Chickens

Chicks, Eggs and birds for sale!

Nothing for sale at this time.
adamsfamilypoultryfarm@gmail.com






Here on the farm we decided to raise and try to specialise in only two breeds of poultry.
Buff Orpingtons

The Orpington is a breed of chicken named after Orpingtonn, England, which was made famous in part by this breed. Belonging to the English class of chickens , it was bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality. Their large size and soft appearance together with their rich color and gentle contours make them very attractive, and as such its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. They go broody very often, and make great mothers. Being rather heavy, they are able to fly small distances and rarely do, so they work well as backyard birds. Due to their build they do well in very cold climates. The fluff of their feathers allows rain water to penetrate, so they must be kept out of the rain.


History

The original Black Orpington was bred by William Cook in 1886 by crossing Minorcas , Langshans and Plymouth Rocks to create a new hybrid bird. Cook selected a black bird that would exhibit well by hiding the dirt and soot of London. The first Orpingtons looked very much like the Langshan. According to the British Poultry Standards, the White was bred in 1889, the Buff in 1894, and the Blue in 1905. When the breed was shown in Madison Square Gardens in 1895, its popularity soared.

The original colors are black, white, buff, blue and splash. Although there are many additional varieties recognized throughout the world, only the original colors are recognized by the American Standard, the Buff being the most common. In the beginning of the twentieth Century Herman Kuhn of Germany developed a Bantam variety. The Bantam retains the large appearance, but in a smaller size. Like the Standard varieties, there is a large variety of colors in the Bantam version (i.e. black, blue laced, white, buff, red, buff black laced, barred, buff Columbian, and birchen. The Bantam retains the friendly personality of the Standard breed, and seldom or never flies, so it too makes for a good backyard breed.


The Orpington has a heavy, broad body with a low stance, and the down from their body covers most of their legs.

Heavy weight (7 to 10 pounds),
Soft, profuse feathering, which almost hides the legs of the bird,
Curvy shape with a short back and U-shaped underline,
A small head with a medium single comb.
Large and usually easily tamed
Fluffy feathers making it look distinctively large.

Approximate weight

Rooster - 4.5 kg (10lbs)
Hen - 3.6 - 4.8 kg (9 -10.5lbs)
Cockrel - 3.8 kg (8.5lbs)
Pullets - 3.2 kg (7 -7.5 lbs)

Dual Purpose Birds

Orpingtons lay about 175 to 200 medium to large light-brown eggs a year. They do not stop laying in the winter.
It was said to at one time lay as many as 340 eggs per year. This decline in production was due to breeders selecting for looks over utility.
The chickens also get large, so they are suited for eating as well. They are also great mothers. All of these qualities make them perfect Homestead chickens.

Chantecler

The Chantecler is a breed of chicken originating in Canada. One of only two native Canadian breeds, the Chantecler was developed in the early 20th century, at the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in Oka, Quebec. It is extremely cold-resistant, and is suitable for both egg and meat production.

History

At the dawn of the 20th century, no breeds of chicken had been established in Canada, and Canadian farmers and poultry fanciers only had fowl of European and American derivation. This fact was noted by Brother Wilfred Chantelain, a Trappist monk and Doctor of Agronomy as he toured the poultry flocks of the Oka Agricultural Institute, an agricultural school at his abbey which is affiliated with the Université de Montréal.
In 1907, the Brother set out to remedy this void and create a practical chicken that would be suited to Canada's climate and production needs. Working at the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in Oka, Chantelain first combined Dark Cornishes, White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, White Plymout Rocks and White Wyandottes, creating the White variant of the Chantecler. It was admitted in to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1921. By 1918, the breed was presented to the public. To this day, the Chantecler is one of only two breeds of poultry from Canada, and the only one known to have been created primarily by a member of a monastic order.
At the outset, it was only intended for the breed to be white in color; white birds are preferred for commercial meat production in the West, as they produce a particularly clean-looking carcass. In the 1930s, the Partridge Chantecler was generated by crossing Partridge Wyandottes, Partridge Cochins, Dark Cornishes, and the rose comb type of Brown Leghorns to produce a chicken more adapted to free range conditions. This variant was admitted to the Standard in 1935. There has also been a Buff variety present since the 1950s, but it has never been admitted to show standards.
In 1979, the extinction of the Chantecler was publicized, with what was thought to be the last rooster of the breed dying at the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Animal and Poultry Science. However, despite the disappearance of the breed in institutional and commercial hatcheries, it was still maintained by a few small farms. In the 21st century, the breed persists, but is listed as Critical by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

The Chantecler is a large chicken that lays respectably well and is a good meat producer. Roosters weigh around 9 pounds (3.9 kg), and hens are 6.5-7.5 pounds (3-3.4 kg).The breed possess yellow skin and beaks and lay brown eggs. With plumage that lies tight against the body but has a good deal of fluff, and an exceptionally small cushion comb and wattles, the Chantecler is one of the most cold hardy chickens. They are gentle birds amenable to taming, but can be temperamental in confinement.

Info taken from wiki