About the Black Jersey Giant, Leghorn, Wyandotte, Maran, Brabanter, & Brahma Chicken Breeds...

About Chicken Breeds...

The Black Jersey Giant Chicken:

This chicken is supersized! The Jersey Giant, as its name implies, was developed in New Jersey and is a true giant of the chicken world. Although created as a dual-purpose fowl (valued for both meat and eggs), it isn't used on commercial farms because it takes 6 months for them to grow to full size, whereas commercial strains can reach their desired size as early as 5 weeks of age. The Jersey Giant is good-natured and hens are decent brown egg layers.

Origins/History:

Class: American
Type: Large Fowl
Size: Very Heavy (8+ lbs)
Rarity: Rare
Purpose: Dual
Recognized Varieties: Officially recognized colors: Black and White. Unofficial: Blue, Splash

Egg Facts:

Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: X-Large

Fancy Features:

Comb Type: Single Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

Suitability to Backyard Life:

Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter
Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy
Bears Confinement: Bears confinement well
Especially Docile: Yes
Setter/Broody: No
Personality: Docile and easygoing

The Leghorn Chicken:

Leghorns hail from Italy and, like all Mediterranean chickens, they're slim with large combs and wattles, white earlobes, active, good foragers, and good layers of white eggs. None, however, compare to the White Leghorn (which we've made into a separate listing because their egg qualities are so far superior to any other Leghorn).

Origins/History:

Class: Mediterranean
Type: Large Fowl & Bantam
Size: Medium (6-7 lbs)
Rarity: Rare
Purpose: Egg-laying
Recognized Varieties: Dark Brown, Light Brown, White, Black, Buff, Silver, Black-Tailed Red, Columbian, Golden Duckwing

Egg Facts:

Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: White
Egg Size: Large

Fancy Features:

Comb Type: Depends on Variety
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

Suitability to Backyard Life:

Cold Hardiness: Not cold hardy
Heat Tolerance: Tolerates heat well
Bears Confinement: Bears confinement well
Especially Docile: No
Setter/Broody: No
Personality: Active and intelligent

We will only be getting in the Brown Leghorn in 2019

The Wyandotte Chicken:

Wyandottes are a favorite amongst backyard flock owners for their dependable egg laying, easygoing nature, hardiness, and the great variety of beautiful feather patterns available. Silver Penciled, Golden Laced, Blue, Columbian and White Wyandottes are all rather rare.

Blue Laced Red Wyandotte hen

Origins/History:

Class: American
Type: Large Fowl & Bantam
Size: Heavy (7-8 lbs)
Rarity: Common
Purpose: Dual
Recognized Varieties: Official: Silver Laced, Golden Laced, White, Black, Buff, Partridge, Silver Penciled, Columbian, Blue. Unofficial: Blue Laced Red, Barred & others.

Egg Facts:

Egg Laying: Very Good (4/wk)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: Large

Fancy Features:

Comb Type: Rose Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

Suitability to Backyard Life:

Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter
Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy
Bears Confinement: Bears confinement well
Especially Docile: Yes
Setter/Broody: Yes
Personality: Generally easygoing with a tendency toward domination

Columbian Wyandotte hen

The Maran Chicken: The chocolate egg layer

Cuckoo Maran

 Marans are "chocolate eggers" meaning their eggs are a deep chocolate brown color. Eggs of the Black Copper variety--and to a lesser extent, the Silver Cuckoo--are usually the darkest of all, and are highly sought after! If you value a colorful egg basket, Marans are a "must" for your flock! Silver Cuckoo is the most available Marans plumage in North America, although interestingly, that plumage color is not recognized by the APA. Cuckoo Marans in this country are often clean-legged, while others have the standard feathered legs. 

French Black Copper Maran

Origins/History:

Class: Continental (French)
Type: Large Fowl & Bantam
Size: Heavy (7-8 lbs)
Rarity: Rare
Purpose: Egg-laying
Recognized Varieties: APA recognized: White, Wheaten, Black Copper. Not recognized: Birchen, Blue, Salmon, Blue Silver Salmon, Silver Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Others

Egg Facts:

Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: Chocolate
Egg Size: Large

Fancy Features:

Comb Type: Single Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

Suitability to Backyard Life:

Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter
Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy
Bears Confinement: Bears confinement well
Especially Docile: No
Setter/Broody: Yes
Personality: Varies

French Wheaten Maran hen

The Brabanter Chicken:

The Brabanter breed originated in the historic region of Brabant in the Netherlands. It is a very old breed, the oldest known image of one is in a painting of 1676 by the Dutch artist Melchior d'Hondecoeter. The breed quickly gained popularity, but became nearly extinct around the early 1900's, but were recreated from different German breeds. 
Black and Cuckoo Brabanters were shown at the first German poultry exhibition in Saxony, in 1854. A bantam variety of Brabanter was created in around 1934, by cross-breeding the standard-sized Brabanter with bearded bantams of the Polish breed.
This breed is closely related to Owl Beards and has been crossed with them for the breed’s survival in the past. While they are Ornamental they are also bred for their production of white eggs, which they lay fairly regularly. Their eggs can be white white or slightly tinted.
The American Poultry Association has not yet recognized Cream and Gold Brabanters as a Standard Breed of Fowl.

Breed Purpose:

Ornamental

Comb:

V-Shaped

Broodiness:

Seldom

Climate Tolerance:

All Climates

Egg Productivity:

Medium

Egg Size:

Large

Egg Color:

White

Breed Temperament:

Friendly,Flighty,Bears confinement well,Shy

Breed Colors/Varieties:

In the US: Cream and GoldOutside of US: Self-Black, White, Blue-Laced, Cuckoo, Golden Black Half-Moon Spangled, Silver Black Half-Moon Spangled, Yellow White Half-Moon Spangled, Golden Blue Half-Moon Spangled, and Lavender.

Breed Size:

Large Fowl

We will only be getting in the Cream Brabanter in 2019.

The Brahma Chicken:

Brahmas are gentle giants with feathered legs and feet and profuse, fluffy feathering. Originally from India, these birds were bred for meat production, though the hens lay relatively decently and are great setters and mothers. This fancy breed of chicken makes a great pet for its quiet and tame nature, tolerance to the cold, huggability and sheer chic-ness!

Buff Brahma hen

Origins/History:

Class: Asiatic
Type: Large Fowl & Bantam
Size: Very Heavy (8+ lbs)
Rarity: Common
Purpose: Dual
Recognized Varieties: Dark, Light, Buff

Egg Facts:

Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: Medium

Fancy Features:

Comb Type: Pea Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: Yes
Number of Toes: 4

Suitability to Backyard Life:

Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter
Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy
Bears Confinement: Tolerates confinement
Especially Docile: Yes
Setter/Broody: Yes
Personality: Quiet and tame

Dark Brahma hen

Light Brahma hen