Welsummer

The Welsummer originates from Holland having been named after a village called Welsum and developed along the river Ysel to the north of Deventer arriving in England in 1928. A breed developed as a layer they produce a dark brown egg with speckles and should produce up to 230 eggs in their first year. I keep two varieties of Welsummers, the partridge colour which most people recognise and also the rarer Silver Duckwing variety, both colours are truly wonderful to watch in their surroundings.

Sussex

The Sussex bird is a utility bird which descends from the old Sussex fowl which were kept by the Victorians for their meat and eggs. In its early history it was one of the main table birds for the London meat market when it was regarded as a top class table bird. The Sussex was so highly prized as a utility bird that a commercial industry was founded around the areas of "Tunbridge Wells" and "East Bourne" to supply fresh eggs and meat to London on a daily basis.

The Sussex breed have lovely calm temperaments making them suitable for children and novice poultry keepers. They are classified as a large heavy breed and are a good dual purpose breed producing 180 eggs approximately a year which are a lovely cream colour and any surplus males make good table birds. I keep both the light and the Speckled Sussex.

The following page lists all the large fowl breeds I currently keep along with some interesting background information on each breed which makes them all so different.

Maran

Marans were developed in western France in the town of Marans twelve miles north of La Rochelle in the mid 1800’s. Originally developed as a dual purpose breed it became popular for its dark brown eggs when a UK wholesaler based in London imported eggs, which lead to British farmers breeding the Maran. A fast grower that will even do well in damp areas due to it been developed in a marshy area of France, therefore the Maran is often regarded as a very hardy bird. The original birds imported from France had feathered legs but the British developed Cuckoo Maran has lost this characteristic due to it been bred out. I have the French variety which has the feathered legs and lay a much darker egg than the British developed Maran.

Araucana

I keep Araucanas in Lavender and as you can see in the pictures they have a very unique appearance with ear tufts instead of normal ear lobes found on other chicken breeds. The Araucana originates from South America in Chile and they lay a lovely green/blue egg. I am a member of the Araucana club and I'm constantly trying to breed chickens that are true to type with a good egg colour.

Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is an American breed which was developed during the 1900's with its ancestry been traced back to birds that were bred in Rhode Island hence their name. During the 20th Century the breed became popular with local farmers who improved the breed making it gain a reputation as a fantastic egg layer. The Rhode Island Red is a good dual purpose bird been early to mature and providing a good number of eggs as well as having a good resistance to illness.

Silkie

Silkies are classified as a soft feather and is believed to have originated in India, China or Japan. Silkies become broody often and make fantastic mothers, but they are also suitable for children as they easily become tame. Silkies are unusual in appearance as they have a fifth toe with legs been purplish in colour in fact all of their skin is this unusual colour including the meat. The feathers have a lovely silkie quality so they are unable to fly and they have a fluffy head crest adding to their unusual look.

I keep gold bearded Silkies in large fowl, which although classed under the large fowl standard they are stll a relatively small bird in comparison to other large breeds. Silkies are a charming breed with their striking appearance making them a firm favourite with all members of the family.

Orpington

The Orpington was first created in the Village of Orpington in the UK by William Cook in 1886.They are a large, heavy breed with lots of feathers, which make them good broody hens as well as a beautiful bird. I just have the gold laced colour which is a rare colour that was introduced into the UK from Germany, a stunning bird with the famous docile temperament that lay a tinted colour egg.

Partridge Welsummer Pullet.

Silver Duckwing Welsummer group.

Speckled Sussex hen - the oldest variety of Sussex.

Rhode Island Red group.

Araucana Pullet.

French Maran Group.

Gold Bearded Silkie Hen.

Gold Laced Orpington Pullet.