10 Unusual Chicken Breeds

Dozens of different chicken breeds exist today. Choosing a suitable breed for your backyard or farm from many breeds nowadays can be confusing. Most breeds are well-known among chicken raisers.

Some breeds are weird or lesser known, yet they might be precisely what your chicken flock is missing. Some of these unusual breeds have peculiar physical traits, such as feathers on their legs and feet and giant combs and wattles. Here are the top 10 unique chicken breeds suitable for your flock.

Silkie Chicken

The Silkie chicken breed is among the weirdest breeds today. This breed has unusual qualities, including black bones, blue earlobes, five toes on every foot, and black skin. Silkie chickens have silky white plumages and stunning black skins.

Silkie chickens are also lightweight birds, with roosters weighing about 1.8 kg and hens weighing around 1.3 kg. Bantam Silkie chickens weigh about 500 grams for females and 600 grams for males. Silkie chickens have wide-set and short legs, usually gray. Silkie chickens also have fluffy appearances, making them different from other breeds.

Moreover, Silkie chickens have feathered legs and feet. Besides physical traits, Silkie chickens are also weird because, unlike other breeds, Silkies have a maternal instinct that allows them to sit on other chickens’ eggs. They can also sit on duck and turkey eggs and hatch successfully.

The other aspect that makes Silkie chickens quite unusual is that they have the friendliest temperament of all chicken breeds. Their friendliness towards their owners also extends to other chicken breeds.

Ayam Cemani Chicken

Ayam Cemani chickens are also among the most unusual chicken breeds. First, these birds have an entirely black coloration, unlike other breeds. The black coloration extends to these chickens’ combs, feathers, internal organs, bones, skins, and muscles.

Unlike many breeds that are poor winter layers, Ayam Cemani chickens are excellent winter layers, although these birds don’t lay many eggs annually like the average chicken breed. Ayam Cemani chickens also have black meat, contrary to other chicken breeds.

Although Ayam Cemani chickens are medium-sized birds, they are muscular birds capable of maintaining high speeds while fleeing from predators. These chickens are unusual because they are more alert and active than most breeds.

Naked Neck Chicken

For good reasons, the Naked Neck chicken breed is among the most popular unusual chicken breeds. This breed has no feathers on its vent and feathers. The breed also has a highly distinctive appearance compared to other breeds.

Naked Neck chickens are great meat producers compared to most meat-producing breeds because they require less plucking. These chickens also have meaty bodies. The Naked Neck chickens are different from other chickens because they are excellent foragers.

Moreover, Naked Neck chickens have immunity against most poultry diseases. The other attribute that makes Naked Neck chickens unique from other breeds is that they are cold hardy, notwithstanding their lack of feathers. Naked Neck chickens have half the feathers of their fellow chicken breeds, making the chicken breed resistant to scorching weather.

These chickens come in different color varieties, including white, cuckoo, red, buff, blue and black. They have the most docile and sweetest temperament of all chickens. Naked Neck chickens are an excellent breed to raise alongside other birds, including turkeys.

Polish Chicken

The Polish chicken has one of the weirdest hairdos of all the chicken breeds. This breed is also one of the most fantastic to add to your flock. Polish chickens are good-looking and cute chickens. The head feathers of the Polish chicken will undoubtedly make it look unique from other breeds.

There is plenty about Polish chickens beyond their looks. The birds can provide you with a decent number of tasty eggs since they lay around three eggs weekly. Polish chickens have been roaming this globe for several years, so the chickens can be excellent ancient birds to add to your flock.

Polish chickens are calm and gentle birds, making them ideal companions for kids. Polish chickens can be extraordinary if you want beautiful chickens in your backyard with a long history or just chickens that can make excellent companions.

Frizzle Chicken

The Frizzle chicken breed is distinct, thanks to its outward and upward-curled feathers. Many countries in Europe and Australasia consider this breed a specific chicken breed. Their frizzling plumages give Frizzle chickens a unique and fun appearance. Frizzle chickens have short, broad bodies. These birds also have rounded breasts.

Their feathers are moderately long and curl backward towards their heads. Although these chickens have no leg feathers, they have a ragged appearance, making them appear unusual from the other breeds.

Weight is another trait that makes these chickens seem weird compared to other breeds. They weigh around eight lb. for roosters, and hens weigh approximately six lb., notwithstanding their curled feathers.

Onagadori Chicken

The Onagadori chicken is a classical representation of the Phoenix chicken breed. The first thing that makes Onagadori chickens unusual is that they are rare. Native to the Japanese island of Onagawa, these chickens have unique coloring. They have black feathers with bright red tips.

They also have long tails compared to most breeds. Onagadori chickens are some of the friendliest and most social chicken breeds. Onagadori chickens are unique because they have the most extended tails on the planet.

They are also some of the most attractive ornamental chickens worldwide. Although these chickens aren’t excellent layers, they can lay between three and four eggs per week.

La Fleche Chicken

La Fleche chickens are among the most unusual, courtesy of their medium-sized, full, and well-curved tails. These chickens have weird-looking combs that earn them the name “Devil Chickens .”It’s easy to identify La Fleche chickens because of their unusual combs.

Their combs have horn-like appearances, thus distinguishing these chickens from other breeds. They were once among the best table birds on earth. Despite La Fleche Chicken being reliable ornamental birds and egg-producing chickens, these birds are decent layers. La Fleche hens can lay approximately 180 eggs annually.

Although they are undoubtedly a fantastic dual-purpose breed, these chickens are slow-maturing birds. That’s why they have lost their dual-purpose tag since the introduction of fast-developing breeds.

Modern Game Chicken

The Modern Game chicken doesn’t possess long feathers like other breeds. Nonetheless, the Modern Game chicken has long legs, making it appear weird compared to other breeds. Modern Game chickens are some of the birds with the longest legs.

Because of their long legs, these chickens will undoubtedly catch your attention from afar. The Modern Game chicken breed became popular and distinct at the end of the cockfighting era. Today, these unusual chickens are strictly ideal for ornamental purposes.

Nonetheless, Modern Game chickens aren’t the most productive breeds. They are only capable of producing a single egg daily. They are less aggressive than most domestic game birds. Because they are reasonably large medium-sized chickens, Modern Game chickens have a decent meat-production ability.

Males weigh around six lb., and females weigh approximately 4.5 lb. Unlike other game birds that appear pretty intimidating, Modern Game chickens are non-aggressive. They exhibit friendly and calm dispositions.

Modern Game chickens are beautiful birds for backyard chicken raisers, provided the chickens aren’t competing for space and food with other chickens.

Serama Chicken

The Serama chicken breed is among the most unusual breeds because of its tiny size. Serama chickens stand between 6 and 10 inches tall. These chickens have an upright stance and usually look like their chests are thrusting out. They keep their heads high, and their tail feathers are always attentive.

The Serama chicken breed resulted from crossbreeding the Malaysian and Japanese Bantams. The most unusual physical trait of Serama chickens compared to most breeds is that these birds have extremely short backs. There is hardly any space between their tail feathers and necks.

Serama chickens are, however, fantastic layers. Hens lay three to four cream-colored eggs daily. Serama hens mature fast and usually start their egg production journey once they are around five months old. Serama chickens are relatively rare today worldwide.

Dong Tao Chicken

The Dong Tao chicken is also known as the “Dragon Chicken,” making it among the most unusual chicken breeds on the globe. The bizarre legs of Dong Tao chickens will undoubtedly catch your attention from afar. It’s easy to think these chickens are suffering from some deformity from their appearance.

Despite these chickens’ dragon-like appearances and imposing stances, these birds are pleasant and calm. Although they might not appear fancy birds to everyone, Dong Tao chickens are among the most regal chickens. These chickens have healthy and massive bodies, making them exceptional meat producers.

Males weigh between 5.5 and 6.6 kg, while hens weigh approximately 4.5 kg. They are among the most expensive chickens today, making them quite different from the average chicken breeds selling a couple of bucks.

Conclusion

You can keep dozens of chicken breeds in your backyard for meat or eggs. Some breeds you can opt to include in your flock may not necessarily be the most physically appealing. Some might have weird looks, temperaments, and physical traits.

Such chickens are among the unusual breeds we ignore. Adding uncommon chicken breeds to your flock can help spice up the flock.

avatar James
Hey, I'm James, a hardworking homesteader for more than 30 years. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes from tending my flock. I've raised chickens and ducks for eggs and meat for many years. I also have experience with other poultry too. Learn more

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