Spectacular, calm, full of dignity - Wyandotte chickens, which appeared in the USA in the 19th century, have gathered the best qualities of meat and egg breeds. The first birds entered the standard in the USA in 1883 (they were silver representatives of the breed), in Russia it happened in 1911.
Breed development
The first silver-bordered variety, as already noted, was recognized and accepted as a standard in the States in 1883. In 1933, black, yellow, Colombian, partridge, silver-edged, silver with a black pattern and white appeared. In 1960 and 1965, golden-fringed and yellow-Colombian were added. In 1977, they were blue.
Chicken and Rooster: Appearance
They have a classic round shape, yellow or horny beak, long yellow bare legs. The crest is small (the male also, in comparison with the Leghorn, for example). Hens are very calm in character, almost never, even near food, do not fight. Females are also excellent brood hens.
On January 1, 2012, the American Poultry Association (APA) recognized 10 color options, despite the fact that today more than 17 options are known. Wyandotte is a breed of chickens whose photos invariably attract attention due to the bright and beautiful colors of the birds.
Among those for which the breed standard exists: black, blue, fawn, fawn-Colombian, Colombian, golden-fringed, partridge, silver-fringed, white, silver with a black pattern.
The weight of the average rooster ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kg, chicken - from 2 to 3 kg. Wyandotte chickens grow very quickly and reach adult size at the 15th week of birth.
White hens
White-colored viandotas were at one time very popular due to their productivity, tasty meat, liveliness and endurance, however, during the Second World War the population decreased significantly.
These hens laid large light brown eggs and, as a rule, possessed a beautiful silky plumage. However, most British Wyandots had a soft fluffy feather cover, gave fewer eggs and needed much more protection from the elements.
In the middle of the 20th century, most white Wyandottes flocked successfully throughout the winter (some chickens gave up to 240 eggs per year - an outstanding result) and were an ideal choice when you needed a cold-resistant bird that could give many eggs and tasty meat with a minimum worries, with a calm and friendly character.
Color options
Although the American Poultry Association officially recognizes only 10 flowers (achieving inclusion in the standard is not so simple, one of the requirements is that there must be at least 5 APA member breeders that have bred this particular species for at least 5 years), there are significantly more:
- White. Appeared in 1885 thanks to the selection of B.M. Briggs from silvery Wyandottes of light shades, white leggorn and orpington, as well as dorkings. Feathers and down have a pure white color. Blotches of a different shade or yellow plaque are considered a serious drawback.
- Silvery. They were the first recognized birds of this breed. Chickens of the Wyandotte silver breed originated from a whole set of variegated ancestors, such as Kohinkin, Brama, Leghorn, Sebright, Bentamka, Hamburg, Orpington.
- Black. Strictly black down and feathers with a greenish tint and yellow metatarsus, with the same or dark horned beak. The male in the tail of the tail may have a little white color. The down at the base of the feathers may also be white. The standard does not allow bronze color in the feathers of feathers or pigtails of the rooster, the dark metatarsus of the hen or the pale metatarsus of the male, just like a black beak or plumage without a green shine.
- Blue. This somewhat exotic coloring appeared as a result of the crossing of silver wyandottes with blue andalusians. Blue chickens Wyandotte have a uniform color of feathers and fluff, without bordering. The loin, head and mane of the rooster, together with the integumentary plumage of the wings, are darker, sometimes velvety black. In fluff, a little white is permissible. Metatarsus and yellow beak (or horny beak). Unacceptable disadvantages include unevenness, spotting, black spots, white or black beak, greenish or brown shade of feathers. Young roosters should not have white in the tail.
- Silver-edged. The history of the appearance of this coloring has several stages. First of all, the crossbreeds of sebright and kokhinkhin were crossed, and secondly, silver Hamburg breeds with a dark brama. Mestizos from the first pair were then crossed with chickens from the second. Further selection formed what can be seen at the breeders of our time.
- Golden-edged. According to the standard, roosters of this species have a golden color of feathers (including heads and manes) with a black pattern on them. The tail is black with a green sheen. In chicken, the main color of plumage is golden brown, with a black and green shine pattern. The feathers and down are black. Golden Wyandotte was bred by Joseph Mackin from Wisconsin as a result of crossing silver-bred hens of this breed with Winnebago roosters.
- Striated. They look more pockmarked than striped. But in fact, according to breed standards, their main color is brilliant black. However, clearly defined white stripes pass at equal intervals on each feather. The correct plumage as a whole should look bluish-gray. The fluff of the striated Wyandotte has the same pattern as the feathers, but in a lighter shade. It is unacceptable if the stripes or pattern as a whole are fuzzy, too large, and the plumage gives the impression of a dark or brownish color.
- Colombian. Received in 1893 by the same B. M. Briggs. The result (if you believe the stories) is largely random; the crossing of white Wyandots with striped Plymouths was not planned. The result of the union was further crossed with a red Rhode Island and a light brahma. The resulting bird is mostly white, with black strokes along the feather shaft and silver edging of the mane.
- Golden white. The main color of the roosters is golden. The pattern is white, the tail, belly and down are white (as in chicken). The head is golden with a white stroke-like pattern.
- Wyandotte is golden. The mane of both varieties is the same - golden in color with a dashed white pattern.
- Golden Mane. Bright beautiful birds. The rooster has chests, legs, belly and tail of black color with a greenish sheen, feathers of the feathers have a brownish smell, while they themselves are saturated black. The head of the female and male is red-brown. The chicken’s mane and the rooster’s mane have a golden yellow color with a black pattern. In this case, the main shade of plumage in females is gray-brown, without any pattern.
- Silver mane. The main color of the chicken is gray with a splash of small black dots. The rooster has a chest with black, green tint, shins and stomach. The head is white, as are the wings from the shoulders to the transverse stripes.
- Fawn. The coloring, which is very common among outbred chickens, is a simple, uniform, saturated yellow color. It is considered unacceptable if the birds of this species are spotted or mottled, too dark or light, or with a reddish tint. There are also fawn white-striped and fawn black and Colombian. The primary color in females and males is yellow. The plumage pattern is the same as the "Colombians". The down is gray.
- Chintz. A very interesting variety of chickens - the main color is light chestnut brown, but at the same time on each feather on the tip there is a black spot with a greenish tint, in the middle of which there is a white dot. Males differ from females in that their pattern is slightly darker and more expressive.
- Red Wyandots. They have the same color of feathers as the rhode islands, sometimes a little lighter.
- Partridge. In 1895-1896, partridge Wyandottes were bred in Iowa in the United States. Golden Hamburg, Indian fighting, partridge cohinchins, English fighting and Italian partridge chickens participated in the creation of the breed.
- The dark ones. They have a beautiful clear black pattern on a light background, dark slate fluff.
- Golden blue. Chickens from pairs of this color are blue with white plumage. Adult males are mostly golden, only the fluff is blue and the belly is dark gray. Females are golden brown with a blue pattern.
- Dwarf Wyandotte. A breed of chickens that appeared in the 20th century in England and Germany.
Nature of birds
The chickens as a whole are very calm and friendly, however, they maintain some distance with the person - they do not revolve around the owner, unless you specially tame them.
In addition, they like to "talk" - which includes the singing of roosters and the cackling of hens. Perfectly hatched and raised chickens, both their own and from other chickens.
How many eggs can I get from Wyandotte?
At the age of about 25 weeks, birds begin to rush. In the first year they give from 180 to 200 eggs, in the second - from 130 to 150. Some especially good laying hens can produce up to 240 pieces per year.
For comparison: representatives of egg breeds give up to 220-250 pieces in the first year (some hybrid chicken - up to 300). In 1979, the leggorn hen laid 371 eggs, becoming the record holder for this indicator among all recorded cases.
Advantages of Wyandotte
Briefly summarizing all that has been said, the advantages of the breed include resistance to cold, unpretentiousness in food, a friendly and calm character, tasty meat with a fairly large number of eggs laid.
At the same time, birds have a hatching instinct and chicks are well bred, begin to rush early. You can keep them in open-air cages, because they do not know how to fly.
Worth mentioning are some of the disadvantages that chickens of Wyandotte have. Reviews about them are usually enthusiastic, especially from beginners. However, this poultry is prone to obesity (which is not critical) and susceptible to infections. Therefore, their habitat must be kept as clean as possible, as well as limited communication with other people's hens.
Conditions of detention
These birds are unpretentious, but it is better to feed them several times a day, or make sure that food and water are always available. It is advisable to additionally enrich the diet with calcium and vitamins. Some farmers use shredded dry dog food for this purpose.
Birds need free walking, especially in the summer. Since they do not know how to fly, you can either let them out into the garden or build a special aviary. The chicken coop should have perches and cleaned regularly (using caustic soda or other safe disinfectants).
Who are they suitable for?
An excellent choice of Wyandotte chickens will be for beginners and for people who want to keep independent, calm, friendly birds. They are also good in a 2-in-1 role, both as a source of meat and as layers.
Perfect for farms that have land that can be given to chickens for walking. Females are “living incubators”.
Dwarf Wyandotte
In addition to the usual variety of breed of different colors, there is one more. Dwarf Wyandots. This breed has a smaller size and weight, which varies in the region of 0.9–1 kg, and, accordingly, they need less food. Hens are more rounded in shape. Eggs are also smaller.
Despite the size of these chickens, the pygmy wyandotte is otherwise very similar to the usual one - the same colors, similar conditions of detention, feeding, instinct of sitting out and a calm character.