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The Wyandotte chicken, developed in the 1870s, is an American breed of chicken. This breed was named for the indigenous Wyandot people of North America. It is a dual-purpose breed kept for eggs and meat due to its yellow-skinned skin. Wyandottes are compact, rounded birds that are relatively large. They were initially known as American Sebrights.
Pullets and cocks have a weight range of 5 12.8 to 8 12.8 pounds, respectively. They have deep, fully rounded breasts. Wyandotte chicken is described as medium-sized, but their bodies are broad, extending into their tails. They are clean-legged and fairly close-feathered and have a broad skull with a rose comb. The skin and shanks are yellow, and the ear-lobes, face, and wattles are red.
What Is The Personality & Temperament Of Wyandotte Chicken?
The Wyandotte chicken makes a great backyard chicken because they are docile and friendly. In their natural habitat, they love the freedom of free-range and foraging, yet can tolerate confinement as well – so mix run enclosure time with backyard roaming time to keep them satisfied and flourishing.
Hatching And Incubating:
In addition to being known for strong broody tendencies, Wyandotte chicken is known for sitting on fertile eggs for long periods. In addition to that, they are great mothers who will take good care of their young with ease.
Behaviour Of Eggs:
The Wyandotte chicken lays approximately 200 large brown eggs per year. Furthermore, they typically lay eggs throughout the winter and during the summer, whereas other breeds tend to stop producing eggs.
Wyandotte Chickens Have What Type Of Appearance?
Weighing in at 2.7-3.8kgs, Wyandottes are a heavy, sturdy-looking breed (hence its popularity as a dual-purpose dog). Wyandottes are available in a wide variety of beautiful colour varieties (recognized by various standard associations around the globe) that were developed as they spread across America – from Columbians to Buffs to Partridges, the list goes on! A bright red comb and pale-coloured legs complete their appearance.
They are some of the region’s most popular varieties, particularly the laced varieties. The blue-laced Wyandotte has unusual blue/grey-streaked feathers and is a popular and stunning variety. There is no doubt that blue-laced Wyandotte hens make for the most photogenic hens! They don’t lay blue eggs despite their blue-laced exterior, which may give you the impression! The eggs are actually brown and large.
How To Care For Wyandotte Chicken?
Generally, Wyandottes have a fairly independent existence. Occasionally droppings can be a problem on their feathery and fluffy behind. So, retouching their feathers is a simple solution whenever this occurs. A safe and secure chicken coop where the chickens can roost and lay their eggs, as well as fresh water and nutritious feed, should always be available to them.
How Many Eggs Do Wyandotte Chickens Lay?
200 eggs
Silver Laced Wyandotte chickens were bred to produce large quantities of eggs, and they still do so. The hens lay an average of 200 eggs a year, and since the cold weather bothers them, they may continue to lay eggs throughout the winter.
Is Wyandotte Chicken Flighty?
Wyandotte chicken is a gentle and quiet bird that is not flighty. It is rare for them to fly over a fence, even though they enjoy spending time outside scratching for worms, bugs, and seeds. Brooding hens make good mothers and can sometimes go broody. Additionally, they are capable of eating other breed’s eggs and are good babysitters.
Wyandotte Chicken Care Guide
Problems With Health:
The Wyandotte is typically a healthy and strong bird. It is remarkable how disease-free they are. Chicks purchased from hatcheries can be vaccinated against some of the main diseases – you should inquire about this and see if it’s something you’d like to do.
At some point, every chicken will suffer from minor problems, including lice, mites, and worms. A regular health checkup and appropriate medication will help you cure these ailments.
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Here’s Some Advice:
Recently, it has become fashionable to create designer colours for Wyandotte chicken. It is imperative to ensure that your Wyandotte Chicks conform to the standard body type and colouration. Buyer beware! There are some very disappointing specimens of the rarer colours, including blue laced reds.
Feeding
To ensure they grow properly, you’ll need to feed them high-quality, high-protein food like chicks. Ideally, chick starters (or growers) should have a protein content of no less than 20%.
The Wyandotte Chickens can be switched gradually over to 16% layer feed when they reach the point of laying (around 16-20 weeks).
You should also provide oyster shells for your chickens so they can get calcium. They should receive this in a separate container, not mixed with their regular feed. It is also essential to give insoluble grit separately – there is also chick size soluble grit. Chickens must have access to fresh, clean water. When your birds start moulting, you can switch them to a higher protein (20%) diet until they have regrown their feathers.
Coop Setup And Roaming:
Wyandotte chicken is quite large and round, so they need a good deal of space. Ideally, chickens should have 4 square feet of space, but more space is always better. In addition to being generally a peaceful breed, they will need 6 square feet of coop space each if they are grouped with more assertive dogs. In the coop, 8-10 inches of space will be sufficient per chicken for roosting. It would be appreciated if you could give them a little more room.
It is common to see them spread out in the summer months and then huddled together in the winter months. They are heavy birds, so make sure their perches are substantial. They must perch on a piece of sanded wood the size of 2*4 inches placed wide side up to ensure that they have a stable roost and warmth for their toes. These large ladies will need a nesting box of 12″ x 12″. They will fit snugly and prevent double-bunking.
As for outside roaming space.
Wyandotte chicken enjoys fresh air and free-ranging – they think there is nothing better than gathering tasty goodies fresh from the garden. It is best to confine them to an enclosure surrounded by sturdy fencing so that they do not wander too far and become Mr Fox’s lunch. Three-foot fences should do nicely for containing Wyandotte chicken; he doesn’t fly well.
The chickens should have 8 square feet of space each if they are kept in a run. If you don’t give them enough space, they will develop things like feather picking, thanks to boredom.
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