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One of the most beautiful breeds with conspicuous plumage is Wyandot chickens. The breed is named after one of the North American Indian tribes. Although what the Indian tribes have to do with it is not clear. The breed was bred not by the Indians by the method of folk selection, but by American breeders by complex crossing of 6 breeds of chickens at once. Wyandot took his “shirt” from the decorative breed Seabright, which is distinguished by a special color of feathers: each feather is bordered with a contrasting stripe, which makes the feathers seem to be traced by the artist.
From the beef Brahma and Cochin, the Wyandot gained a large body size, the Leghorn improved egg production, and the meat and egg Orlington and Dorging helped to stabilize the breed.
The first Wyandots had only a silver color. Under the name “Wyandot Silver” this breed of chickens was registered in 1883 with the American Poultry Association. The work of breeders did not stop there, and new color options appeared in the breed. To date, in America, 9 variations of the “shirt” for large wyandotes are officially recognized. For the dwarf form of this breed, the 10th color variant has been added. The European standard for Wyandotes allows 30 different colors. The British Association recognizes 14 types of colors.
After the chickens were imported to Our Country in 1911, it turned out that the breed tolerates winters well, and farmers became interested in it.
They were known as Excelsion, Colombian chickens, Seabrights. Other names were assigned to these chickens.
Description and breed standard of Wyandot chickens
Initially, the chicken was bred not only to please the eye, but also to supply the owners with high-quality meat and eggs. The breed coped with its task perfectly well. 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 chickens that is increasingly turning into the category of decorative ones. It’s not performance characteristics that come first, but appearance suitable for the show.
Breed standard for large variant
General impression: a massive bird for its size. The head is medium-sized with a small pink crest. A characteristic round spike stands out on the crest. 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. In a rooster, the body is more elongated and is located at a slight angle to the horizon. The back and loin are straight and wide. The chest is well filled. The tail is short, bushy.
In a rooster, the long feathers of the mane and lower back have the same color as the feathers on the body. The color of the braids depends on the color, but in most cases they are black.
For example, the photo shows that in a golden-bordered chicken, the integumentary feather on the body is black-bordered and the tips of the feathers on the tail are also black.
In the photo with a red-bordered chicken, an integumentary feather with a white border. The tips of the tail feathers are also white.
The weight of an adult rooster is up to 4 kg, laying hens – up to 3 kg.
The description of the breed of the dwarf Wyandotte is similar to the description of the large variety. The only difference is that the weight of a dwarf cockerel Wyandotte is 1,2 kg, and that of a chicken is 1 kg.
Vices:
- small angular body or vice versa – a ball on legs;
- whitish lobes and earrings;
- lack of a spike on the crest;
- narrow body;
- non-standard color.
Defects are a reason for culling Wyandotte from breeding.
Productive characteristics of both varieties
Wyandottes are growing fast. Chickens at 1,5 months weigh 1,2 kg. Males already gain about 3 kg of weight by six months. Further, growth slows down and it becomes economically unprofitable to keep extra males. Hens become sexually mature at 6 months. A young laying hen lays 180 eggs weighing about 55 g per year. In the second year of life, egg production decreases to 130 – 140 pieces.
Wyandot dwarf carries up to 120 eggs weighing 35 g.
Poultry farmers highly appreciate the complaisant nature of Wyandots and the well-developed maternal instinct in chickens of this breed.
Wyandotte colors
Silver bordered.
Golden edged.
Partridge.
White.
The black.
Dark yellow.
Colombian.
Lavender.
Silver outlined.
And a couple of photos officially unrecognized by the American Color Association.
Red lavender bordered.
Cuckoo.
How do Wyandotte chickens differ from chicks of other breeds
A variety of colors makes itself felt from the first day of a chicken’s life. Wyandotik 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 a juvenile molt.
3-day Wyandot silver-bordered.
The chick is silver-bordered at the beginning of fouling with youthful feathers.
Chickens are not autosex. It is possible to separate them by gender only after growing up and showing obvious signs.
Interesting! Sometimes bettas can start crowing when they are less than a month old.
This squeak does not pull on a full-fledged “crow”, but the children try to comply with the temporary schedule of adult roosters.
Wyandots have a high survival rate and caring for small Wyandots is no different from caring for any other chickens. Like any other chicks, Wyandotics should not be kept in mud, damp or cold.
Breeding problems
In fact, the problems are not with the breeding of this breed, but with the purchase of a purebred bird. In private farmsteads, purebred Wyandots are practically not found and you should not count on buying high-quality livestock from private hands. In breeding centers, Wyandot is preserved as genetic material for breeding new breeds or crosses. If you managed to get a hatching egg of purebred Wyandotes, the cost of acquiring it will quickly pay off in the future. Wyandottes have a very high hatchability and survival rate of chicks.
Feedback from Wyandotte owners
Conclusion
In the years when selection work and breeding of any agricultural 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 thoroughbred Wyandotte. With the opening of the borders, it became possible to bring birds from abroad. And chickens of this breed began to appear in private farms in Our Country. Thoroughbred Wyandottes are already definitely in the Moscow region. Given the beauty of the breed and the enthusiasm of the fans, these chickens will soon win the hearts of many owners of private farms.