What exactly is an Easter Egg Chicken?Easter Egg hens are chickens that lay blue and green pigment eggs. Their eggs appear to have been dyed for Easter, hence
the name. Easter Egg chickens descend from the rare South American Araucana
chickens, but are not purebred. Purebred Araucana chickens have large ear tufts
and no tail (rumpless); whereas Easter Egg chickens have tails, and may or may
not have ear muffs (considerably smaller than the extravagant tufts of Araucanas)
and beards. We have found them to not only be very friendly, but also beautiful
& consistently good layers of large-yolked eggs. They are delicious soft boiled and added to salads in the summer or atop a lovely piece of warm toast in the winter.
The
Polish (aka Polands)
The origins of Polish chickens, despite
their name, can be traced back to the Netherlands and not Poland. They appear
to have a large afro of feathers atop of their head, called a crest. This crest
of feathers makes them look very unique, which is why we enjoy them. As well,
we have found them to be very consistent layers of white eggs.
The
Silkies
Silkies
are a very unique looking breed of
chicken. They are named after their fluffy plumage that feels somewhat
like
silk. Not only does this plumage also makes them appear to be extremely
cuddly;
but, as far as chickens go, they are one of the most docile breeds.
Aside from
looking like balls of fluff, silkies have other distinguishing
characteristics - blue skin, dark blue bones & meat, and 5 toes (as
opposed to the norm of
4). The dark meat of the Silkie chicken is a delicacy in several Asian
cuisines, and these birds are frequently found live in the marketplace
of such
places.
The
Cochins
Cochin chickens originated in China, and
have become very popular since being presented in the 1800's to Queen Victoria,
due to their feathered feet & legs, sweet temperament, and full-feathered
appearance. They lay a brown-shelled egg that is medium sized. Our two hens are both bantams, and so they lay small brown eggs.
The D'uccle
The
D'uccle is a bantam breed that originated in Belgium. They are fancy
little birds, with a bearded face & feathered feet. This breed is
quiet calm, and also very good at foraging. The hens tend to be good
mothers, and lay small creamy coloured eggs. We always try to keep one
or two of this breed as they are a joy to watch.
