Rarest breed of chicken in the US?

[farmnfowl]

Bantam Barnevelders are pretty Rare i have 4

 

[saladin]

I've been reading this thread with interest the last few days.

The initial questions needs, in my opinion, to be qualified. Obviously, a recent import is going to most like be the 'winner' of the rarest breed of chicken in the US.
If a cut-off date were to be utilized it would have helped. Plus, I would not have included ANY bantam breed in the listing except for true bantams.

 

[Pyncheon guy]

As far as rarest.....The Pyncheon breed is a very old American breed....and I can count on ONE hand the number of breeders in the country that even keep and are breeding these birds to the standard. There is no larger counter-part, standard size Pyncheon...they ARE a TRUE bantam. I have bred the breed for about 15 years and could never find other breeders to help keep the breed going. We now have a handful of VERY dedicated breeders who are helping keep this old American, RARE Bantam breed going. This breed dates back to the middle of the 16th century. They do not exist in any other country.....I only have one breed of poultry right now...and that is the Pyncheon. The breed is not only beautiful...but great little layers and the best mothers if you let them set. I do believe they could hatch out golf balls. I live in Northern Michigan where the Winters are unbelievabe.....and the Pyncheons embrace the challenge and come out of the Winter season unharmed and the least bit concerned over the temps. and excessive snow. There is a wonderful article of our Pyncheon breed in the Feb/Mar 2010 issue of the "Backyard Poultry" magazine. They ARE recognized by the American Bantam Assoc.....have been for years. I think the next time someone walks by a Pyncheon Bantam...they need to stop and take a second look at such a marvelous little bird. My hat goes off to ALL of the rare chicken breeders out there. We need to keep and preserve these heritage birds and pass them down to future generations of breeders that have the same compassion as we few do. My best to all and Happy Holidays.....The Pyncheon guy...Rusty Hart (231)675-8378 [email protected]

 

[mississippifarmboy]

How about some pictures Pyncheon guy? I would love to see some of these!

 

[Pyncheon guy]

Thanks for the interest....I do have photos....but I still am having trouble trying to post them.....too mechanical for me....

Anyone can e-mail me and I will be glad to send some photos. Or go to the "Backyard Poultry" site....click on past isssues ....and check out the Feb/Mar 2010 issue. We do have a few nice photos there and also on "Feathersite". Regards, Rusty

 

[OSUman]

Quote:
Heres the Backyard Poultry Magazine's link to the Pyncheon article http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/5/5-1/pyncheon_bantams.html

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Wow! Thanks for the link OSUman, that is a beautiful bantam! And intersting history on the breed too! And it was Rusty's birds pictured. Just wow.

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
Rusty, thank you so much for trying to draw attention to these fantastic little birds and the tremendous preservation effort you have undertaken with them. While mine aren't perfect to breed standard, they were a wonderful addition to our farm and always the first of our poultry that people notice.
They have amazing personalities-I have some that ride around on my shoulders and others that are tiny little pit bulls with feathers. Either way, we adore them all.

I'll be taking some of my little flock to a show here in Texas in January in the hopes of raising interest in them.
Thank you for sharing the history of these little birds, Rusty-information on them is so difficult to find.

 

[Pyncheon guy]

Thanks so much Jon (OSUman) for posting the link....I wouldn't know how to do that.

And thank you Sheila for the kind words and support....I know with your help...we'll keep the breed going and preserved for future generations to come. Going to try and get Jon fixed up with some next season as well....He'll be a great help towards the growth of the breed. *****I do want to point out one thing with the magazine article that was NOT mentioned....That first photo of the lighter colored hen.....That hen is almost 6 years old in the photo and her color pattern is blurred and REALLY showing her age.....That is NOT typical plumage color/pattern in good Pyncheons....she's just an older hen. She does...however, show great Pyncheon type. She has very pale willow/yellow legs...(very pastel).....I've kept several offspring from her family line. Pyncheons...along with other Mille Fleur colored breeds/varieties should never have dark/black peppering or mealyness in the bay/buff areas of their plumage. The only black should be the cresent shaped spangle with the white spot in all plumage sections. This is one of the many areas we NEED to maintain.....along with small, crisp spangles. I have raised 5 different breeds over the past 32 years in the Mille Fleur color. Good colored Mille Fleur and/or Porcelains can be a challenge to breed to perfection but the road to improving them is never bumpy...only scenic.

 

[stoneunhenged]

I've noticed quite a bit of similarity in appearance between Pyncheons and Olansk dwarfs from Sweden. Dwarfs evolved as a landrace on an island off Southeast Sweden, and there are reputed to be derived from "English garden hens" that were imported into the region by settlers a few hundred years ago. If you're interested in rare chicken breeds, about a hundred dwarf hens remain in the world.

http://feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Olansk/BRKOlansk.html