From the beginning, Heritage poultry has been a small obsession for me. In researching the many different breeds of Heritage chickens and learning of their origins, I immediately became fixated on the Buckey! They were created by a WOMAN and in fact, are the ONLY breed of chickens to have been developed by a woman! Next came my obsession with the first Canadian creation, the White Chantecler. Third, Wyandotte; particularly the White Wyandotte. Lastly, the Giants, or Jersey Giants as they are now known.
Please feel free to read the following excerpts on these 4 breeds.
Buckeyes were developed by Mrs. Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, and appropriately named after the “Buckeye State” and for their rich Buckeye color. Buckeyes are unique in the American Class of chickens as it is the only breed created entirely by a woman. Mrs. Metcalf started by breeding a Buff Cochin male to Barred Plymouth Rock females. This produced what she considered a large, lazy fowl. The next year she purchased a Black-Breasted Red Game male and crossed this male with the half-Cochin pullets. This cross produced several red offspring and from there she developed the breed. It is interesting to note that Buckeyes predated the introduction of Rhode Island Reds into the Midwest. They were admitted to the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection in 1905. The breed was a popular homestead chicken because they are hardy, productive, good foragers, and inquisitive, but by the 1950s, poultry production began to be commercialized and the breed was not popular with commercial producers, so the breed went nearly extinct. However, thanks to some dedicated fanciers, Buckeyes were preserved and are again becoming popular. The Buckeye is a dual-purpose breed of chicken. They have yellow legs and skin, and, thanks to their bright red pea comb, are very cold-weather hardy. They have a red face, wattles, and earlobes, reddish-bay eyes, and a yellow beak shaded with reddish horn. Roosters weigh approximately 9 lbs.; hens weigh approximately 6½ lbs., and lay medium-to-large sized, brown eggs. The early Buckeyes typically produced 150-200 eggs per year, but current birds that have been selectively bred for laying ability may produce 175-240 eggs per year! Hens can go broody and are good mothers – good news for those wanting to raise and maintain a small flock. Buckeyes also have a personality all their own. They are a very active fowl and are noted for being especially vigilant in the pursuit of mice, some breeders comparing them to cats in this ability. They tend to have very little fear of humans and are possibly too friendly, although some males may show a little aggression during breeding season. They also seem to lack the tendency to feather-pick each other (this is a trait worthy of further exploration). The males emit a full range of sounds beyond those typical of many other chicken breeds, including a dinosaur-like roar!
Please feel free to read the following excerpts on these 4 breeds.
Buckeyes were developed by Mrs. Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, and appropriately named after the “Buckeye State” and for their rich Buckeye color. Buckeyes are unique in the American Class of chickens as it is the only breed created entirely by a woman. Mrs. Metcalf started by breeding a Buff Cochin male to Barred Plymouth Rock females. This produced what she considered a large, lazy fowl. The next year she purchased a Black-Breasted Red Game male and crossed this male with the half-Cochin pullets. This cross produced several red offspring and from there she developed the breed. It is interesting to note that Buckeyes predated the introduction of Rhode Island Reds into the Midwest. They were admitted to the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection in 1905. The breed was a popular homestead chicken because they are hardy, productive, good foragers, and inquisitive, but by the 1950s, poultry production began to be commercialized and the breed was not popular with commercial producers, so the breed went nearly extinct. However, thanks to some dedicated fanciers, Buckeyes were preserved and are again becoming popular. The Buckeye is a dual-purpose breed of chicken. They have yellow legs and skin, and, thanks to their bright red pea comb, are very cold-weather hardy. They have a red face, wattles, and earlobes, reddish-bay eyes, and a yellow beak shaded with reddish horn. Roosters weigh approximately 9 lbs.; hens weigh approximately 6½ lbs., and lay medium-to-large sized, brown eggs. The early Buckeyes typically produced 150-200 eggs per year, but current birds that have been selectively bred for laying ability may produce 175-240 eggs per year! Hens can go broody and are good mothers – good news for those wanting to raise and maintain a small flock. Buckeyes also have a personality all their own. They are a very active fowl and are noted for being especially vigilant in the pursuit of mice, some breeders comparing them to cats in this ability. They tend to have very little fear of humans and are possibly too friendly, although some males may show a little aggression during breeding season. They also seem to lack the tendency to feather-pick each other (this is a trait worthy of further exploration). The males emit a full range of sounds beyond those typical of many other chicken breeds, including a dinosaur-like roar!
White Chantecler were named from the French words ‘chanter,’ meaning “to sing,” and ‘clair,’ meaning “bright,” the Chantecler is considered the first Canadian chicken breed. Brother Wilfred Chatelain decided to develop the breed while he was walking through the flocks of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in Oka, Quebec and realized there were no chicken breeds that had been created in Canada. He sought to create, “a fowl of vigorous and rustic temperament that could resist the climatic conditions of Canada, a general-purpose fowl. Although work began in 1908, the breed wasn’t introduced to the public until 1918, and was admitted to the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection in 1921. The Chantecler chicken is an exceptional dual-purpose breed. Not surprisingly, the breed is noted for being very hardy, lays up to 220 light brown/pinkish eggs per year, is a good winter layer, and has a well-fleshed breast for good meat production. They can go broody. It is an excellent choice for anyone wanting a productive fowl that will excel in a winter climate. They do not do well in warm climates. They can handle being confined and free-ranging equally well. The breed is noted for being calm, gentle, and personable if they are handled regularly as chicks, and they get along with other breeds of chickens.
White Wyandotte is the most rare of the Wyandotte breeds. It is known for producing a good line of hens with strong mothering qualities and a calm temperament. In the years after the Civil War, an American-bred, general-purpose chicken was found in many areas of the North and Northeast, especially in New York. Its exact origin is unknown and is confounded by the various names that were used in different parts of the country, including Mooney, Sebright, and American Sebright. This chicken’s exact makeup is also murky. The Dark Brahma and Silver-Spangled Hamburg probably served as the basis, but it has been suggested that a French breed called the Breda and the Cochin were also used. The Silver Sebright, a large laced bird, was also reported as a parent. Confusingly, in Britain the Sebright is a small bird developed in the mid-1800s. John P. Ray of Hemlock, New York, and a Mr. Whitaker of Michigan stand out as breeders of specific strains that contributed to the emerging breed. The Wyandotte is a medium-weight bird that is well suited to colder climates. Its rose comb also survives better in freezing temperatures than a single comb does. Hens are good mothers, and their pleasant disposition makes them adaptable to confinement. The hens also lay a good quantity of brown-shelled eggs. White Wyandotte cockerels plump up sooner than many other heavy breeds. The Wyandotte is known for its “curvy” shape. The neck is short and well arched, flowing into a short, broad back, and the saddle rises into a concave sweep with the tail. The breast is broad, deep, and round. The word round also describes the body and the stout thighs. The short legs are set well apart. Cocks weigh up to 8.5 pounds and hens 6.5 pounds.
I will begin building a White Wyandotte flock in 2024 with the purchase of a trio of birds out of SE Saskatchewan and with importing 30 chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery in April.
I will begin building a White Wyandotte flock in 2024 with the purchase of a trio of birds out of SE Saskatchewan and with importing 30 chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery in April.
Jersey Giant is a large bird that was developed in the 1870's in New Jersey to meet the demand for heavy fowl. Developed by the Black brothers, it was originally called the Jersey Black Giant. Giants were bred from crosses of Orpingtons, Javas, and Langshans, becoming and remaining the largest chickens developed in America. They are rugged birds but because they grow a large frame first and have little meat until about six months, they have not been used in industry, which prizes a rapidly growing bird. Jersey Giants are the largest breed in the American Class. They should be rugged, with an angular shape, single comb and black (with willowish tinge) shanks in the Black variety and dark willow shanks in the White variety. White Jersey Giants originated from white “sports” of the black variety in the flocks of several breeders in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. No one breeder claiming to be, or credited with being the one and only originator. White Jersey Giants could have been developed earlier, because there were surely plenty of “sports” from the Blacks to choose from. However, prior to this, white birds of any breed were generally not in fashion. Early breeders were skeptical about the vitality of birds with white plumage, and the general impression prevailed that they lacked vigor. This prejudice in all breeds was being overcome quickly about the time that White Giants were being developed as a separate variety. Some early strains contained crosses with White Rocks, White Orpingtons, or other white breeds, but these crosses were not successful. True White Giant’s are white ‘sports’ from Black Giants with no other breeds crossed in. At one time, they were so popular that their supporters formed the International White Giant Club. The American Poultry Association recognized White Jersey Giants as a variety in 1947. The Jersey Giant will go broody but is not the best choice for incubating and brooding because of their size. Cock: 13 lbs, Hen: 10 lbs. This fowl lays around 150-200 eggs per year depending on conditions such as the weather and level of comfort for the chickens.
In Canada, the last production strain of the White Jersey Giant vanished in 1967. Fortunately, one flock based on this source has been preserved since 1968. This strain is more tightly feathered than usual, which gives the birds a smaller appearance.
In the United States, the foremost breeder of Jersey Giants is Golda Miller, who has maintained a closed flock for more than fifty years. Miller has stressed quality, size, and production so that her flock closely reflects the original breed type. She breeds Blacks, Whites, and the newer Blues. Several breeders have also maintained the Miller line in their flocks.
Both the White and Black Jersey Giants still make excellent home flock birds. The White is rarer than the Black.
I am not sure if this project will make it on the list for 2024 or if it will be in 2025. Stay tuned!
In Canada, the last production strain of the White Jersey Giant vanished in 1967. Fortunately, one flock based on this source has been preserved since 1968. This strain is more tightly feathered than usual, which gives the birds a smaller appearance.
In the United States, the foremost breeder of Jersey Giants is Golda Miller, who has maintained a closed flock for more than fifty years. Miller has stressed quality, size, and production so that her flock closely reflects the original breed type. She breeds Blacks, Whites, and the newer Blues. Several breeders have also maintained the Miller line in their flocks.
Both the White and Black Jersey Giants still make excellent home flock birds. The White is rarer than the Black.
I am not sure if this project will make it on the list for 2024 or if it will be in 2025. Stay tuned!
I began with Buckeye in 2012, obtaining hatching eggs from an older gentleman in SE Saskatchewan. Sadly, I had to let that flock go in 2016. In 2021 I found Buckeye again! I had some hatching eggs mailed to me - hatch success was limited, but I was back in Buckeye once more! 2023 saw me returning to Saskatchewan and I brought my birds back with me. Between a chicken obsessed dog, aerial predators and a sneaky fox, I went from 5 hens to 1 and hatched out 2 pullets from the eggs I moved from Ontario with. I traded my cock bird with a small breeder near Edmonton, so that she had a rooster to use on her hens and I would receive a cockerel from eggs she would hatch. Thankfully, fall 2023 was good to her and I, and I have a rooster for my 3 hens! I have managed to find THREE other breeders and have orders in with all of them, totaling 14 dozen hatching eggs.
In 2022, I stumbled across a chicken collector who had White Chantecler and sold me 2 pairs. I brought the largest rooster with me, along with the 2 hens. In 2023 I found a breeder on the east coast and had 2 dozen hatching eggs shipped out. I managed to successfully hatch 9 chicks from those eggs; but that crazy dog and aerial predators took all but 1 pullet and I lost one hen this winter. However, I have reserved a young rooster from an Alberta breeder and have gone on the list for a few pullets later this summer and have orders totaling 6 dozen hatching eggs for this spring.
The bad dog is gone. Three Guardian dogs are waiting for the flocks to move out of doors in the Spring and while our old dog is still with us, she will have the privilege once again of watching over the chicks in the brooders
In 2022, I stumbled across a chicken collector who had White Chantecler and sold me 2 pairs. I brought the largest rooster with me, along with the 2 hens. In 2023 I found a breeder on the east coast and had 2 dozen hatching eggs shipped out. I managed to successfully hatch 9 chicks from those eggs; but that crazy dog and aerial predators took all but 1 pullet and I lost one hen this winter. However, I have reserved a young rooster from an Alberta breeder and have gone on the list for a few pullets later this summer and have orders totaling 6 dozen hatching eggs for this spring.
The bad dog is gone. Three Guardian dogs are waiting for the flocks to move out of doors in the Spring and while our old dog is still with us, she will have the privilege once again of watching over the chicks in the brooders