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One of the most beautiful breeds with striking plumage is Wyandotte chickens. The breed is named after one of the North American Indian tribes. Although it is not clear what the Indian tribes have to do with it. The breed was bred not by the Indians using the method of folk selection, but by American breeders by complex crossing 6 breeds of chickens at once. The Seabright Wyandot took its “shirt” from the decorative breed, which is distinguished by the special coloring of its feathers: each feather is bordered by a contrasting stripe, which is why the feathers seem to have been drawn by an artist.
From meat gate rocks And cochinquin the Wyandottes gained a larger body size, the Leghorn improved egg production, and the meat-and-egg Orlington and Dorging helped stabilize the breed.
The first Wyandottes had only a silver color. Under the name “Silver Wyandotte,” this breed of chicken was registered in 1883 by the American Poultry Association. The work of the breeders did not stop there, and new color options appeared in the breed. Today in America there are 9 officially recognized variations of the “shirt” for large Wyandottes. For the dwarf form of this breed, a 10th color option has been added.The European standard for Wyandottes allows 30 different colors. The British Association recognizes 14 types of colors.
After the import of chickens to Russia in 1911, it turned out that the breed tolerated Russian winters well, and farmers became interested in it.
They were known as Excelsion, Columbian chickens, Seabrights. These chickens were also given other names.
Description and breed standard of Wyandotte chickens
Chickens were originally bred not only to please the eye, but also to provide owners with high-quality meat and eggs. The breed coped with its task perfectly. It is enough to see the massive body of birds of this breed in the photo to understand how heavy this chicken is in its group.
Today Wyandotte is a breed of chicken that is increasingly becoming an ornamental chicken. What comes first is not the productive characteristics, but the appearance suitable for the show.
Breed standard for large version
General impression: a massive bird for its size. The head is medium-sized with a small rose-shaped crest. A characteristic round spike stands out on the ridge. Earrings and earlobes are rich red. The eyes are orange-red. The neck is strong, of medium length. The color of the metatarsus and beak varies depending on the color and can be light yellow, brown or dark gray. The body of the chicken looks more spherical and is located horizontally. The rooster's body is more elongated and located at a slight angle to the horizontal. The back and lower back are straight and wide. The chest is well filled. The tail is short and bushy.
The rooster's long mane and loin feathers are the same color as the feathers on the body. The color of the braids depends on the coat, but in most cases they are black.
For example, the photo shows that a golden-edged chicken has a black-edged cover feather on its body and the tips of the feathers on its tail are also black.
In the photo with a red-edged chicken, the outer feather has a white edge. The tips of the tail feathers are also white.
The weight of an adult rooster is up to 4 kg, of a laying hen - up to 3 kg.
The description of the dwarf Wyandotte breed is similar to the description of the large variety. The only difference is that the weight of a dwarf Wyandotte cockerel is 1.2 kg, and that of a hen is 1 kg.
Vices:
- a small angular body or, on the contrary, a ball on legs;
- whitish earlobes and earrings;
- absence of a thorn on the ridge;
- narrow body;
- non-standard color.
Defects are a reason for culling a Wyandotte from breeding.
Productive characteristics of both varieties
The Wyandots are growing fast. Chickens at 1.5 months weigh 1.2 kg. By the age of six months, cockerels gain about 3 kg of weight. Further growth slows down and keeping extra males becomes economically unprofitable. Chickens become sexually mature at 6 months. A young laying hen lays 180 eggs per year, weighing about 55 g. In the second year of life, egg production decreases to 130 - 140 pieces.
The dwarf Wyandotte lays up to 120 eggs weighing 35 g.
Poultry farmers highly value the docile nature of Wyandots and the well-developed maternal instinct of chickens of this breed.
Wyandotte colors
Silver-edged.
Golden-edged.
Partridge.
White.
Black.
Dark yellow.
Colombian.
Lavender.
Silver-outlined.
And a couple of photos of officially unrecognized colors by the American Color Association.
Red-lavender edged.
Cuckoo.
How do Wyandot chickens differ from chicks of other breeds?
The variety of colors makes itself felt from the first day of a chicken’s life. A Wyandot can be born with down of almost any color, but it is possible to understand what kind of “shirt” an adult bird will have only after the juvenile molt.
3-day-old silver-edged Wyandotte.
The chick is silver-edged at the beginning of the growth of juvenile feathers.
Chickens are not autosex. They can be divided by sex only after they grow up and show obvious signs.
Interesting! Sometimes cockerels can start crowing at less than a month old.
This squeak does not sound like a full-fledged “crow”, but the children try to comply with the time schedule of the adult roosters.
Wyandots have a high survival rate and caring for little Wyandots is no different from caring for any other chickens. Like any other Wyandot chicks, they should not be kept in dirt, damp or cold.
Problems with breeding
In fact, the problems are not with breeding this breed, but with the purchase of purebred birds. Purebred Wyandottes are practically never found on private farmsteads and you should not count on purchasing high-quality livestock from private hands. In breeding centers, Wyandotte is preserved as genetic material for breeding new breeds or crosses. If you manage to get a hatching egg of purebred Wyandottes, the cost of purchasing it will quickly pay off in the future.Wyandottes have a very high chick hatching and survival rate.
Reviews from Wyandotte owners
Conclusion
In the years when selection work and breeding of any farm animals was the prerogative of the state, these chickens were practically unknown to private owners. Which led to a situation where it became almost impossible to get a purebred Wyandotte. With the opening of borders, it became possible to bring birds from abroad. And chickens of this breed began to appear in private farms in Russia. There are definitely purebred Wyandottes in the Moscow region.Given the beauty of the breed and the enthusiasm of lovers, these chickens will soon win the hearts of many private farm owners.
