Sicilian Buttercup Chicken – Breed Profile & Facts
The Sicilian chicken breed is gorgeous and makes a fabulous ornamental bird. Although Sicilian chickens are rare in the chicken world, these birds have caught and captivated the hearts of many chicken enthusiasts.
Sicilian chickens look adorable and are among the most charming chicken breeds. The Sicilian Buttercup chicken can be great bred if you want a beautiful barnyard buddy and a decent layer.
What are Sicilian Buttercup Chickens?
Sicilian Buttercup chickens originate from Sicily, Italy. The origin of these chickens is, however, debatable. Some people believe these chickens have existed for thousands of years. Others believe these birds are recent chickens from crossbreeding Leghorns and Arabic chickens.
Either way, the breeding of these chickens was first reported in Italy several centuries ago. They have been popular in the Americas since the 1830s. While these chickens have been moderate layers since their inception, they fell out of favor with other superb egg-laying dynamos, like the Leghorns.
Some people believe that Sicilian Buttercup chickens date back to ancient Biblical times. The place of origin for these chickens remains unspecified. Others think these chickens originate in North Africa, although most poultry enthusiasts believe they are in Sicily, and that’s why they derived their name-Sicilian chickens.
Sicilian Buttercup Chicken Characteristics
Sicilian Buttercup chickens are different in terms of color. The most distinct feature of the Buttercup chickens is their combs, which resemble cups. Their beautiful combs are undoubtedly their most prominent feature. Some say their combs look like flowers, earning these birds the name Sicilian Flower birds.
Sicilian chickens have upright combs. There are some instances when their combs could be somewhat dropping. Looking at these chickens’ feathers will help you know their gender. Sicilian Buttercup hens, for instance, have a gold hue plumage. Roosters have an orange hue plumage.
The hens also have slightly spotted patterns, unlike roosters. Sicilian roosters and hens have black tails, giving them a stunning green shimmer. Having both genders in your backyard or farm will help add a charming addition to your existing flock.
– Size & Weight
Sicilian Buttercups are small-sized chickens that weigh around 2.95 kg for roosters. Females weigh approximately 2.50 kg, smaller than other hens from many chicken breeds.
– Temperament
Sicilian Buttercups are active birds that are ever on the run. These chickens have errands to run, and they are never late. These chickens are curious, and they seem as if they are constantly exploring new things and environments. For that reason, Sicilian Buttercups are amusing fowl to watch.
Although these chickens aren’t aggressive, they aren’t the friendliest fowl to keep. Unlike roosters from many aggressive breeds, Sicilian Buttercup roosters are non-aggressive.
Sicilian Buttercups will be friendlier if you keep them alongside other friendly breeds and pets. However, Sicilian Buttercups don’t easily accept human handling, making these birds unsuitable for people looking for social ornamental birds. After all, Sicilian Buttercup chickens are busybodies. Avoid keeping these chickens from their undertakings and missions.
– Lifespan
When living in good conditions, Sicilian Buttercups can live between five and eight years in good living conditions. Some can live longer, depending on their adaptability and genetic disposition. Overall, Sicilian Buttercups are healthy birds with little-known health problems.
– Egg Production
Sicilian Buttercups can make reliable egg producers. These chickens can lay between 100 and 200 eggs annually. The good thing about these chickens is that they start laying quite early. On average, young Sicilian Buttercups start laying when they are about five months old.
Some younger hens can begin laying when they are around ten months old. Sicilian Buttercups rarely go broody. Meaning these birds will give you little work collecting eggs. However, this attribute of these chickens can be problematic for chicken raisers looking forward to hatching Sicilian Buttercup chicks.
– Meat Production
Sicilian Buttercup chickens aren’t ideal meat chickens because they are petite. Furthermore, these chickens aren’t suitable for large-scale meat production. However, you can butcher one giant Sicilian Buttercup in your flock for a decent quantity of meat to feed your family.
Sicilian Buttercups are suitable for ornamental and egg production purposes. The Sicilian Buttercup chicken rearing is less unpopular among chicken keepers because Sicilian Buttercups aren’t dependable meat producers.
Sicilian Buttercup Chicken Care
Sicilian Buttercups are among the easiest ornamental birds to care for. These birds will not cause trouble, but they are also hardy, making them capable of handling confinement and free-range systems. However, Sicilian Buttercups need great care, like other domestic birds. Kindly go through this detailed outline on caring for your Sicilian Buttercups.
– Feeding & Nutrition
Sicilian Buttercups don’t need a special diet from their formative development phases. A quality chick starter feed is enough to make your baby chicks grow into healthy chicks in their adulthood. Sicilian baby chicks, however, need enough protein after hatching since these chickens will grow feathers quite slowly if they consume foods with less protein.
Adult Sicilian Buttercups like foraging in yards, where they get lots of fresh garden insects and green plants. The quality of food these free-ranging chickens get isn’t enough to meet their dietary requirements. That means chicken keepers raising Sicilian Buttercups should provide their chickens with other nutrient-rich foods to complement their diet.
For instance, you should sprinkle some protein-rich foods on your Sicilian Buttercups’ feed to give them additional protein to keep their plumage striking. Kindly remember that Sicilian Buttercup chickens are excellent ornament birds that need to have shiny and radiating feathers. Protein-rich feeds, and food will help these chickens get enough protein to boost their feather growth.
Like other chickens, Sicilian Buttercups can eat almost anything because they are omnivores. Your Sicilian Buttercup chickens can eat vegetables and tasty fruits to boost their vitamin intake. For instance, your Sicilian Buttercups can peck on broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and pumpkins.
These food items have loads of vitamins C, K, A, and D. All these vitamins will benefit your chickens because they will boost their immune systems and help them grow strong bones. Some excellent fruit choices for Sicilian Buttercups include oranges, melons, berries, and tomatoes.
Your Sicilian Buttercup hens will need more calcium than other chickens in the flock. Without adequate calcium, your Sicilian Buttercup hens can’t produce white eggs with strong shells. Furthermore, inadequate levels of calcium can affect your chickens’ bone development.
The best and most natural way of giving calcium to your Sicilian Buttercups is by providing them with crushed eggshells. Some chicken keepers also give their chickens crushed oyster shells when they suspect their birds could be having a calcium deficiency.
Sicilian Buttercups, like other chickens, could also experience digestion problems. Giving your chickens something essential to help them digest the food you give them daily. Giving grit to the chickens will help them digest food smoothly. Your free-range Sicilian Buttercups will only have to eat grit if they aren’t eating some small stones out there that will serve a similar purpose to grit.
Your Sicilian chickens will also need water for two crucial processes. First, these birds must drink water frequently to digest their food. Secondly, Sicilian Buttercups can suffer from dehydration if they don’t have an adequate water intake. Your chickens should drink water before eating and after eating food.
They should also have plenty of water in hot months to lower their dehydration and heat stress risk. Ideally, Sicilian Buttercups should have twice as much water as their food.
– Housing
The choice of housing you select for your Sicilian Buttercups will affect their quality of life. Your Sicilian Buttercups will have an easy time if they know they have somewhere safe to sleep at night when these chickens are highly prone to predators. Sicilian Buttercups aren’t the largest fowl, so they don’t need a large cage.
These chickens need space to run because of their active nature. These chickens also don’t like confinement, so you can have a chicken run to give them additional space to run around. Sicilian Buttercups like roosting on high spots, so you should ensure the coop has ample perches for your chocks.
Because Sicilian Buttercup chickens aren’t cold-hardy, they need a cage that protects them from extreme coldness to protect them against frostbite. Kindly heat up the coop when the cold winter months roll around.
– Health Problems
Sicilian Buttercups are some of the healthiest chickens. These hearty chooks rarely fall sick, so they don’t require special treatment like most chickens. However, you will need to worry about the common chicken health issues when raising these chickens.
Because Sicilian Buttercups are heat-hardy, you won’t need to mind so much when the summer months roll in. Nonetheless, it would help if you vaccinated your Sicilian Buttercups against common health problems like Fowl Pox, coccidiosis, and Avian Influenza. Also, protect these birds against frostbite because they are pretty vulnerable to frostbite.
How Much do Sicilian Buttercup Chickens Cost?
While Sicilian Buttercup chickens are a unique beauty in the modern poultry world, these chickens are pretty affordable. Chicks cost around $3 to $5, while adult chickens cost around $15 to $25 per bird.
Are Sicilian Buttercup Chickens Good for Beginners?
Sicilian Buttercup chickens are suitable for beginners keeping chickens for egg production and ornamental purposes. They are excellent for chicken owners residing in hot regions because these chickens can handle heat quite well.
Are Sicilian Buttercup Chickens Hardy?
Sicilian Buttercup chickens are relatively hardy. Unlike most chickens, these chickens won’t succumb to heat stress because they are heat-hardy. However, these chickens will only do well in cold regions with specialized care because they are highly vulnerable to frostbite.
Can Sicilian Buttercup Chickens Fly?
Yes, Sicilian Buttercups are among the most flighty domestic fowl. These chickens usually fly away when they detect danger, although they can’t fly too high. A high fence will prevent your Sicilian Buttercups from flying from your yard.
Tips on Keeping Sicilian Buttercup Chicken
These are some simple tips to help you raise Sicilian Buttercups with ease.
- Give your Sicilian Buttercups enough space to run about
- Be friendly to your Sicilian Buttercups to encourage them to be close to you
- Give your Sicilian Buttercups attentive care
- Protect your chickens from severe frostbite
- Protect your Sicilian Buttercups from predators
Conclusion
Sicilian Buttercups are extraordinary chickens to raise for eggs and ornamental purposes. These chickens won’t succumb to diseases, unlike other fowl. They are great chickens to raise in hot climates because they tolerate heat. Furthermore, Sicilian Buttercups have fewer maintenance needs.
