Wyandotte chicken

Wyandotte

Silver Laced Wyandottes are the original variety of the breed.
Conservation status Recovering
Country of origin USA
Use Dual purpose breed
Traits
Skin color Yellow
Egg color Brown
Comb type Rose
Classification
APA American[1]
PCGB Soft Feather: Heavy[2]
Chicken
Gallus gallus domesticus

The Wyandotte is a breed of chicken originating in the United States. The first examples of the breed appeared in the 1870s. Wyandottes are a docile, dual-purpose breed kept for their brown eggs and for meat. They appear in a wide variety of color patterns, and are popular show birds. The Wyandotte lays pale brown or tan eggs and usually has a white ring of feathers around its neck. Wyandotte hens are devoted mothers.

Appearance

The Wyandotte is a medium sized bird with a rose comb and clean legs. The chicken feathers are broad and loosely fitting. The area around the vent is very fluffy. The legs are yellow.

Colors

Silver Laced Wyandotte chick (three days old)

There are eight colors recognized by the APA (American Poultry Association) which are black, blue, buff, buff Columbian, Columbian, golden laced, partridge, silver laced and silver pencilled.[1] In bantams there is also buff Columbian, black breasted red, blue red, lemon blue, barred, brown red, and birchen that are recognized by the American Bantam Association. Additional colors are either recognized by similar organizations in other countries like the PCGB (Poultry Club of Great Britain). These colors include blue laced red and buff laced. Overall there are 17 colors.

Utility aspects

The hens (females) will lay around 200 eggs a year with an exceptional hen laying around 240 eggs a year. The eggs are brown or tinted. The hens weigh around 6 pounds and the cocks weigh around 8½ pounds. The hens also make great setters. It is sometimes difficult for natural insemination to occur, due to the number and thickness of feathers in the tail area. For the same reason, they are prone to accumulation of feces on vent-area feathers that needs to be regularly washed off, or the vent could become clogged.

Variations

Variation Detail Notes
Golden Laced The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a golden color with black around the edge of every feather, and a black tail. It was included in the Standard of Perfection in 1888.[3] Due to the growing popularity of the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, obtaining quality/heritage Golden Wyandottes has become very hard to come by in America. This is due to people crossing the Golden Laced and Blue Laced birds. Many novices do not realize these are two different varieties of birds. Crossing these varieties is extremely discouraged.
Blue Laced Red The Blue Laced Red is a mahogany red color with blue around the edge of every feather. The Blue Laced Red has the genetics of the Andalusian Blue which will result in the colorations of blue, black, and splash from breeding this variation. The base color of mahogany should not change. This variation is still not recognized in the American Poultry Association.
Buff Laced The Buff Laced is an even buff color with white around the edge of the feathers. This variation is not recognized by the American Poultry Association.
Silver Laced Similar to other laced, they have a base coat of white with black edging. They are the original Wyandottes.
White The white is a solid white all over with no blemishes. Any black, buff, or other "color leakage" is a disqualification.
Black The black is black all over with a beetle-green sheen. Purple sheen on the feathers is a defect and should not be bred.
Buff The buff is an even buff color all over. A buff is like a ginger orange and should not include white.
Columbian Columbian has a base color of white, with a black tail, black wing tips and a laced neck like a Silver Laced Wyandotte. Black mossing on the cushion is a common defect of this coloration.
Partridge The Partridge coloration varies from the U.S. to the United Kingdom. In America the base color is mahogany with black penciling, while the U.K. birds have a cream base with black penciling. In America the standard (large fowl) Partridge Wyandotte is endangered and nearly became extinct.
Silver Pencilled Silver Pencilled is similar to the Partridge, but the base color is white/"silver" versus the Partridge mahogany or cream. In America both the standard (large fowl) and bantam are critically endangered.
Blue The Blue variation deals with the Andalusian blue gene which gives blue, black and splash offspring. (Splash is not a recognised color but can be used for breeding.) The base blue of the bird should be dark and rich with a darker blue around each feather, giving the illusion of a laced feather.
Barred The Barred, in both genders, has feathers with black and white stripes across the width of the feather, all over the body.
Mille Fleur The Mille Fleur Wyandotte is a rich red or buff color with black mottling or crescents, with white spots on the tips. This variety is not recognized by the American Poultry Association
Buff Columbian Like the Columbian except the base color is buff.
Red The Red Wyandotte is a rich, deep red and should not show any signs of being light like the buff coloration.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Accessed August 2014.
  2. ↑ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed August 2014.
  3. ↑ Edgar L. Petty (2001).Wyandottes: The American Breed with an Indian Name and Eurasian Background. SPPA Bulletin 6 (4): 4–6. Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities. Accessed August 2014.

External links

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