You’re not alone, lots of people don’t like chicken feet! But what if they were covered in feathers? Here are a few breeds that you might like because they wear fuzzy slippers.
BrahmaCochinSilkie
Brahma – This breed is known for its large size, gentle disposition & feathered feet. Eggs: About 200 per year. Size: Standard: 8lbs. | Bantam: 34 oz. Cochin – Known for their docile personalities & large size & big fluffy feet. Eggs: 2-3 eggs per week medium brown or tinted. Size: 8-8.5 lbs. | Bantam: Just under 2 lbs. Silkie – Has fluffy feathers all over its body, including on its feet & toes. Eggs: On average, about 120 small, cream-colored eggs per year. Size: 2-3 lbs.
Here are the most common crested breeds that are available at most hatcheries. Yes! You can mail-order chicks and when they arrive at your local post office they will notify you. We frequently order from Meyer Hatchery and have been very satisfied with their service, and the quality of their chicks. You don’t have to order a lot of chicks either, but keep in mind, chicks transport better when there are at least six.
PolishHoudanSultan
My Favorite…
Silkie
Polish: The Polish chicken is a very popular breed of crested chicken known for its distinctive feather crest on its head. They come in a variety of colors including white, black, silver, and golden. Houdan: The Houdan chicken is another popular breed of crested chicken known for its feather crest and muffs. Sultan: The Sultan chicken is a unique crested breed known for its fluffy feather crest, beard, and feathered feet. They come in white and black varieties. Silkie: The Silkie chicken is a crested chicken known for its soft, fluffy feathers and black skin.
The Cookies & Cream chicken is a hybrid, meaning it is created by crossing two different parents and will not breed true. Crosses are generally created for egg production qualities, egg color, or feather color variations or patterns. When fully grown this breed will be a medium size, with feathered legs and mottled feathers. Cookies and Cream hens will produce cream-colored eggs, have a crest and beard, and may or may not have 5 toes. Meyer Hatchery has partnered with chicken enthusiast, Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily to bring you the Cookies and Cream Hybrid. The breeds used to create this chicken are not disclosed, so your guess is as good as mine what they are mixed with. I’m guessing you’re buying a Silkie Cross.
I Did My Homework on This So-Called Designer Bird & Here’s What I Think
Steele EggerSteele Egger Chicks
Clever name for this grayish breed because this hybrid was created by Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily. Hybrids AKA crossbreeds are created specifically for egg production qualities, feather patterns, or egg colors. The Steele Egger’s color is considered blue or splash, but from what I’ve seen the mature hens are mostly gray. The chicks are gray, or yellow, or a mix of gray and yellow. Be Advised, Hybrids are created by crossing two different parents and will not breed true. In this case, we know the Easter Egger lays blue-green eggs, but what we don’t know is the breed it was crossed with. There’s no guarantee the Steele Egger will lay colorful eggs, there is a 1 in 64 chance the Easter Egger will lay a tan or tinted egg. However, if you’re looking for a prolific egg layer, the Easter Egger is a superstar, so whatever breed it’s crossed with was probably chosen to create a super superstar. Or, it was bred for colorful eggs as the priority. Sounds like a win-win situation to me! The Steele Egger is an exclusive breed at Meyer Hatchery, unfortunately, Meyer Hatchery does not disclose what breed or breeds is used to create the Steele Egger. But I have my suspicions, time will tell, and eventually, that information will leak from somewhere. What the heck, I’ll put my two cents in now just for kicks, I say a Cream Legbar. Why? Because a crest is mentioned as a possibility, it’s cream with gray barring, AND this breed lays a pale blue egg. Kind of a no-brainer, but who knows!
Ameraucana: This breed is known for its blue or green eggs. The color can range from light blue to a darker green. Easter Egger: This is a mixed breed that is often confused with Ameraucanas, but can lay a wider variety of colors, including blue, green, brown, and even pink. Marans: This breed is known for its dark brown eggs. Some Marans can lay eggs with a deep red color, which is highly prized by some egg enthusiasts. Welsummer: This breed is known for its dark, terracotta-colored eggs. The eggs can have speckles or spots of a darker color. Olive Egger: This is a mixed breed that is created by crossing a dark brown egg-laying breed (such as Marans) with a blue or green egg-laying breed (such as Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers). The resulting eggs can be a shade of olive green.
Six Breeds That Have a Tendency to be Easily Startled and Prone to Flight
Leghorn: Known for their flighty nature and agility. Hamburg: Flighty behavior. They are fast and agile, and they can fly great distances if they need to. Campine: Campines are a Belgian breed of chicken known for their flighty nature. Polish: Polish chickens are known for their fancy head feathers, but also known for being flighty. Araucana: Araucanas are a South American breed of chicken known for their flightiness. Minorca: They are very active and love to fly, so they need plenty of space to explore.
Looking to build a flock that will give you a basket of colorful eggs? Here are 25 breeds to choose from. If you want to veer from the ordinary chicks you find at feed stores, I listed a few breeds that might interest you. But you’ll most likely have to order them from a hatchery. You’ll find those hard-to-find breeds Here.
Easter Egger, The Superstar for Color!
Rhode Island Red –Brown Leghorn – White Orpington – Brown Plymouth Rock – Brown Sussex – Brown Australorp – Brown Welsummer – Dark Brown Marans – Dark Brown Easter Egger – Blue/Green Ameraucana – Blue/Green Olive Egger – Olive Green Cream Legbar – Blue Icelandic – White, Cream, or Light Blue Faverolle – Cream, or Dark Cream Hamburg – White Buckeye – Brown Barnevelder – Dark Brown Dorking – White Brahma – Brown Cochin – Brown Silkie – Cream Serama – Cream or Light Brown Polish – White or Cream Sultan – White Lakenvelder – White
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 