Poultry Chicken Breeds of the Month

Ancona – Large.

For those interested in this beautiful breed, please contact the Secretary of the Ancona Club - Adrian Saines on 02 63821083.

The Ancona takes its name from the province in Italy, where it was originally bred.

The Ancona is known for its hardiness and excellent laying ability, they are not normally prone to broodiness.

It’s ability to forage well under free-range conditions and its economical feeding habit is also an attribute that makes the Ancona very popular with backyard and poultry enthusiasts alike.

They mature early to be layers of white eggs of a good size.

Ancona's are also available in Red and bantam size.

****If you would like more information, including contact details of breeders, click here to go to the Ancona page.****

Barnavelder - double laced.

The Barnevelder is a very placid heavy Dutch breed of medium size and beautiful colouring.

They are hardy, active and reasonable layers, known for their lovely chocolate brown eggs of good size. They begin laying usually in spring.

The Barnevelder come in a variety of colours, the double laced being the most common. There is also a partridge, black & silver laced variety available.

****If you would like further information regarding the Barnevelder including contact details for breeders please click here****

Japanese Bantam
– Black Tailed White.

For those interested in this breed, please contact the Secretary of the True Bantam Club of Australia - Ted or Karen on (07) 46628562

The Japanese Bantam is a true bantam, which is of Asian decent. It is an ornamental fowl that can come in a variety of colours and there is usually one that will appeal to almost anybody.

With its very short legs, the Japanese is very easily handled and to contain, requiring only a small area to ‘waddle’ around in. It makes a great pet for children and with its tall towering upright tail, it looks very impressive in any backyard.

The Japanese requires a clean, dry yard to do well. And generally lays 12-14 eggs before going broody. They make excellent mothers.

****If you would like further information regarding the Japanese including contact details for breeders please click here****

Plymouth Rocks - Dark Barred, (Large)

For those interested in this breed, please contact the Secretary of the Plymouth Rock Club - Adrian Kuys on (08) 88367242.

These are a favourite, are very attractive & easily handled, despite their size.

The Plymouth Rock is a friendly, heavy breed which was developed in America. They are a very hardy, long-lived and are available in bantam and large.

They are a reasonable layer pinkish/brown coloured eggs of medium to large size. The hens are excellent broodies & make good mothers.

You can generally sex the chickens at 3weeks onwards due to the males being slower to feather up than the females.

Plymouth Rocks are also available in bantam & come in the colour varieties of Dark Barred, Light Barred & White.

****If you would like further information regarding the Plymouth Rock including contact details for breeders please click here****

Silkies
- Large : Buff, Splash & Blue, Black, White.

For those interested in this breed, please contact the Secretary of the Silkie Club - Margo Gover on (02) 9671 2560.

The Silkie has to be one of the all time favourite pets, particularly for children. They are just beautiful wandering through the garden.

They are a very docile breed with amazingly, very soft feathers, which both children & adults just love.

They are not known for their egg laying ability – usually 12-14 eggs then they will go broody!

However, they make excellent broodies & mums and are used a lot for hatching eggs from other, flightier breeds that do not go broody.

The Silkie does not require a large backyard and tend to be quite hardy. They can come in a variety of colours such as Buff, White, Black, Partridge, Splash, Grey & Blue and are also available in the bearded variety of each colour.

If you would like more information, including contact details for breeders, click here to go to the Silkie page.

Sussex - Speckled

Originally from the Sussex area in England around 175 years ago, this dual purpose, large breed is still very popular.

The Speckled Sussex is considered the oldest member of the Sussex family and is considered rare in Australia.

The Sussex is a quite natured large bird with good egg laying & mothering abilities. They are quite hardy and enjoy the colder climates.

The chicks can generally be sexed around 2-3 weeks of age with the females feathering up a lot faster than the males and tend to be more colourful in these early stages.

If you would like more information, click here to go to the Speckled Sussex page.

If you would like to review information on some other breeds we have reviewed,
please select from the list below:

Ancona	Araucana
Silkie	Houdan
Brahma	Orpington
Speckled Sussex	Pekin