Chickens

The Marans originated in – and is named for – the town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. It was created with the local feral chickens descended from fighting game chickens carried from Indonesia and India.

Marans have a trapezoidal shaped body. They are muscular chickens with plenty of muscle on their breast and thighs. All varieties have a single comb, red wattles and red earlobes.

Their eyes are orange. Marans have quite dense feathers which helps to keep them warm during the winter. Depending on which country you live in, feathered shanks may or may not be accepted. Both the US and France accept feathered legs, whereas the UK and Australia only accepts clean legs. 

Life Span: 8-10 YEARS

Weight: Female 5.5 LBS | Male 8.5 LBS

The Silkie originates from Asia, most believe China or Japan while others favor India. The exact location where they were found is not known, however, Marco Polo remarked in his journal about a furry chicken on his travel through China in the 13th century. The Silkie is lightweight for a non-bantam breed, but there is a miniature variety. They have five toes on each foot (most chickens have four), with the outer two toes feathered. Their skin, beak, bones, and meat are atypically bluish-black. There is a bearded variety with a defined ear buff and beard.

Life Span: 7-9 YEARS

Weight: Male 4 LBS | Female 3 LBS

Height: 14 INCH

The Ameraucana was created from the Araucana and other breeds with the intention of removing problematic genetics. They managed to succeed and also kept their ability to lay their famous pale blue eggs. 

Ameraucanas have a pea comb and wattles that are both red. Interestingly their wattles can be almost non-existent on both sexes. Their face is distinguished by a beard and muff which give them a sweet and fluffy look. To differentiate between the beard and muff you will need to look very closely at the bird. They have a U-shaped body that is quite compact, and you will notice their tail is held upright. There should be no leg feathering and each foot has four toes – the skin color is white as is the sole of the foot. Leg color will depend on the plumage color as there are several different shades of plumage. It can be anything from a slate blue to black.

Life Span: 7-8 YEARS

Weight: 5.5 - 6.5 lbs.

The Bresse chicken originated in Eastern France around 500 years ago in a province called Bresse. Amazingly, the Bresse chicken was formed by a crossbreed of local French fowl. The crossbreeding did not have a specific goal; they were simply mixing the available local fowl. The Bresse chicken breed has four varieties. There are white, blue, black, and gray varieties. The most popular and well-known is the white type. All four breeds of the Bresse chicken have a bright red comb and blue steel leg color. The feather color differs by variety. 

Life Span: 6-8 YEARS

Weight: Male 5-6.5 LBS | Female 6.5-8.5 LBS

The Olive Egger Chicken is often just as beautiful as they are unique.

There is not technically an official breed standard besides their egg color, so their exact appearance will depend largely on the breed of the parents. Blue egg laying breeds such as Ameraucanas, Araucanas, and Legbars are often bred with brown egg laying breeds such as Marans, Barnevelders, and Welsummers. As these breeds are generally on the darker side, Olive Eggers will often hatch with a black or gray plumage.

Life Span: 8 YEARS

Weight: Male 7.5 LBS | Female 6.5 LBS

The Ayam Cemani is a rare breed of chicken from Indonesia. Ayam Cemanis are fibromelanistic chickens, meaning everything is black: feathers, skin, muscles and bones. There is not a speck of color on this all-black chicken. The Ayam Cemani chicken has a gorgeous iridescent sheen under bright light, with some referring to it as “peacock-like.” The most prized chickens have black matte coloring on their feathers, eyes, wattles, and combs

Life Span: 6-8 YEARS

Weight: Hen 5.5 LBS | Rooster 7LBS