Thursday, July 30, 2009

Bizarre Breed of Chickens

Chickens have been domesticated for thousands of years. This fowl is one of the most common and widespread domestic


animals. In recent years, it reached a population of more than 24 billion. There are more chickens in the world than any other


bird. Chickens are kept primarily for human consumption, both their meat and their eggs. Through the ages new breeds of


chicken were developed. Here are some of the most unusual and odd-looking breed of chickens.


1. Silkie



Image Source


Silkie or silky hens are known for their docile temperament. Silkies most likely come from China or in other Southeast


Asian countries. It is a unique breed named for its distinct plumage, which is said to feel like silk. Silkie chicken has


several other peculiar qualities, such as dark blue flesh and bones and blue earlobes.


2. Naked Neck



Image Source


This peculiar breed of chicken originated in Europe. The Naked Neck, Turken or Transylvanian Naked Neck is the


only breed of chicken that is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck. This name Turken arose from the mistaken idea


that the bird was a hybrid of a chicken and the domestic turkey. This breed is fairly common in Europe but is rare in


North America.


3. Sultan



Image Source


If Turken lacks feather on its neck, the Sultan is covered almost entirely with feather from head to toe. This odd-looking


breed came from Turkey. They have always been primarily ornamental, having been kept in the gardens of Ottoman


sultanate. They are bred in the West for competitive showing as part of poultry fancy, and are generally a rare sight.


4. Frizzle



Image Source


When I was a kid, I was so amazed, the first time I saw a Frizzle. The feathers curl outwards, rather than laying flat as


in most chickens. While many consider the Frizzle to be an entirely separate breed, chickens from all breeds may have


a frizzled appearance. As a result of its unusual look, Frizzles are primarily exhibition birds.


5. Araucana



Image Source


This distinct breed is called Araucana or South American Rumpless. This breed originated in Chile. It has several


unusual characteristics; they lay blue eggs, they have feather tufts near their ears and are rumpless.


6. Faverolles



Image Source


Another bizarre-looking breed that originated in France is the Faverolles. They were originally bred in France as a utility


fowl, but are now primarily raised for exhibition. The Faverolles is relatively large and has a beard, muffs, feathered feet,


and five toes per foot like the Silkies.


7. Houdan



Image Source


This old breed of chicken is also from France, from the city of Houdan, hence the name.The Houdan is a breed of chicken


native to France. With an attractive appearance, the Houdan combines the distinctive features of the breeds that contributed


to its development.


8. La Fleche



Image Source


France has developed several unique breed of chicken. One of which is La Fleche, a very rare breed. Its main distinguishing


feature is its unusual V-shaped comb. They are usually used as ornamental birdsand have white eggs.


9. Booted Bantam



Image Source


At a glance, there’s nothing unusual on this breed of chicken. The Booted Bantam or Dutch Booted Bantam is a bantam


breed whose name is derived from its extravagant feathering on the feet and hock joints, which are called vulture hocks


or “sables” in Dutch.


10. Polish



Image Source


This breed from Europe is known for its crest of feathers. In addition to combs, Polish heads are adorned with large


crests due to a cone on the top of their skull. The crests cover almost their entire heads. Polish chickens are bred


primarily as a show bird, but were originally egg layers.


11. Appenzeller



Image Source


This breed is from Switzerland. There are two varieties of Appenzeller, the Spitzhauben, meaning “pointed hood”, has a


V-comb and feather crests in males and females and the Barthuhner (“bearded hen”) has a rose comb and no crest.


12. Crevecoeur



Image Source


This rare breed came from France specifically in the town of Creveceour in Normandy where it got its name. It is one


of the oldest French chicken breeds, and may be the progenitor of the La Fleche. They have uniformly black plumage,


a V-shaped comb and large crests. Their legs are a dark blue–gray.


Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!


For colorful birds see


The Twenty Most Brilliantly Colored Birds in the World.


For loving and caring bird fathers see


The Most Loving and Caring Feathered Fathers.


For poisonous birds see


Meet Pitohui, Ifrita and Rufous: The Most Poisonous Birds on Earth.


For trivia about the largest bird see


Amazing Facts About The Largest of All Birds


For more articles about birds see


Creepy-looking Winged-Billed-Creatures


Interesting Things About Birds


Amazingly Unique Nesting, Mating and Hatching Behavior of Birds


Amazing Facts About Strigiformes


For aquarium pets see


Pretty Aquatic Pets: 10 Most Beautiful Shrimps


Brightly Colored Snails: Beautiful Aquarium Pets


Fantastic and Unique Breed of Goldfish


For weird and exotic pets see


Bizarre and Exotic Pets: Weird and Unique Turtles


For pet birds see


World's Most Favorite Pet Birds






(Bukisa ID #38683)

Content Source: Bizarre Breed of Chickens - Bukisa.com

No comments:

Post a Comment