Rarest breed of chicken in the US?

[Redcatcher]

Madagascars. The real thing, not naked neck crosses.

 

[onthespot]

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I wouldn't call Silkied Ameraucanas a breed, but yes, those are freaky rare.

Only ever saw ONE person post a photo of their own birds from the U.S.

'Tis why I mentioned Oriental Gamefowl, and I think those sort of can fit in there too.

Not sure why you don't consider them a breed/variety. They breed true. Of course they are not APA recognied, but I think they could certainly become a recognied variety and get a very wide based and loyal following over time.

 

[mopargal1972]

Just stumbled across this thread. I have a question. Are bantam Rosecomb RIR rare? I have a pair. They are really dark colored like the pictures that I have seen of non-hatchery LF RIR. I am at work now, so I can't upload a pic. I will try to post one later today. Also, I have a birchen pheonix bantam pair that I hatched from Boggy Bottom Bantams. Are they rare? Thanks for starting this thread, now I need to build a bigger coop!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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LOL, I was too, it didnt happen so I had to do it.

mopar, yes the birchen in bantam phoenix is pretty darn rare too, most everything I have is on the rare side of things, that's why I get them . Some of the colors I have in certain breeds, I pretty much am the only one with. also have the crevies and houdans, but in bantam size.

 

[exop]

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Love the hiragana smiley!

 

[muddyhorse]

there were about 12 muffed white japs at an APA show in IL about 3 weeks ago. flippin' adorable

 

[exop]

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I kinda see what you mean. It seems odd to me too. Maybe I just accept that those things are just normal for the breed its-self. Unless one really tracks the lineage of their flock, it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to tell them apart from simple mutts of various breeds. I just figure if it is normal for the breed to have various combs and colors, then thats just the way it is. I know it is a difficult concept to embrace when so much emphasis is always placed on having a certain standard to adhere to when it comes to breeding and showing, not to mention just for being able to visually determine a breed w/out genetic testing or lots of paperwork trailing particular breedingstock birds.

Is it impossible to have a true breed when the only real defining physical characteristic is egg color? In that way, Icelandics all share a common trait.

It reminds me of the EE questions seen alot here- Like "Are EE's a breed,or just a mutt"? "How to determine if your EE is pure, or just a barnyard mix"? etc.

I have to agree with what Suzette is saying here. Icelandics are sort of like the Norwegian Jaerhon in that they are a breed that have been around for a while in another country and recognized as "a breed". However, we get it into our heads after looking for the APA Standard in a breed that we fail to recognize that some of the breeds that have developed, for whatever reason the continue to be bred, have variations within the breed that are not selected or de-selected for. You should also consider, in many countries where some of these birds are coming from, people have chickens more for practical purposes than for hobby. Especially when you are talking about a small island country like Iceland. Why would they bring in several breeds of chickens when they have some right there? They have our version of Backyard Special, but they are all Icelandics because that is where they come from and probably have some common genetics. Does that disqualify or qualify them as a breed? Who decides?

Does the OP want to know of ALL chickens, who is the rarest in the US, or just APA recognized breeds, or what?

It's funny you should mention the Jaerhon, as it's another victim of the modern obsession with color standardization. When the few remaining Jærhøns were rescued from oblivion, around 1900, they came in many color variations, like the Icelandic and many of the old Swedish breeds. The government preservation program felt that it was important to become "modern" and settle on a single stable color pattern, which was eventually achieved... at the expense of genetic diversity, :-(

For more, see this site in Norwegian, or Google Translated ... and some other, shorter articles from the Norwegian Genetic Resource Center and the Landsbrukmuseum. Fascinating,

"Rooster No. 1" and "Hen No. 26"... :-(

Best - exop

 

[Illia]

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THANK you!!! Finally, someone besides me who mentions them.

Do you breed them?

 

[Illia]

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I wouldn't call Silkied Ameraucanas a breed, but yes, those are freaky rare.

Only ever saw ONE person post a photo of their own birds from the U.S.

'Tis why I mentioned Oriental Gamefowl, and I think those sort of can fit in there too.

Not sure why you don't consider them a breed/variety. They breed true. Of course they are not APA recognied, but I think they could certainly become a recognied variety and get a very wide based and loyal following over time.

Well, I mean, they're already a known breed - Ameraucanas. To me they're a sort of variation of them, like frizzling.

 

[Redcatcher]

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THANK you!!! Finally, someone besides me who mentions them.

Do you breed them?

Yes, I breed them. Most people pass them up because they think they are an ugly bird. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. I am also breeding Tuzos, which are also pretty rare.