Wyandotte chicken

Wyandotte

Silver Laced Wyandottes are the original variety of the breed.
Conservation status	Recovering
Country of origin	USA
Use	Dual purpose breed
Traits
Skin color	Yellow
Egg color	Brown
Comb type	Rose
Classification
APA	American
PCGB	Soft Feather: Heavy
Chicken Gallus gallus domesticus

The Wyandotte is a breed of chicken originating in the United States. The first examples of the breed appeared in the 1870s. Wyandottes are a docile, dual-purpose breed kept for their brown eggs and for meat. They appear in a wide variety of color patterns, and are popular show birds. The Wyandotte lays pale brown or tan eggs and usually has a white ring of feathers around its neck. Wyandotte hens are devoted mothers.

Appearance

The Wyandotte is a medium-sized bird with a rose comb and clean legs. The chicken feathers are broad and loosely fitting. The area around the vent is very fluffy. The legs are yellow.

Colors

Silver Laced Wyandotte chick (three days old)

There are eight colors recognized by the APA (American Poultry Association) which are black, blue, buff, buff Columbian, Columbian, golden laced, partridge, silver laced and silver pencilled. In bantams there is also buff Columbian, black breasted red, blue red, lemon blue, barred, brown red, and birchen that are recognized by the American Bantam Association. Additional colors are either recognized by similar organizations in other countries like the PCGB (Poultry Club of Great Britain). These colors include blue laced red and buff laced. Overall there are 17 colors.

Golden Laced Wyandotte hen

Utility aspects

The hens (females) will lay around 200 eggs a year with an exceptional hen laying around 240 eggs a year. The eggs are brown or tinted. The hens weigh around 6 pounds and the cocks weigh around 8½ pounds. The hens also make great setters. It is sometimes difficult for natural insemination to occur, due to the number and thickness of feathers in the tail area. For the same reason, they are prone to accumulation of feces on vent-area feathers that needs to be regularly washed off, or the vent could become clogged.

Variations

Variation	Detail	Notes
Golden Laced	The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a golden color with black around the edge of every feather, and a black tail. It was included in the Standard of Perfection in 1888. Due to the growing popularity of the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, obtaining quality/heritage Golden Wyandottes has become very hard in America. This is due to people crossing the Golden Laced and Blue Laced birds.
Blue Laced Red	The Blue Laced Red is a mahogany red color with blue around the edge of every feather. The Blue Laced Red has the genetics of the Andalusian Blue which will result in the colorations of blue, black, and splash from breeding this variation. The base color of mahogany should not change.	This variation is still not recognized in the American Poultry Association.
Buff Laced	The Buff Laced is an even buff color with white around the edge of the feathers.	This variation is not recognized by the American Poultry Association.
Silver Laced	Similar to other laced, they have a base coat of white with black edging. They are the original Wyandottes.
White	The white is a solid white all over with no blemishes. Any black, buff, or other "color leakage" is a disqualification.
Black	The black is black all over with a beetle-green sheen. Purple sheen on the feathers is a defect and should not be bred.
Buff	The buff is an even buff color all over. A buff is like a ginger orange and should not include white.
Columbian	Columbian has a base color of white, with a black tail, black wing tips and a laced neck like a Silver Laced Wyandotte. Black mossing on the cushion is a common defect of this coloration.
Partridge	The Partridge coloration varies from the U.S. to the United Kingdom. In America the base color is mahogany with black penciling, while the U.K. birds have a cream base with black penciling.	In America the standard (large fowl) Partridge Wyandotte is endangered and nearly became extinct.
Silver Pencilled	Silver Pencilled is similar to the Partridge, but the base color is white/"silver" versus the Partridge mahogany or cream.	In America both the standard (large fowl) and bantam are critically endangered.
Blue	The Blue variation deals with the Andalusian blue gene which gives blue, black and splash offspring. (Splash is not a recognised color but can be used for breeding.) The base blue of the bird should be dark and rich with a darker blue around each feather, giving the illusion of a laced feather.
Barred	The Barred, in both genders, has feathers with black and white stripes across the width of the feather, all over the body.
Mille Fleur	The Mille Fleur Wyandotte is a rich red or buff color with black mottling or crescents, with white spots on the tips.	This variety is not recognized by the American Poultry Association
Buff Columbian	Like the Columbian except the base color is buff.
Red	The Red Wyandotte is a rich, deep red and should not show any signs of being light like the buff coloration.

See also

• Delayed feathering in chickens, a condition found in this breed

External links

• Wyandotte Breeders of America
• Wyandotte profile on backyardpoultry.com Detailed breed profile including photos of some colour varieties.
• Wyandotte Chicken Page on poultrykeeper.com Includes detailed breed history, photos of the varieties and other information.
• Feathersite's Wyandotte Page
• ChickenCrossing.Org's Golden Laced Wyandotte Age Progression Photos
• Wyandottes and rocks's Wyandotte Page