This is the American version of a five-hundred-year-old breed from eastern France. Like Champagne, a Bresse can only be a Bresse if it comes from a certain region, but our American birds descend from those imported in the last few decades. They lay many light brown eggs but are especially noted for their high-quality meat. Their red combs, white feathers, and steel-blue legs display the flag colors of both their homeland and their newly adopted country.

These chickens are named for the town in England from which they were once a famous export, but they are thought to be among the oldest of breeds, said to be brought to Britain by the Romans. They have five toes instead of the more common four! Dorkings were shown in 1849 at the very first American poultry show, but they also fell out of favor and are now listed as threatened by the Livestock Conservancy. White egg-laying Dorking hens love to hatch their own chicks and are happy to serve as adoptive mothers for others. We have added Light Grey and Dark Grey varieties in 2024.

Rhode Island Whites were developed following the popularity of the famous Rhode Island Reds, which were developed in their namesake state in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. The Rhode Island Whites were recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1922, and are noted for their meat and egg production. Ours have rose combs, the only variety accepted by the APA, but also fairly rare.

This is a centuries-old breed from eastern China that was first imported to England in 1872, then to the United States a few years later where it was admitted to the Standard of Perfection in 1883. They are listed by the Livestock Conservancy as threatened. Gentle giants, they have a stately shape and lovely, green-sheened black plumage. They lay brown eggs that sometimes have a pink ‘bloom’ or coating.

These are named for the town of Welsum, in the Netherlands, where they were developed in the early twentieth century. Exported to the United States in 1928, they were admitted to the Standard of Perfection in 1991. Allegedly, Cornelius, the Kellogg’s® rooster, is a Welsummer, so we named our first rooster ‘Kellogg’ in his honor. A dual-purpose breed, they are known especially for their dark brown, often speckled eggs.

The Vorwerk was developed in Germany by Oskar Vorwerk around 1900. Created to be a medium-weight utility fowl (a good layer with enough size to be useful for meat), Oskar also wanted them to be buff colored so they wouldn’t look dirty with mud. Although fairly common in Germany today, they are not yet accepted by the APA and are very rare outside of continental Europe.

Also known as Blommehöne, thesse birds are named for their feather pattern that looks like a field of flowers (described in French as ‘mille fleur’—thousand flowers). A landrace breed, they developed over centuries of natural selection in southern Sweden rather than careful selection by intentional breeders, and so come in a variety of colors. Once common throughout their native country, they were nearly extinct by the 1980s after the rise of large-scale commercial egg production. Since then, they have been carefully revived and imported to the United States. They lay extra-large light brown or beige eggs.

These birds were developed in the 1980s by poultry geneticist Tom Whiting of Colorado. Unlike standard breeds, Whiting True Blues were bred as prolific layers of blue eggs, rather than for a specific body shape or feather pattern, so they come in a variety of feather colors, but all lay blue eggs.

This breed was developed in Sweden in the 1980s by the Catholic priest Martin Silverudd. The ‘Blue’ in their name refers to their feather color—a rich silver—as they are one of the few if only breed to lay various shades of green eggs. Most green egg layers are a cross between two chickens from blue and brown laying breeds, but Silverudd’s Blue breed true for green eggs. They were first imported to the United States in 2011.

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These ducks are named for their pattern, which resembles the European magpie. Developed by Oliver Drake and M. C. Gower-Williams of Wales in the early twentieth century, they were admitted to the British standard in 1926 and the American standard in 1977. The Livestock Conservancy lists them as threatened. Somehow, their eggs hatch a week earlier than other breeds of ducks.

These are a small and very rare duck, which come from th Shetland Islands of Scotland. They may have been brought to the island by Vikings, as their feather pattern is similar to the Swedish Blue.