Rare, unique breeds?

[Mehpenn]

There are SO many different breeds out there.
I guess different areas would produce more of one type than another, thought.

So, I was just wondering... what is the rarest, prettiest, most unique and/or most expensive chicken you've ever seen?

My grandpa had a couple cochin's when I was growing up... and that's about as exotic as it got around here.

 

[Happy Chooks]

The most expensive i've seen were for here were for medicineman's silver laced brahmas. They sold at over 1,000.00 for a dozen hatching eggs.

 

[joe17]

Chocolate Orpingtons are pretty rare and would go for a lot of money. Paint silkies went for $1,000 at one point but now a bunch of people have them. Go look on Greenfire farms website. They import chickens that arent available in America.

 

[Illia]

It all depends on what you call pretty. I think Gary's Silver Laced Brahmas and Dan's Buff Laced Brahmas were the most expensive, and they certainly were unique and pretty but they were a new color of a known, semi-rare breed.

Tolbunt Polish go for pretty good prices too and they're VERY pretty, very flashy but that's in my opinion. They are indeed very rare due to their lack of genetic diversity, but again - Rare color on a semi-rare breed.

Chocolate and Gold Laced Orpingtons are a very expensive thing but again, rare new colors on a common breed. To me they're no huge thrill but it's all in opinion.

Lamonas, the last pair I've heard of sold went for a pretty penny too and they are rare if not extinct, but certainly nothing exciting to look at, sorry.

 

[tinychicky]

olandsk dwarfs are quite rare and beautiful but not as expensive as some others. they're like mille fleur OEGBs with more staturated plumag coloration. http://greenfirefarms.com/store/category/chickens/olandsk-dwarf/

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Everything from them is expensive.

Give it time since they're new and prices will go down, especially from other sources.


So yes, counting newly imported breeds there are the Breda Fowl, Legbars, etc.

 

[josh44]

Oriental gamefowl are rare, especially pure breeds.
Have seen roosters and sometimes hens sell for hundereds and sometimes thousands of dollars ea.

A guy down here sold a pair of shamos for $2,500.

Yes a pair !!!

 

[Illia]

I got my pair for about $300. So yeah, they're generally not cheap.


But, Josh is right.

The thing is, they're not a breed for everyone. Although they're very friendly and mellow and intelligent, some people consider them useless or weird looking or think they're too much to take care of (like they're not a chicken or something)

 

[babyrnlc]

Hehehe, my cream Branbanters were my most expensive ($4 each

) and they are my most rare

 

[jrobertson]

I prefer the rare and unique breeds as well, but they also have got to appeal to me. There are some newer breeds and new colors within a breeds that I just don't find appealing or sometimes I just don't buy all the hype. I focus on cochins and silkies along with my rare breeds; empordanesa, sumatra, phoenix, and yokos. I also raise some birds that aren't really rare but have grown to be personal favorites. Such as, brahmas, coronation Sussex, silver spangled hamburgs. It's really up to the individual. If you choose to raise the hottest new thing, or the birds to like or enjoy.