You might not know this, but there are many rare chicken breeds scattered in almost every country. Chickens may all seem the same, yet they all have unique traits. More so, the rarity of a chicken breed is entirely subjective as it might be local in your area but rare to the rest of the world.
The great thing about having different breeds is the comparison we could make among them – behavior towards people and other chickens, growth rate, eggs, and other things that concerns their anatomy. Unfortunately, most of these chickens are endangered species because only small communities are interested in raising them. With this, they need more people to care for them and grow their breeds.
If you’re looking to raise a poultry farm, we highly suggest you include one or two of the rare chicken breeds below.
1. Black Penedesenca
It may not be the blackest chicken globally, but it is still part of the black chicken category. It is a beautiful Spanish breed with a comb and wattle that’s in a deep red. The Black Penedesenca matures fast, which makes their pullet starts to layer earlier than most chicken breeds. Sometimes their eggs are covered with a white coating that makes them pink, but mostly it lays an extra-large speckled to a matt dark egg.
2. Dong Tao
Do you know that Dong Tao is also called a Dragon Chicken? Its bright red ear lobes and wattles are considered a rare chicken breed mostly found in Vietnam. Amazingly, the roosters and hens are more extensive than those chicken found in the market. Reaching a whopping 12 lb for the former and 9lb for the latter, it’s no surprise why it is known as a Vietnamese delicacy and was once raised only for royalty.
3. Campine Chicken
American Poultry Association said that Campine chickens are in two varieties, namely Silver and Golden. The most dedicated poultry farmer breeders are found in Belgium, trying to raise this kind of chicken for a long time. The unfortunate thing about them is that they’re critically endangered and rarest chicken breeds, too, especially the golden ones. Currently, they exist as a bantam in Europe except for the UK who is not standardized with Campine chickens’ size.
4. Sultan
If you want a pet chicken, then a Sultan is great for you. Stunning and royal, this kind of chicken comes in three colors – black, white, and blue. Among these, white is the easiest to find while the rarest color is the blue one. Its ancestral heritage was recorded as early as the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century and was known to be a Sultan palace’s ornamental bird. It’s a rare chicken with a standard size that weighs about 6lb for roosters and 4lb for hens. Well, hens are poor layers, too, having a maximum of two eggs per week, so that’s one reason why they’re a small breed.
5. Black Sumatra
Black Sumatras are known as talkative and chatty birds that make unique noises. This rare chicken breed has cat-like intelligence and reflexes. Having one on your farm will bring you constant entertainment and fun as they love flying at knee height and scaring the other birds. Moreover, some don’t become tame until they lay an egg which is a medium and chalky white, while others can follow as day-old chicks. Breeders know that this is an intelligent breed even though they’re considered undomesticated.
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6. Crèvecoeur Chicken
Considered as a fancy chicken, Crèvecoeur Chicken has a romantic sense to it with its name translated to “broken heart.” This breed has small and delicate bones yet has a significant portion of meat. France has the Crèvecoeur Chicken as its one of the oldest standard-bred fowl. Less than 500 of this breed are raised in the US, while less than 1,000 are bred worldwide. The French are the first people to taste this rare chicken breed and originated in Crèvecoeur-en-Auge, Normandy, France, centuries ago.
7. Brabanter
Chickens are like humans too. They can be shy, intelligent, calm, and friendly, too, just like the characteristics of a Brabanter. This breed was almost extinct by the 1900s, but thanks to dedicated breeders, they still live on this day. It’s an old breed that dates back, at the very least, to 1676. It was also raised in the Brabant area, where they were named from. They are small chickens where a rooster weighs about 4 to 5 lbs while a hen weighs even less.
8. Wheaten and Lavender Ameraucana
Elegant, beautiful, and majestic, Wheaten and Lavender Ameraucana is one of the rare chicken breeds that you want to keep as a pet. They are richly colored and calm and docile in free-range. A Wheaten Ameraucana egg is usually in pale blue, but some are dark green in color. Meanwhile, its Lavender counterpart is a colored blue that almost glows. Wheaten and Lavender Ameraucana are also chicken breeds that lay lots of eggs.
Chickens that act like a princess, Ameraucanas are endearing, graceful, and well-mannered to other chickens. They love when they’re in confinement which is the least that can be said to different types.
9. Modern Game
Modern Game is a rare cockfighter breed. It only has about 1,000 of its kind worldwide, which originated in England. They have incredibly long and thin legs plus a slender body. Being used in cockfighting, the sole purpose for its raising is for exhibitions. The downside of this rare chicken is that it is not good at egg-laying and isn’t suitable for cold weather because of its short feathers. Large Modern Games are incredibly rare too.
10. La Fleche
This chicken is part of the rare chicken breeds list for a reason they can’t help. You see, they are slow growers and are only standard in size where a rooster weighs around 8lb, and a hen can weigh up to 6.5 lb. It’s a unique-looking chicken that has a V-shaped comb and is fondly known as the Devil bird. In addition, the breed is taken care of by preservationists as La Fleche is an ancient French breed where it was famous as a table bird in the 15th century.
Rare chicken breeds are part of the endangered species. They need support and conservation from humans so they can live a long life. All in all, these breeds are essential for balancing our ecosystem.
