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Ameraucana | Australorps | The Chantecler | Marans | Orpingtons
History
Behaviour Ameraucanas are very similar to standard chickens in behavior, but that's about where the similarities end. They come in a wide variety of colors and markings. As mentioned above, probably the most unique trait of these wonderful birds are the color of their eggs. They range in color from blue, green, pink, to a dark mahogany, and many shades in between. The eggs range in size from large to extra large, and some even jumbo, depending on the bird. Varieties There are eight varieties which have been recognized since 1984. They are: Black, Blue, Blue wheaten, Brown red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten, and White. These same eight specific color patterns are recognized in both large fowl and bantams (miniatures).
Australorps History The Australorp was developed as a utility breed in Australia in the 1920s from the Black Orpington primarily for egg production rather than for its meat. The name originates from the club which was founded for them, The Austral Orpington Club. They are excellent layers of tinted eggs and hold the world record for egg production as a hen of the breed laid 364 eggs in 365 days! They are smaller and neater than Orpingtons but still have a lot of meat on them. The feathers of the black birds have a wonderful beetle-green sheen and they have a prominent dark eye. Their comb is single and evenly serrated while their earlobes are red as are their medium length wattles. Their black legs are strong and free from feathers and they have 4 toes. Behaviour The Australorp is an active breed and they are fast growers with hens reaching point of lay at around five months of age. They are amazingly productive and are not prone to broodiness. They make good pets as they are calm and friendly birds although they are a little heavy for children to pick up. There is a ¼ sized bantam version though which would be much more suitable for children to keep as pets. They will happily live in runs but they do enjoy being allowed to free range. They aren't good fliers so fencing doesn't need to be particularly high. They are also very hardy and will stand cold weather well. An Australorp cock will weigh in at around 8½ lbs while the hens tend to be in the region of 6½lbs. There are two colours the black which has feathers with a lustrous green sheen and the blue whose feathers are slate blue feathers with darker lacing.
Status: Fairly common Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Australorp
History The Chantecler chicken is a composite breed, derived from the following: Dark Cornish, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, White Wyandotte, Columbian Wyandotte and White Plymouth Rock. Brother Wilfrid was the poultry man in charge of the flocks at the Cistercian Trappist Monastery at Oka, Quebec, a small community located west of Montreal on the north shore of the Ottawa River. He realized that there were no birds of Canadian origin at Oka and decided to breed a truly Canadian fowl (Wilfrid, 1922). This task took 9 years to complete.
Brother Wilfrid wrote a letter in 1941 explaining how he chose the name Chantecler. The name was taken from a hero in the French poet Rostand’s fable. Popular in Paris about 1910, about the love between the rooster Chantecler and a golden pheasant hen. He thought that the name, derived from two French words, “chanter” – “to sing” and “clair” – “bright”, was ideal for his new breed. An association, started in 1918, adopted strict rules to control breeding and ownership. A member could not sell, lease, lend, give or exchange any living bird of the new breed nor sell hatching eggs to anyone who was not a member of the association. It was also a requirement that the Association be given a full list of birds owned by members. This might not be a bad idea today especially with rare breeds of poultry. The White Chantecler gained a lot of publicity at The First Canadian National poultry Conference in 1919 and was officially declared a breed in 1921. A friendly animal, the Chantecler is generally rather quiet and well mannered. They are highly valued for their breast and thigh meat, which is of the highest quality. Chantecler chicks are capable of growing very quickly on very low food intake. When grown, they can lay as many as 200 eggs per year. The Chantecler is well suited to cooler climates. The Chantecler is a friendly, reliable animal that is not only an excellent meat bird and laying bird, but also a beautiful show bird. Varieties: There are only two types of Chantecler white or partridge.
Status: Fairly Rare Reference: Chantecler Chicken
History
Marans can be lazy birds. They will get fat very easily if allowed to therefore it is best to keep them as free range as possible to prevent this. Marans are easy to look after and if given the space will be active. They are a disease resistant breed. Marans will produce deep brown eggs and are quite placid in nature. Varieties The majority of the Marans we see today in the UK are cuckoo coloured, ranging from a very dark grey colour down to silver. They have bright orange eyes and white legs. Best of all they produce an almost chocolate brown egg and very succulent meat. They were popular as show birds in the 1940s where there were far more colours including a gold colour cuckoo.
Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Marans
History The Buff Orpington was introduced after the Black Orpington as people wanted a buff coloured bird. The Queen Mother was apparently a keeper of this bird.
Orpingtons are birds which like to be free range. They have a very strong tendency to go broody and therefore make great mothers. Their eggs are small and pinkish. They are greedy birds and need exercise to keep fit. Their wingspan is short therefore they can be kept in areas with low fences. The standard colours for an Orpington are black (single or rose comb), blue (laced) buff and white. They are a heavy but loosely feathered bird which makes it look large. The blues and blacks are the largest colours. The buffs and whites are slightly smaller. The dark colours have dark eyes and legs while the paler colours have red eyes and white legs. Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Orpington
History The Rhode Island Red was developed on Rhode Island, Massachusetts USA around the 1890s. Crossing a large variety of other breeds including the Buff Cochin, Langsh, Black Red Malay, Hamburgh and Rose combed Leghorns together created the Rhode Island Red. The Rhode Island is another bird created for both meat and eggs, to satisfy the demands of the American population. The breed arrived in the UK in 1903 and became extremely popular very quickly. The Rhode Island Red is possibly the best-known breed in the world today. The Rhode crossed with a Sussex forms the basis of most of our present day hybrids.
Varieties The Rhode Island is a Red bird. The plumage is a dark rich glossy red in the male, being slightly less glossy in the female. The male should only have black in his wings and tail and the female the same but can have black on her neck. The body is broad and deep and oblong in its shape. It has a broad flat back with a medium sized tail. The earlobes are red in colour as are the eyes. They have yellow legs Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Rhode Island Red
History
Behaviour They are friendly birds which are easy to tame and are vigorous and hardy birds which don't need a lot of space but do appreciate the chance to run free, They are not good fliers so do not require high fencing. They lay a good number of cream coloured eggs averaging around 200 per year. Plymouth Rocks do tend towards broodiness though so regular egg collecting is important to avoid too much of this. Chicks feather up quickly and make wonderful pets for children due to their docile nature.
Varieties There are several varieties of Plymouth Rock, the barred, white and buff being the classic ones. Other colours include multiple penciled or triple laced, penciled partridge, multiple penciled silver partridge, Columbian, buff Columbian and blue laced. Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Plymouth
History The Sussex originated in the county of Sussex. They were prized table birds more than 100 years ago. The original colours were brown, red and speckled. The Sussex today is still a very popular breed to keep. Bred to be a dual purpose bird, it is one of the most productive breeds we have today. The hen will lay around 260 large eggs that are cream to light brown in colour. The Sussex is one of the oldest breeds that are still in existence today.
Behaviour The Sussex chicken is an alert but docile breed that can adapt to any surrounding easily. They are good foragers. Whilst they are quite happy to be free range, they will also be fine if kept in a confined space. They can occasionally but not very often go broody. The speckled is the most likely of the breed to do this.
The colours found in Sussex chickens are brown buff, light red, speckled, silver and white. The Sussex chicken whatever its colour should be graceful. The eyes are red in the darker varieties but are orange in the lighter ones. They have a medium sized single comb. The earlobes are red and the legs and skin are white in every variety. The brown and red varieties are rare now with the other colours being quite common. Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Sussex
History Wyandottes originate from the United States and no one really knows which breeds were used to create the Wyandotte breed. They were first reported in the 1860s and the first variety was the silver laced variant. They are large chickens with a particularly rounded appearance. They have broad bodies and are full feathered. The hens have a deep breast and backside which shows that they are good layers. The Wyandotte has yellow legs with a round, short head, rose comb, bright red ear lobes and reddish bay eyes. They are a good dual purpose breed.
Behaviour Wyandottes are docile birds and the hens are excellent brooders and make good mothers. They lay well and chicks tend to be strong and are quick growers. Their attractive "curvy" shape, generally good disposition and many attractive colour patterns (varieties) make them a good choice for fanciers as well as farmers Varieties White, Blue, Buff, Red, Black, Barred, Partridge and Silver Pencilled, Silver, Gold, Blue and Buff Laced, and finally Columbian which has similar markings to the Light Sussex. Status: Fairly common
Reference: Omlet UK | Breed Information | Chickens | Wyandottes
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The Ameraucana breed was derived from blue egg laying chickens, but they do not have the breeding problems inherent to Araucanas. In addition, rather than ear tufts, they have muffs and a beard, and are very hardy and sweet. They lay eggs in shades of blue, and even have blue (or "slate") legs. Less rare than Araucanas, they are still quite rare and only available through breeders at this time. They should not be confused with Easter Eggers, which can lay blue and green eggs, and do not conform to any breed standard. However, many hatcheries continue to call their Easter Eggers "Americanas" (and other various misspellings). 
The Maran was one of the last breeds to be introduced to the UK. It was developed in France in the town of Marans in the mid 1800s. It was developed for both its meat and eggs. The eggs started to be imported to the UK by a London wholesaler. The dark brown eggs soon caught on and became very popular which led to English farmers breeding the Maran. 
Rhode Islands are classed as a heavy breed, but are active. They enjoy foraging on grass. They are bright and alert but at the same time quiet. They make great pets and are relatively hardy. They will produce a large amount of brown eggs a year. 
The Plymouth Rock is considered to be a heavy breed and originated in the United States taking their name from the town of Plymouth. The breed was recognized as early as 1874 under the name Barred Plymouth Rock which describes the markings they had. They are large, long lived chickens and the hens have a deep, full abdomen which is a sign of a good layer. They have a broad, deep and well-rounded breast and bright yellow legs. The face is red with red ear lobes, a bright yellow beak, bay coloured eyes and a single medium sized comb. 
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