The Wyandotte chicken is American through and through. In the 1800s, there were not that many chickens in America. Well, they were. However, all of these chickens were split neatly into one of two categories; they were either chickens for meat, or they were for eggs. There wasn’t really a chicken that could accomplish both properly. Until a group of men who decided that this needed to be changed, and the Wyandotte chicken was bred, with the Silver Laced Wyandotte chicken being the first one of all varieties that are recognized today.
Want to know a little bit more about the Wyandotte chicken? Read on! We have ton of information to share with you.
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The Wyandotte chicken was so beautiful (more on that in a second), that it became one of the most sought-after chickens in England. People were willing to part with a lot of cash to get their hands on a few of these birds to breed them. Often, the price of a house for just one chicken.
Of course, the price has come down considerably since then.
Wyandotte Chicken at a Glance
Eggs | 180 – 200 (per year) |
Egg Color | Brown |
Use | Eggs + Meat (dual purpose) |
Skin Color | Yellow |
Comb Type | Rose |
Weight | Male Standard: 8.5 lb (3.5 – 4 kg) Female Standard: 6.5 lb ( 2.7 – 3.2 kg) Male Bantam: 3.7 lb (1.70 kg) Female Bantam: 3 lb (1.36 kg) |
Country of origin | United States |
The Appearance of the Wyandotte Chicken
Since this chicken has been built for both meat and eggs, the chicken is on the larger side. As you may have guessed; their legs are rather thick in order to hold onto that sturdy frame the chicken has.
They may be large or bantam and are kept as a dual purpose breed.
The Wyandotte is regarded as one of the most beautiful of the ‘popular’ breeds, and you will often find it dominating poultry shows around the world. They make great show chickens too.
This is in part due to the beautiful Wyandotte chicken colors of feathers that they post (there are several options available for the Wyandotte), and the stunning color they have in their eyes, feet, comb, and beak.
The Wyandotte would certainly be turning heads if you had this in your flock.
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Wyandotte Chicken Colors – Recognized Varieties
There are ten recognized color varieties of the Wyandotte Chicken:
- Black
- Blue
- Buff
- Buff Columbian
- Columbian
- Golden Laced
- Silver Laced
- Silver Penciled
- White
- Partridge
Its blue variety is on our list of top 10 most beautiful blue chicken breeds. Check it out!
Silver Laced Wyandotte Chicken
![wyandotte chicken silver laced](https://chickenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/wyandotte-chicken-silver-laced.jpg)
The Silver Laced Wyandotte chicken is the original variety of this breed, it was standardized back in 1883.
It has characteristic silvery-white head and neck, with a black stripe through the middle of each feather. It is one of the most beautiful chickens in the world.
Wyandotte Eggs and Meat
As we stated; the Wyandotte is a chicken that was built to be dual-purpose. This means that you can raise it for the eggs, but it will often be destined for the slaughter once egg production starts to fall off.
This is a rather large bird, so one of them could easily feed a family. You might be interested to check the the growth rate of Wyandotte week by week.
In terms of egg production, it isn’t necessarily going to be the highest that you have ever seen in a chicken. However, the Wyandotte hen is able to pump out a rather respectful 4-eggs per week.
They will give you around 180 -200 eggs with brown shells per year.
There are better chickens for eggs.
Due to the beautiful, thick rose Wyandotte comb that they have, it is likely that the chicken is going to be able to keep up this production throughout the winter too. Some people are saying that the chickens with rose comb type have low fertility.
Do bear in mind that the egg production of the Wyandotte can tail off quite rapidly as they advance in age.
This is probably not a chicken that you are going to be raising for years and years if you want something productive. It is a chicken that has been designed to be slaughtered at some point.
Wyandotte Chicken As a Pet
![wyandotte chicken](https://chickenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/wyandotte-chicken-.jpg)
The Wyandotte is known for its brooding. It is one of the most-defensive chickens out there. If you come near a Wyandotte’s chicks, then it is going to do everything possible to try and defend them from you.
That being said, when they do not have chicks in tow, the Wyandotte is going to be quite a calm breed and is more than happy for you to touch it. Because it is a larger breed, other chickens tend to leave it alone too.
Some may ‘give it a go’, but the Wyandotte is almost always going to be putting the other chickens in their place. If you have other chickens in the coop, then the Wyandotte is almost certainly going to rule it.
Health Issues
There are no known health issues with the Wyandotte chicken. They are a surprisingly hardy animal.
The only thing that you need to be aware of is the fact that their feathers are a bit thicker than some of the other chickens out there.
This means that you will need to clean your Wyandotte more often as they can be quite susceptible to parasites.
You must also be aware that during cold, wet weather, you may want to dry them off a little.
Their feathers do take an age to dry, and this can lead your Wyandotte susceptible to certain conditions e.g. pneumonia, which will lead to an early death. In general they are excellent chicken breed for cold weather, but can do well in hot as well.
Other than this, the Wyandotte chicken is a true delight to raise.
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