lakenvelders would show up at our farm a quarter mile away. If you free range them and live in a southern state their upkeep will cost you next to nothing. Lakenvelder roosters do love to chase small children but will rarely spur one in the legs. So if you have small children I would pick a different breed. Their laying ability is close to leghorns and they often like to hide their nests in weeds. The hens are non broody and lay medium to large size eggs. The breed dates back to the 1700’s. Leghorns is a breed that just about everyone recognizes. Probably about sixty percent of all chickens on earth are leghorns. They are popular because of their eggs and because they end up in chicken soup. They surpass all breed in egg production under ideal circumstances like in commercial poultry houses where the temperature and humidity is controlled. The birds are extremely easy to pick feathers off if your butchering them after they quit laying. Its extremely rare for them to go broody. They are nervous and if a stranger goes in the hen house some hens quit laying for a week. Breed will rarely lay eggs in cold hen houses. There are many beautiful varieties of leghorns. They seem to do well at poultry shows. Hawks consider this breed their favorite so you better keep an eye on them if you let them eat grass a few hours before dark. As the leghorns get older many will give you jumbo sized eggs. Also it doesnt cost you much laying mash to produce a dozen eggs. Leghorns are flighty so your pens must have a roof to avoid escapes or you can cut their flight feathers on one wing. Dont crowd the leghorn chicks or they will peck holes in each other. Light breed roosters are very agile breeders so fertility is usually good. One light breed rooster can cover many hens and keep them fertile.

Faverolles Hamburg and Jersey Giant

Salmon Faverolles were one of my first breeds. They look peculiar with their beard muff feathered shanks and fifth toe. Both my sisters hated this breed because the roosters like to fight your legs when you walk. Many times the faverolles roosters and lakenvelder roosters had my sisters crying. Of course I kept the spurs trimmed to prevent injury. The breed looks bigger than they are because of the loose feathering. The hens are good layers and they make a good table bird. They are a french meat breed with roosters weighing eight pounds and the hens a little over six. Good selection for northern states because they handle cold real well. Hamburgs are a good breed for people on a limited budget because they consume very little feed. However they are nervous and can fly very well. So if you keep your birds penned they will be difficult to recover. The breed is good layers and do not go broody. The rose comb does well in cold weather although they are not a good choice for northern states because of the low body weight unless you heat your hen house. My cousin kept her golden penciled hamburgs in a rabbit hutch where they did very well. I preferred the spangled hamburgs because they laid a slightly bigger egg and produced more of them. The penciled varieties are quite small. Mature cocks four to five pounds and hens three to four pounds. Got my jersey giants from Golda Miller who is a legend in the breed. Received hatching eggs from her three times. A few of my jersey giant cocks topped the scales at thirteen pounds and averaged twelve pounds. My hens weigh any where from ten to eleven pounds. The eggs take an additional day to hatch. Many of the hens lay jumbo sized eggs right through the winter. When they retire to the roasting pan at three years old they provide a feast. We use to eat them for Thanksgiving and Christmas after they were fattened on corn. We had so many chickens and pigs that we seldom bought turkeys for holidays. They have the room to pack on lots of fat for dressing and noodles. The breed isnt a very good setting hen because they are rather clumsy and step on chicks. The breed takes a long time to mature so they are not suitable for fryers. Never had the white variety of jersey giants. These make wonderful show birds because of their calm nature. I wouldnt suggest having many of these unless you can free range them because they require a great deal of feed. Very hardy and dont require a good hen house.