Monday, July 28, 2014
1. Onagadori
Diandra Dills / Creative Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org
This Japanese breed of chicken was selectively bred to have tail feathers that grow up to 5 meters in length.
2. Golden Polish
Robyn Anderson / Flickr: robynanderson
These birds are notable for their large bouffant crest of feathers, which sometimesimpedes their vision.
3. Silver Laced Polish
Another variety of Polish chickens, these guys can be used as egg-layers, but they’re better suited to be exhibition birds.
4. Silkie Bantam
I do not understand this license? / Via commons.wikimedia.org
This Chinese breed is “the lap-dog of the chicken world,” and they have five toes instead of four like most chickens.
5. Ayam Cemani
Greenfire Farms / Via greenfirefarms.com
Almost everything about this gorgeous chicken is black. Seriously. Beneath the black feathers and skin you’ll find black-tinted organs and muscles.
6. Manx Rumpy
OMG they don’t have butts! These chickens, who originated from the Isle of Man, do not have tails.
7. Gold Laced Wyandotte
Will Thomas / Flickr: 96491161@N03
These golden birds are reliable egg-layers who do well in cold weather.
8. Modern Game Bantam
This English breed came about in the mid-1800s after cock fighting was outlawed, and former cock fighters instead focused on breeding and showing their strain of game.
9. Serama
Rsteagall / Creative Commons / Via en.wikipedia.org
This Malaysian breed is only six inches tall and is often kept as an indoor pet. Thousands were culled during the bird flu outbreak in 2004, but the breed is on the recovery.
10. Cream Legbar
This rare but popular breed is notable for being one the few breeds of chicken that can be “autosexed,” meaning male and female chicks look different immediately upon hatching and can be easily sorted (the males have a brown stripe on their backs).
11. Transylvanian Naked Neck
Lily15 / Via commons.wikimedia.org
This breed is often mistakenly assumed to be a cross between a chicken and a turkey, but they were actually first bred in Hungary, where their featherless necks made them better at handling the heat and easier to pluck.
12. La Flèche
Gord Webster / Flickr: 37996577538@N01 / Creative Commons
This v-shaped comb on this French breed earned the nickname “Devil’s Head” due to its horn-like appearance.
13. Plymouth Rock
Kevin Prichard Photography / Flickr: kevin-prichard / Creative Commons
This breed, which originated in Plymouth, Mass., was recognized as early as 1874, and has since gone on to become one of the more popular breeds in America.
14. Araucana
In addition to having a sweet set of muttonchops, this South American breed laysblue eggs.
15. Frizzle
These very rare, fluffy birds are thought to hail from Southeastern Asia. The breed almost went extinct, but its numbers were increased thanks to a breeding program.
16. Buttercup
dalemcneill / Flickr: dalemcnl
The Buttercup gets its name from its unique, cup-shaped comb. No other breed’s combs look like this.
17. Hamburg
Ospr3yy / Via commons.wikimedia.org
This old European breed is energetic and easily bored. It’s good at flying (for a chicken) and enjoys roosting in trees.
18. Rhode Island Red
Garrett Heath / Flickr: garrettheath
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this Rhode Island Red is the official state bird of Rhode Island.
19. Belgian Bearded d’Uccle
elysianfields / Flickr: elysianfields / Creative Commons
This awesomely-named chicken was bred to have both a beard and feathered boots.
20. Faverolles
This hearty French breed is a poor flier and becomes very affectionate towards their owners, making them good birds for children.
22. Red Pyle Game Bantam
SimonMohr93 / Via en.wikipedia.org
These elegantly-colored English birds are known for their “alertness, upright appearance, and confident personality.”
23. Sebright
The Sebright is the only breed with two varieties — Golden and Silver. They are a somewhat difficult bird to raise.
24. Phoenix
Anjwalker / Via commons.wikimedia.org
The Phoenix was bred as a European counterpart to the Onagadori, an ancient Japanese breed that the Phoenix is descended from.
25. Minorca
Flickr: dalemcnl / Creative Commons
This Spanish breed is notable for being Lawrence of Arabia’s favorite type of chicken.
26. Appenzeller
Flickr: slv_co / Creative Commons
This polka-dotted breed was named after ladies who wore large, lacey bonnets in Appenzellerland, Switzerland.
27. Brahma
Alice Popkorn / Flickr: alicepopkorn
Sometimes called “The King Of Chicken Breeds,” Brahmas are among the largest breed of chicken, known for their feathered legs. Brahma cocks can weigh more than18 pounds.
