Sicilian Buttercup

My initial mixed flock included Buttercups. They are a pretty, small bird and the comb gives them a unique look. At least one of the hens was very broody and would peck you rather nastily if you tried to move her to get the eggs she had set on, which was usually only 2-3. Despite their small size they did not do well confined to our 10'x20' covered run. I'm surprised by the reports of them being friendly. I assume that they were handled frequently when growing up. Mine were quite flighty and quick to take cover when I entered the run unlike the Australorps which came to the gate looking for treats and follow me around talking while I refilled feeders and waterers. I lost one to the dog and the other two in a particularly cold winter in the Mid-Atlantic despite having a fully enclosed coop to shelter in that they wouldn't use. the Australorps were fine, roosting in the rafters, but take to shelter when it gets really cold.

If I were able to have a large, free range flock, I wouldn't mind having one or two for decoration, but in these days for endemic avian flu, and having a Russell terrier mix that goes after any bird that gets flighty despite years of training, that's not practical.

I have one Sicilian Buttercup... RC... I call her my "Racecar Chicken" - due to her head ornament (comb - she has a perfect little buttercup 'crown') and "spoiler" (erect tail) LOL.
I love her - and she makes me want to breed more just like her!

RC comes up to me to hang out. She likes to poke me, not peck...rather, it feels like she's "tapping me on the shoulder" (or my foot, ankle, knee...lol) to get my attention. She loves when I talk to her, and she chats back. She is very vocal...as we can have a "conversation" that is back-and-forth! I love it!

(I don't mind this...though I see that some would...) She jumps the fence to free range, so she's always in-and-out of the pen. She is a great, active free-ranger. She is two years old and lays lovely little/medium white eggs...probably two or three a week.

We adopted an adult SB this past summer. She is a good egg layer, although her eggs are super long and slimmer than most. They look like a bullet! She is not a cuddley chicken, nor is she aggressive towards humans. I have caught her pulling feathers from her "sister's" tail and eating it but I believe this is a habit she learned in her previous coop from lack of nutrition. If you want an egg layer this is a good breed. If you want a pet, look elsewhere.

Our Sofia was a one of a kind buttercup, I could go on and tell you about how wonderful she was and how devastated we are that we lost her, but I would hate to get a little speck of hope in your mind that you could get one like Sofia... 2 other people that liked Sofia went and got a buttercup of their own and they ended up getting rid of them they were so bad. They're usually flighty, skittish, unfriendly, don't do goo in confinement, very solitary and bossy to the point of aggression. If you want one of these, You'd need some serious land, a few acres that they free range.

My Sicilian Buttercup, Piquin, is a consistent layer of small creamy eggs, about 3-4 a week. Her plumage is a gorgeous coppery gold with distinctive leopard-like spots; a double comb and high tail carriage really make her stand out, despite her diminutive size. Sicilian Buttercups are quite small and lean with a very erect stance. Summers are regularly 100+ but the Sicilian Buttercup's Mediterranean heritage helps her cope; I suspect it might also be a liability in a colder climate.

Piquin has been an independent hen from a young age and is a bit anti-social within the flock. She frequently wanders off to hunt grubs on her own and as an excellent flier would often escape the backyard, easily sailing over a 6 foot fence. She managed to escape any predator that came after her, but eventually I had to clip her flight feathers to keep her in the yard. She is friendly and curious but does not like to be handled. She is much smaller than my other girls but manages to hold her own in a conflict.

I recommend this breed for its distinctive look and excellence heat tolerance. Sicilian Buttercups are active, curious, and independent but not good for people seeking docile heavy production birds.





Curious Piquin watching the camera.




Checking the fence for vulnerabilities, clever girl!

At long last, I'm able to give my Cookie her 5-star rating since she just laid her first egg today! I've waited 7 long months for this, so prepare yourself for a long, babbling statement about just how much I adore this breed. I'm IN LOVE with my precious little girl who is comparable to Alex in almost every way possible. I bought Cookie from Meyer Hatchery as an extra, preparing myself in advance for a stunning bird who would be extremely flighty, simply to prevent any future disappointment. Boy, was I ever given a surprise! She has, since chickhood, been friendly and docile as all get out. Plus, she flies up on my arm and makes her opinions known in a crackly voice just like my other sweetie pie, Alex. You could essentially say that I got two of my favorite chicken! Since we live in a colder northern climate, I've had to rub that lovely buttercup comb with Vaseline to prevent frostbite, and never once has she struggled. You could probably do almost anything to her, and she wouldn't ONCE think of putting up a fight. Most likely due to a back injury as a chick that left her with a slight hump, her growth was impeded slightly, leaving her at close to 3 lbs. Her biggest accomplishment was flying on top of our coop, which I would calculate to be about 9 ft. tall. One last cool Cookie fact: she's growing spurs, and is the only pullet in our decently large flock to do so.





Cookie's actually a spoiled brat who flies up on the food storage can because she KNOWS that she can wheedle a bit of hand-fed food from me! Here, though, I was pampering her during her first laying experience by providing some...well....bedside service?


You've got to love those pleading, irresistible dark eyes!

See the beginnings of spurs?

-Alex

I have had one of these as a pullet and she was great! You would have to be careful cause every time you bent down she would jump on either your head, back, or leg! The comb is very unique and plumage color is fascinating! Another great thing was her size. She was a smaller chicken than the others but not quite bantam size (as this is a LF breed). Great breed!

I got 10 Sicilian Buttercups. I had to sell 8 because they were mean and wild. Before we sold the Sicilian Buttercups 2 were getting beat up so I put them in my Welsummer chicken coop. When I decided to sell the Sicilian Buttercups I also decided not to separate the 2 Sicilian Buttercups from the Welsummers. So I only sold 8.


DO NOT GET SICILIAN BUTTERCUPS IF YOU WANT DOCILE CHICKENS!!!

After reading reviews, I expected our Sicilian buttercup chicks to turn into friendly, beautiful birds who were so-so layers. Turns out we were only correct on the beautiful part. Until they started laying, they were our most standoffish and skittish chickens of the entire flock. We had 2 buttercups and they stuck together, but wouldn't come anywhere near us, even when offered mealworms. They were the most skittish chickens I've EVER seen, and I've seen a lot. The funny thing I've noticed in my first year keeping chickens, ALL my chickens had personality changes after they started laying. The buttercups became a LOT more friendly, and will now eat out of our hand, follow us around the yard, and one will allow us to pet her. They are still more skittish than the others, but they've come a long way.

As for laying, they are GREAT layers! I've been surprised, actually, and was under the impression that this breed was a week layer. Not so with our two, they lay 6-7 eggs a week. They are cute, smaller white eggs. Perfect size for adding that extra uncalled for stability to a baking recipe (I always add a little more egg to cake recipes than called for). Also, the Sicilian buttercups are so pretty. They are smaller chickens compared to our others (Plymouth Rock, RIR, red sex link, etc.) but they hold their own. They are our most vocal birds, but I wouldn't say it''s unreasonable either. This is also something that appeared after they started laying. Before laying, they were completely silent.

They are definitely flightly! Being smaller, they can get some lift the way other chickens can't. They love to roost up high and you can expect to find them on top of the coops from time to time. I would definitely recommend the Sicilian buttercup to any chicken keeper looking to add a little beauty and cute egg layers to the flock.

I love my little Sicilian Buttercup pullets. These girls have a hand full of weeks to go before they should start laying but I do intend to get more of them. I love how active they are. While a naturally active bird, once in hand they are easy to handle. They are no more upset about confinement than any of my other chickens. My Hamburg's are actually the last in every single night and were the hardest to break to roosting in their new coop. No problems with aggression either. They hold their own.

Our first experience with chicken math was when I saw this little peeper and her perky personality just drew me in. She came home with us and theres been no looking back. She is beautiful to look at, her crown is very fitting to her personality. She has always been the princess at the top the the pecking order but doesn't rule aggressively. She is very smart and aware, keeps a large beautiful brown eye on things in her kingdom. Visitors often comment that she is the favorite, whether its for looks or personality or both!
We love her medium size, her green legs and shiny iridescent feathers. She seems to keep herself pretty clean and well groomed. She loves attention and sits in your lap for affection often. Curious and spunky, shes brave and a little bossy.
Very busy, she quits moving only when shes asleep and is always last to bed at night and first up in the morning. She has been a great teacher to the other girls,
A huge digger/scratcher means she makes an excellent forager and rototiller, unless its an area you didnt need a tasmanian devil mess.
A bit flighty, she doesnt do well with confinement and I think she would make best fit for flocks that can at least part time free range.

I have owned two Sicilian hens and you couldn't pay me to own any again. They were constantly trying to get out of the 1/2 acre run I had them in (all of my 13 other hens were content to be in there) by squeezing under the tiniest little space under the chicken wire fence that they could find. I would find the hole and block it off and they would just make or find another one! They would chase all of my 13 other chickens around and viciously rip out their feathers (even chickens twice their size). Perhaps I just owned two very bad tempered examples of this breed but I really wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

Only have one girl, and she hasn't begun laying yet, but she will jump right into your lap for a treat. She is obsessed with my golden retriever for some strange reason. The other birds avoid the dog, she runs toward her and follows the dog around the yard. ??? She loves to perch, and isn't afraid to go off on her own foraging. She is unafraid of the other animals and birds, even the huge turkeys. Haven't seen any of the roosters get ahold of her yet, either. She is on the small side, not really a bantam but a small hen compared to the others.

i got mine from ideal poultry and didn't look good from the first time i saw it it just laid down that one passed on and then got a replacement that one didn't make it it may just be the ones i got it may be different for you all but my experience wasn't good i might get more in the future and try my luck.

We have 1 Sicilian Buttercup hen, who is very nice to us. She allows us to handle/pet her. She's on top of the pecking order; so not super friendly to other chickens.

I just LOVE my sicilian buttercup, Poppy. Anytime I go outside she loves to hop up onto my back or my arm. She's very curious and loves to he held or played with. I've also noticed that she loves fruits and veggies more than my other chickens, for some reason. I also think her feathers are so pretty. I'm very happy with my Sicilian Buttercup and expect more in the future! I totally recommend this breed with anybody with time because they like attention and if you don't visit them that often they will become flighty and scared.



Oops she's camera shy! This is the best pic I could find of her on my computer at the moment maybe I can take some more later.

I looooooooove this breed sooooooooo much. They are soooooo sweet. Great egg layers, perfect amount of broodiness. And the most GORGEOUS hens and roos.




P. S I would have done 5 stars but my kindle's acting up.

I was concerned after purchasing these birds because I live in a very cold winter climate. But they have turned out to be quite tolerant of the cold. They forage outside during high winds, bitter cold, deep snow. Nothing bothers them. At night they roost in between their coop mates for warmth. I don't heat the coop.They did equally as well in the summer heat.

I've also been getting about 10 small white eggs from 2 birds per week. Not bad for the breed.

Due to their small size they certainly can fly! But tend to stay close to the coop with the flock. They get along well with others in the flock and are about middle in the pecking order. They're not friendly with humans, but won't run from you either. Basically indifferent, unless you try to pick one up.....then they're gone in a flash. They can also tolerate confinement, but are much happier free ranging.

Very beautiful breed, distinctive coloring and combs.

I have a bantam hen named buttercup she is fast but calms down after about a minute