Green-Legged Partridge Chicken – Breed Profile & Facts

Chickens are part and parcel of domesticated birds. Their collective scientific name is Gallus gallus domesticus. They play a significant role in providing animal proteins to the human diet. Aside from that, chickens have always been kept for ornamental purposes.

Examples include bantams and silkie chickens. Some have been used for entertainment reasons; particularly gamecocks used in cockfighting.

The contemporary chicken has a fascinating story behind its existence. This chicken must have been developed or bred from the red jungle fowl, known as Gallus gallus. The red jungle fowl is by no means the main wild ancestor of all domesticated chickens.

Following its domestication in 3200 BC in Southeast Asia, the red jungle fowl evolved from its previous wild form to the current multiple contemporary chickens. Through this evolution, we have broilers, layers, bantams, fancy breeds, game, and indigenous village chickens. This is where the Green-legged Partridge Chicken breed comes in.

Read on to learn more about the breed profile, facts, history, and tips on how to raise Green-legged Partridge Chicken in your backyard.

History of Green-legged Partridge Chicken

Indigenous to Poland, the Green-legged Partridge is considered one of the oldest breeds of chickens raised today in the backyard. The Green-legged Partridge is characterized by its unusual reseda green color on its shanks.

Historically, the Green-legged Partridge was vividly described by Bronislaw Obfidowicz back in 1879. Seven years later (in 1894), a flock of Green-legged Partridge was brought to a show by Roman Ujejski in Lviv during the General Provincial Exhibition.

A breed standard of the Green-legged Partridge chicken was drawn up in 1921 by Maurycy Trybulski. It was until 1921 that the breed of Green-legged Partridge chickens was officially recognized. This recognition resulted in an increase in the popularity of the Green-legged Partridge by 1930.

Unfortunately, the Green-legged Partridge’s ability to lay eggs was variable. Besides that, the bird was not able to adapt easily to intensive management. As a result, its number declined significantly.

Between 1961 and 1973, the Green-legged Partridge’s percentage dropped from 11.4% to 2%. This sharp decline in its number led to the initiation of conservation efforts in the 1970s.

From 1946 to 1954, the Green-legged Partridge breed was crossed with the American Plymouth Rock breed. Laura Kaufman pioneered this cross-breeding project which led to the creation of the Polbar.

The main aim of crossing the Green-legged breed with the American Plymouth was to introduce the much-needed barred gene of the American Plymouth to come up with the correct chicks’ auto-sexing procedure. What this means is that the crossbreeding helped tell apart male chicks from female ones by looking at their long black eye stripes.

Green-legged Partridge Chicken Characteristics

The Green-legged Partridge is the national chicken breed of Poland. Its eggs are nutritionally healthy because it spends most of its time on a free range. This should tell you that the Green-legged Partridge chickens are ideal to keep informally.

You just need to allow them to wander around your farmyard or free-range in the back garden while foraging for shrubs, grubs, worms, and all other edibles found in such setups.

From the above brief description, you can tell that the Green-legged Partridge chicken is right for your backyard. Here are additional characteristics unique to the Green-legged Partridge Chicken breed that you will find interesting:

– Size and  Weight

As mentioned before, the Green-legged Partridge is characterized by a unique but striking reseda green color on the legs and shanks hence its name. This dual-purpose chicken breed can weigh between 2.2kg and 2.7kg for males. Females weigh from 1.8kg to 2.3kg. From these weights, you can easily tell that males are larger than females in size.

– Temperament

Just like most backyard chickens, the Green-legged Partridge breed of chickens is a good choice for backyard chicken keepers with families. Simply put, this breed has an excellent disposition that makes it a good choice for different family members to handle and interact with.

Besides a good disposition, the Green-legged Partridge has a low temperament. The breed is also friendly and approachable.

– Lifespan

When subjected to conducive environmental conditions and away from predators, the Green-legged Partridge chicken breed can live up to five to ten years. With ideal care, this chicken breed can live even longer than ten years.

Make sure to keep your flock of Green-legged Partridge chickens in a well-secured backyard throughout. Also, ensure that their run is well-protected from land and aerial predators.

Give them a well-balanced diet with fresh clean water to help them grow healthy. Most importantly, have a local vet come to examine them periodically to ensure that they stay healthy and productive for a very long time.

– Egg Production

The Green-legged Partridge is raised as a dual-purpose chicken breed. Their eggs are usually white in color and of medium size. These eggs are characterized by their low content of cholesterol. Typically, a single egg from the Green-legged Partridge hen has around 30% less cholesterol than ordinary chicken eggs.

Despite having lower cholesterol levels, eggs produced by the Green-legged Partridge are rich in essential nutrients. Each egg has a substantial amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. They are also rich in vitamins such as vitamin B12. For your information, vitamin B12 plays a leading role in regulating metabolism, protecting you from stress, and uplifting your mood.

Another vitamin contained in the Green-legged Partridge is vitamin E which is a potent antioxidant that protects body cells from free radicals thus delaying your aging process while decreasing the risk of cancer. There is vitamin D which helps in the metabolism of teeth and bone tissue.

Vitamin A is also part of the nutrients found in the Green-legged Partridge eggs. This vitamin comes with a positive effect on your sight. Vitamin A also protects you against harmful ultraviolet radiation. Vitamin K has a profound effect on blood coagulation processes.

The Green-legged Partridge eggs contain a substantial amount of micronutrients such as sulfur, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and magnesium. Thanks to the huge amount of nutrients, the Green-legged Partridge eggs are considered high-quality food for both adults and children suffering from various medical conditions.

On average, each hen can lay between 140 and 180 eggs per year. Most of these eggs weigh between 55 grams and 58 grams.

– Meat Production

Besides producing nutritionally rich eggs, the Green-legged Partridge chickens are also raised for their meat. Usually, their meat is tender and flavored because they spend most of their time roaming the backyard in search of worms, grubs, and ants that improve the quality of meat. Their meat is a rich source of nutrients such as proteins, lipids, amino acids, fatty acids, and a few carbs.

In addition to that, the Green-legged Partridge meat is delicious, easy to cook, and contains low content of fat. This meat is generally healthy for consumption by both children and elderly people.

Green-legged Partridge Chicken Care

Chickens have almost similar needs to other domestic animals. They need a nutritionally balanced diet, fresh, clean water, security, and medical care. The same case applies to the Green-legged Partridge breed of chickens.

So, if you are looking to start raising the Green-legged Partridge chickens in your backyard, make sure you have the following essential requirements ready:

– Feeding and Nutrition

Chickens are likely to eat almost anything they come across. This case applies to the Green-legged Partridge chicken. They will pick up and eat anything you give them no matter the size.

However, ensure that your chickens are fed on a good quality and nutritionally balanced diet. Poultry pellets, burrowing worms, and insects are some of the foods recommended for your Green-legged Patridge chickens.

Occasionally, give the kitchen and table scraps such as vegetables and fruits, cooked rice, oat, and pasta. These foods should be given in moderation. Avoid foods like avocado, chocolate, rhubarb, onions, garlic, lawn mower clippings, citrus foods, dried/undercooked beans, and raw green potato peels.

Instead, supplement their diet with crushed eggshells as a way of increasing calcium levels among layers. Don’t forget to supply them with fresh water constantly.

– Housing

Before you introduce your first batch of Green-legged Partridge chickens to your backyard, make sure there is enough outdoor space for them to roam during the day. Each bird requires at least 10 square feet of outdoor space to run around and exercise.

Apart from that, provide them with a secure shelter where they can retreat in the evening. The shelter/coop should be constructed in a manner to offer them protection against extreme temperatures, wind, cold, and heat.

Most significantly, their coop should be predator-proof to keep them well-protected, especially during the night. Create dark, quiet, and safe places in some chicken coops to encourage your layers to produce eggs. Add shredded paper or straw to those spaces to keep your layers comfortable.

Add a layer of safety features to your chickens’ shelter using a strong wire mesh fence around it. If possible, install predator sensor lights, auto doors, and wire mesh flooring to further protect your flock of Green-legged Patridge chickens.

– Health Problems

Your chickens’ health should be one of your primary concerns as far as their care entails. Consult with your local poultry vet to have your birds dewormed regularly. Whenever one of them gets sick, get it into quarantine as you seek medical intervention from a qualified and experienced poultry vet.

Should you notice strange behavior among your flock of Green-legged Partridge chickens, inform your trusted vet as soon as possible.

How Much Does Green-legged Partridge Chicken Cost?

The Green-legged Partridge chickens are fairly priced compared to other breeds of chickens. The price of each bird depends on its gender, age, and where it is being sold. Obviously, chicks are less expensive than adult Green-legged Partridge chickens. Make sure to check with your local market to know the exact price of these birds in your location.

Are Green-legged Partridge Chicken Good for Beginners?

Yes. The Green-legged Partridge chickens are a good choice for beginners because of their excellent temperament and ease to raise. They are ideal for new chicken keepers due to their being hardy and resistant to most poultry diseases. Most importantly, these birds don’t require a lot of attention since they prefer to free range rather than being confined in their coops.

Are Green-legged Partridge Chicken Hardy?

Absolutely! Green-legged chickens are among the hardy breeds of chickens to keep in your backyard. They can withstand varied climatic conditions as well as resist a given number of poultry diseases. That is why they are considered one of the best chicken breeds to raise on a free-range basis.

Can Green-legged Partridge Chicken Fly?

Just a little bit. The Green-legged Partridge can not fly as efficiently as birds of flight. However, they can fly a short distance but not so high as other birds. This is a common occurrence among most chicken breeds especially threatened.

Tips on Keeping Green-legged Partridge Chicken

Here are some of the tips you can use to maintain a healthy and productive flock of Green-legged Partridge chicken breed:

• Keep your Green-legged healthy, productive, and strong by providing them with all their basic needs namely, water, food, shelter, and your attention.
• Create enough space in your backyard for your chicken to roam freely while on a free range. This is attributed to the fact that Green-legged Patridge chickens enjoy free-ranging more than staying in their coops most of the time.
• Keep them safe and secure throughout by fencing off the area where you are raising them.
• Remember to clean their coops and run occasionally to keep their living space comfortable and free of pests and other disease-causing organisms.

Conclusion

The Green-legged Partridge chicken is an ingenious Polish breed. At one point, this chicken was facing extinction. Luckily, the breed is currently maintained in two conservation schemes.

Recent cross-breeding of the Green-legged Partridge with commercial breeds has resulted in the admixture and creation of a more productive chicken breed in terms of egg and meat production. With that being said, the Green-legged Partridge chicken breed is ideal for both meat and egg production among backyard chicken owners.

The breed is hardy, resilient, and adaptable to a variety of conditions. Plus, the Green-legged Partridge chicken has an excellent disposition, making it a great choice for families looking to raise backyard chickens.