Other ancient chicken breeds?

We were pretty excited to find when we raised speckled Sussex that they're an ancient breed, dating back to Roman times. Are there any other breeds with similarly long lineages?

Here are some beautiful speckled Sussex chicks to inspire you.

We have Standard Old English, American Bresse, and Deathlayers in our breeding program. We're selecting for a hardy, thrifty, and smart layer that handles the crazy weather swings of Wyoming, raises their own chicks, and has tasty meat after a long laying life. These breeds have contributed to creating some stunning results, but are amazing on their own. The Standard old English is one of the oldest breeds of chickens in the world, and was actually one of the most popular fighting cocks in England until the sport was banned in the 1800s. The American Bresse itself isn't super old, but they're the american take on the French Bresse which has been around for almost 500 years! They are renowned as the "best tasting chicken in the world." The Deathlayers are over 400 years old, and are known to have great laying longevity (hence the name)! They are also known as some of the most beautiful chickens.
Here's the link to our farm, if you want to learn more about our breeding project! https://www.peacefulvalleyfold.com/chickens

Elena Sparks wrote:The Standard old English is one of the oldest breeds of chickens in the world, and was actually one of the most popular fighting cocks in England until the sport was banned in the 1800s. The American Bresse itself isn't super old, but they're the american take on the French Bresse which has been around for almost 500 years! They are renowned as the "best tasting chicken in the world." The Deathlayers are over 400 years old, and are known to have great laying longevity (hence the name)! They are also known as some of the most beautiful chickens.
Here's the link to our farm, if you want to learn more about our breeding project! https://www.peacefulvalleyfold.com/chickens

Elena, thanks for the info and for the link to your site. That story about the Maran laying while laid up for a broken leg is amazing. And those birds are beautiful! I love that Deathlayer.

Question for you, since you're working with some extreme winter weather: How much protection do winter-hardy birds need? If we go with speckled Sussex or another winter-hardy breed next time, will the chickshaw coop be enough for them? It's not totally enclosed to the elements; 1/3rd of the side is covered in hardware cloth, that heavy wire mesh screen. As you can see from this thread on small predators and the chickshaw, we already lost a whole (suburban) flock of 5 to a predator that came in through the egg door. I'm now questioning the chickshaw's ability to overwinter a replacement flock. Another suburban chicken raiser I know pooh-pooh'd the chickshaw, but he's also a wealthy man who literally had a housing contractor build the Shangri-la of coops in his backyard; whereas, I'm looking at putting a tarp over the drafty parts of the chickshaw here. Thoughts?

Lisa Brunette wrote: That story about the Maran laying while laid up for a broken leg is amazing. And those birds are beautiful! I love that Deathlayer.

Question for you, since you're working with some extreme winter weather: How much protection do winter-hardy birds need? If we go with speckled Sussex or another winter-hardy breed next time, will the chickshaw coop be enough for them? It's not totally enclosed to the elements; 1/3rd of the side is covered in hardware cloth, that heavy wire mesh screen. As you can see from this thread on small predators and the chickshaw, we already lost a whole (suburban) flock of 5 to a predator that came in through the egg door. I'm now questioning the chickshaw's ability to overwinter a replacement flock. Another suburban chicken raiser I know pooh-pooh'd the chickshaw, but he's also a wealthy man who literally had a housing contractor build the Shangri-la of coops in his backyard; whereas, I'm looking at putting a tarp over the drafty parts of the chickshaw here. Thoughts?

Thanks! She is a pretty incredible hen, that's for sure!
Super winter hardy chickens shouldn't need a ton, mostly wind blockage. Most of my flock overwintered in this coop. During the winter it has a tarp, a layer of thin blankets, and then a second tarp covering the top. Same for the back, and the front is just the OSB sheets. During the coldest snaps (-20, -40, etc) I turned on a heat lamp, but other than that they just had their coop. Blocking the wind and the moisture is the most important part. Once you do that, and if they can pack together to stay warmer if they need to, than they should be fine. So block the holes, maybe add a blanket if you're concerned, and they should be fine. If they get wet, then you have a bigger issue, but until that point it should be pretty simple.
On a slightly different topic, be aware that frost bite can and will happen if you live in a colder climate. I fought it for ages and was never successful. Over time I learned to let nature do its thing. The chickens will either stick their heads under their wings and be fine, or will loose the tall parts on their comb. Unless you see infection, just leave it alone. It will turn black, die, and fall off, but it will leave the chicken stronger than before. Once the comb has lost it's spikes, it won't be as likely to be frost bitten in the future. It's kind of like natural dubbing, accept it doesn't hurt as much. Once it gets cold, the comb will numb and they won't feel it anymore.

I have Dorkings, another breed with ancient lineage. They are known for having sweet breast meat, being good layers and foragers, being winter layers, dual-purpose, and being short with a fifth toe that is a genetic marker of their influence.
They breed was described by the Roman senator Columella in his writings about his trip[ to ancient Britain.
Dorkings are named after the township in England. There was a time where a fertile, living Dorking was not allowed to leave the town for fear of someone making off with the breed.

The most common Dorkings are Silver-Greys, but I was able to find some beautiful types from a heritage hatchery and am trying to get lines of the Light Grey, Black, Rose Combed Colored, and maybe the Colored and Silver-Grey going. I've had them off and on for 20 years and have never had trouble with the roosters being mean. Great birds and I happily sing their praises.

As for winter quarters, the type of chicken that does best in very cold weather is one with a decent (medium at least) body size, small comb and wattles, and good feathering. There's a trade-off for winter cold protection and heat adaptations.
When Texas got that nasty freeze a few years ago, many of my flock ended up with frostbite on the combs, wattles, and toes. I have switched up my shelter for them, so I will no longer have toes lost to frostbite, but the large combs and wattles on the roosters is still a concern. I use a healing salve on their combs and wattles when there's a freeze forecast. It helps.

To weather proof a shelter for reasonably adapted breeds, you really only need to watch for a few things. As long as they have a place to get out of the wind - a really good wind break of some sort that still allows for air circulation - and shelter from precipitation, they should be fine. Make sure their roost is something non-conductive of temperature - wood is best - and wide enough that they are able to cover their feet when they roost on it - depends on the size of your birds. My roosts are about 1.5 inches at smallest, but I have large tree branches and some flat boards for the girls that lost toes or who have foot troubles.
You can use tarps to keep the wet and wind away, if it's a good quality tarp for a short time or you check to make sure it doesn't leak.

Elena Sparks wrote:
Super winter hardy chickens shouldn't need a ton, mostly wind blockage. Most of my flock overwintered in this coop. During the winter it has a tarp, a layer of thin blankets, and then a second tarp covering the top. Same for the back, and the front is just the OSB sheets. During the coldest snaps (-20, -40, etc) I turned on a heat lamp, but other than that they just had their coop. Blocking the wind and the moisture is the most important part. Once you do that, and if they can pack together to stay warmer if they need to, than they should be fine. So block the holes, maybe add a blanket if you're concerned, and they should be fine. If they get wet, then you have a bigger issue, but until that point it should be pretty simple.

Elena, thanks for those tips. Much appreciated.

Elena Sparks wrote:On a slightly different topic, be aware that frost bite can and will happen if you live in a colder climate. I fought it for ages and was never successful. Over time I learned to let nature do its thing. The chickens will either stick their heads under their wings and be fine, or will loose the tall parts on their comb. Unless you see infection, just leave it alone. It will turn black, die, and fall off, but it will leave the chicken stronger than before. Once the comb has lost it's spikes, it won't be as likely to be frost bitten in the future. It's kind of like natural dubbing, accept it doesn't hurt as much. Once it gets cold, the comb will numb and they won't feel it anymore.

Hopefully that won't be a problem, as it rarely gets that cold here, but who knows what the future will bring us in terms of weather? Again, I appreciate your input.

Kristine Keeney wrote:I have Dorkings, another breed with ancient lineage.

Kristine, thanks so much for the info. I'm bookmarking this thread for later reference.

Kristine Keeney wrote:As for winter quarters, the type of chicken that does best in very cold weather is one with a decent (medium at least) body size, small comb and wattles, and good feathering. There's a trade-off for winter cold protection and heat adaptations.
When Texas got that nasty freeze a few years ago, many of my flock ended up with frostbite on the combs, wattles, and toes. I have switched up my shelter for them, so I will no longer have toes lost to frostbite, but the large combs and wattles on the roosters is still a concern. I use a healing salve on their combs and wattles when there's a freeze forecast. It helps.

To weather proof a shelter for reasonably adapted breeds, you really only need to watch for a few things. As long as they have a place to get out of the wind - a really good wind break of some sort that still allows for air circulation - and shelter from precipitation, they should be fine. Make sure their roost is something non-conductive of temperature - wood is best - and wide enough that they are able to cover their feet when they roost on it - depends on the size of your birds. My roosts are about 1.5 inches at smallest, but I have large tree branches and some flat boards for the girls that lost toes or who have foot troubles.
You can use tarps to keep the wet and wind away, if it's a good quality tarp for a short time or you check to make sure it doesn't leak.

Also thanks for this. I'm glad to know the roost in the Chickshaw works well, and the back half of it, once we close up the egg door, will be pretty sheltered and secure. I've also thought about positioning it in a fenced corner for the winter months.