Aside from their good looks, these fluffy round-bodied birds are sweet, friendly, and great layers—making them a favorite for backyard chickens. They lay lovely brown eggs and don’t mind a little cold weather.  They have simply stunning plumage! Its important to note, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes don’t always produce a consistent shade of blue in their offspring. Some will have a light blue lacing, others a rich medium blue, and some may even have a very dark blue or nearly black lacing. Like other “blue” breeds, their coloring doesn’t breed true, meaning each hatch can bring a range of beautiful variations.

Breed History:

The Wyandotte breed originated in the United States in the late 1800s, developed as a hardy, dual-purpose chicken that could thrive in colder climates while providing plenty of brown eggs and excellent meat. Named after the Wyandotte native American tribe, these birds quickly became farm favorites for their low-maintenance nature, gentle temperament, and reliable egg production.

The Blue Laced Red variety, however, didn’t come along until later and is believed to have been perfected in Germany. Breeders worked to introduce the stunning blue lacing to the classic red feathering, creating a variety that’s now one of the most striking in the poultry world. But here’s the catch—just like other blue-feathered breeds, they don’t breed true to one shade of blue. Chicks can hatch with anything from a light silvery blue lacing to a deep navy or even black trim, making each one a little surprise package!

Stats:

Eggs- Tan to Pink. Roughly 200 eggs per year

Dual Purpose- Yes. Males average 8.5lb and females 5.5lb

Standard of Perfection:

We offer pure lines but select primarily on vigor and temperament. If you are a breeder looking for specific SOP traits please contact us to ensure our stock will be the right fit for your breeding goals. Its important to note, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes don’t always produce a consistent shade of blue in their offspring. Some will have a light blue lacing, others a rich medium blue, and some may even have a very dark blue or nearly black lacing. Like other “blue” breeds, their coloring doesn’t breed true, meaning each hatch can bring a range of beautiful variations.

Aside from their good looks, these fluffy round-bodied birds are sweet, friendly, and a great layers—making them a favorite for backyard chickens. They lay lovely brown eggs and don’t mind a little cold weather.  They have simply stunning plumage!

Breed History:

The Wyandotte breed originated in the United States in the late 1800s, developed as a hardy, dual-purpose chicken that could thrive in colder climates while providing plenty of brown eggs and excellent meat. Named after the Wyandotte native American tribe, these birds quickly became farm favorites for their low-maintenance nature, gentle temperament, and reliable egg production.

Stats:

Eggs- Tan to Pink. Roughly 200 eggs per year

Dual Purpose- Yes. Males average 8.5lb and females 5.5lb

Standard of Perfection:

We offer pure lines but select primarily on egg color, vigor and temperament. If you are a breeder looking for specific SOP traits please contact us to ensure our stock will be the right fit for your breeding goals.

There is no better artist than God and his work on full display in these majestic birds. They are calm and gentle. We marvel at the boundless colors and patterns these birds surprise us with. Their eggs can start out small but before long they will be delighting you with extra-large eggs. Swedish Flower Hens come in crested and non-crested varieties and we have both.

Breed History:

Though its origins have never been fully traced, it is thought that this breed’s foundation was a mix of chickens brought to remote areas of Sweden by settlers and traders. These birds were not actively managed, and evolved naturally, adapting to the harsh environment on the Swedish coast. The Swedish Flower Hen was a well-kept secret even in its home country and it began to lose favor to commercial breeds, in fact, nearly becoming extinct. Amazingly, a few final vestiges of this tenacious breed were found in three remote villages in rural Sweden and efforts have been made to revive the breed. Their numbers continued to improve but by the 1980s there were still fewer than 500 in the world and they were only imported to the US in 2010.

Stats:

Eggs- Tan. Roughly 150 -200 eggs per year

Dual Purpose- Yes. Males average 8lb and females 5.5lb

Standard of Perfection:

We offer pure lines but select primarily on egg color, vigor and temperament. If you are a breeder looking for specific SOP traits please contact us to ensure our stock will be the right fit for your breeding goals. Its worth noting that we will do our best to accommodate color requests but unfortunately due to the unpredictability of hatches can not guarantee specific colors.

These are amazing! We just love their rich brown eggs. We have had other lines of Marans before and they are just not worth it. Their eggs were nice but nowhere near the quality we are getting from this French National Champion line. To be clear, not every hen will lay a very dark egg. You should realistically expect eggs from medium brown to very dark. In addition to amazing eggs, the fiery oranges and reds that seem to explode from their plumage in the sun are breathtaking. Marans eggs are said to be the best-tasting eggs in the world. According to Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series, Marans eggs are the only ones worth eating. It’s worth noting that the mechanism that colors the eggs weakens during the laying cycle, so expect to get the darkest eggs when they first begin to lay at each cycle. We try not to judge the choices people make in regards to what chickens they keep, but it would simply be a mistake not to have a few of these in every flock.

Breed History:

Marans originated on the west coast of France in a town called Marans. Amazingly, they evolved from an unknown mix of breeds brought from India and Indonesia. The tired fighting roosters that survived voyages were traded for fresh meat and egg-laying hens. These roosters mixed with local swamp hens and came to be called “swamp chickens.” They were prized for their fighting abilities and the rich mahogany eggs the hens produced.  It’s their fighting lineage that gives them the proud athletic posture and muscle tone they are known for. In the 1920’s, local breeders began working to improve them by mixing in Langshan, Brahma and Coucou de Malines. By the 1930’s, their dual-purpose breed status was established. Following the devastation of World War II, much of the foundation stock had been lost and they were nearly extinct. In the 1950’s under the direction of the French Department of Agricultural Services, the breed was revived and dramatically improved its egg-laying abilities. 

Stats:

Eggs- Dark mahogany brown. Roughly 150 – 200 eggs per year

Dual Purpose- Yes. Males average 8lb and females 6.5lb

Standard of Perfection:

We offer pure lines but select primarily on egg color, vigor and temperament. If you are a breeder looking for specific SOP traits please contact us to ensure our stock will be the right fit for your breeding goals.

We really like Lavender. These Marans are a gorgeous color and are good layers. They are not nearly as dark as our French National Champion line, but this is a great choice if you want medium brown eggs and a beautiful lavender bird. It’s worth noting that the mechanism that colors the eggs weakens during the laying cycle so expect to get the darkest eggs when they first begin to lay at each cycle. The lavender color is unique, and different from the typical blue poultry color in that this color will breed true and is caused by the dilutive action of an autosomal recessive gene which reduces the expression of eumelanin and phaeomelanin so that black areas of the plumage appear silver instead, and red areas appear as golden highlights. Conversely when bred the standard blue color can be expressed in combinations of blue, black & splash. 

Breed History:

Marans originated on the west coast of France in a town called Marans. Amazingly, they evolved from an unknown mix of breeds brought from India and Indonesia. The tired fighting roosters that survived voyages were traded for fresh meat and egg-laying hens. These roosters mixed with local swamp hens and came to be called “swamp chickens.” They were prized for their fighting abilities and the rich mahogany eggs the hens produced.  It’s their fighting lineage that gives them the proud athletic posture and muscle tone they are known for. In the 1920’s, local breeders began working to improve them by mixing in Langshan, Brahma and Coucou de Malines. By the 1930’s, their dual-purpose breed status was established. Following the devastation of World War II, much of the foundation stock had been lost and they were nearly extinct. In the 1950’s under the direction of the French Department of Agricultural Services, the breed was revived and dramatically improved its egg-laying abilities. 

Stats:

Eggs- Medium to dark brown. roughly 150 – 200 eggs per year

Dual Purpose- Yes. Males average 8lb and females 6.5lb

Standard of Perfection:

We offer pure lines but select primarily on egg color, vigor and temperament. If you are a breeder looking for specific SOP traits please contact us to ensure our stock will be the right fit for your breeding goals.