Island Poultry Chickens - Chickens, Ducks, Eggs, Western Isles, Scotland.

	Sussex The South East of England was noted for its chickens - Old Sussex, Kentish, Surrey and Dorking. The Victorians developed the fattening industry to supply, in particular, the London market. Sussex are a dual purpose breed with good, moist, white meat and good layers. The Surrey and Kentish birds disappeared, but the Dorking and particularly the Sussex thrived. The original Sussex was the Speckled and when the Sussex Club was formed in 1903, there were three varieties, the Red and Light (developed from the Brahma, Cochin and Dorking) and Brown. The Buff form appeared about 1920 followed by White, and Silver. The Sussex has been used with the Rhode Island Red, Indian Game and Leghorn to develop today's industry of battery and broiler hybrids. Sussex are bright, active, docile birds. Birds have a long, broad and flat back and a broad, deep chest. The head has a single comb. Legs are short and strong with stout thighs. The tail is moderate and is carried at about 45°. They are good sitters but do not go broody as often as more heavily feathered breeds. As layers, they are very good, producing up to 260 eggs a year and equalled only by the Rhode Island Red.

	Orpington The first Orpington fowl to appear was the Black in 1886. It was bred by William Cook of Orpington in Kent. Eventually there were 7 varieties: Black (1886), White (1889), Buff (1894), Jubilee (1896), Spangled (1900), Cuckoo (1907) and the Blue (1907). The Spangled and Cuckoo are no longer seen and the Jubilee (mahogany, black & white) only occasionally at shows. Orpington birds are active, but docile birds. Many are bred for showing. They are steady though not exceptional layers of tinted eggs, producing up to about 190 a year. Being a 'heavy' type, they do have a tendency to go broody but are good mothers. The Buff has always been the most popular and although Cook bred it from Hamburg, Dorking and Cochin (Shanghai), the early birds resembled the Lincolnshire Buff which had been bred as a dual purpose bird since about 1850. There was (and still is) controversy, but the Orpington was standardised at the expense of the Lincolnshire. We also offer the very pretty 'Gold Laced' variant that has gold feathers outlined in black.

	Scots Grey Known primarily as a cottager's fowl, the Scots Grey is revered for its hardiness and ability to thrive in any climatic conditions. They lay a large egg for the size of bird and the chicks grow well and mature quickly - a distinct advantage in the short northern summers. Most poultry books class the Scots Grey as a non sitter; being a light breed. But from a personal point of view they occasionally do. When so, they will make a good mother if left relatively undisturbed, and will look after the chicks assiduously, teaching them all the free and far ranging habits of their ancestors, their long legs no doubt benefiting their passage through the tussocky grass or heather around the homestead. About the only fact the Victorian poultry books agree on is that the Scots Grey is a very old breed, going back to the sixteenth century. Over a long period of time the Scots Grey has been known by many names in different districts including: Chick Marley, Shepherds Plaid, Chickmalins, Mauds, Greylings, and Greylocks and were mostly kept by Cottagers and farmer's wives. This variety of naming made for great difficulties in the tracing of its precise history. The Scots Grey is of great antiquity and little is know of its exact origins, although leading poultry historians are inclined to support the idea that the breed is a refinement from the Scottish native fowl, which was to be found on farms. A book published in 1862, dealing with poultry on the farm makes it clear that the breed was quite popular (The Henwife by Mrs Fergussson Blair). Harrison Weir traveled to Dumfriesshire regularly between 1862 - 1864 and studied in depth the local poultry. The fowl kept in the area he traveled were the old sort, square and plump, and short in thigh and medium in shank. They had single combs, relatively large heads, ear lobes white to light pink, shanks and beak white, and an upright carriage. The overall colour was a cuckoo grey, with a large and full tail of the cocks a dark or mottled black and white. Sometimes there other colours mixed in such as straw and, occasionally, red. The hens had a brown colour on the body, or a grey- brown, with darker hackles. These birds, he noted almost 50 years on, are what became known as " Scotch Greys" - now known as Scots Greys. They were modified and looked more Gamey. Possibly there had been a cross with Old English Game or an Asian breed. He felt quite positive from his knowledge and experience of the Dorking with its five toes, that they had never been crossed with the Scots Grey. In 1902 Lewis Wright commented on the utility value of this breed in his book ' The New Book of Poultry', saying"...we have often wondered it has not been more popular in England. “He describes its appearance as 'sprightly' and having something of the Old English Game style about it. At that time he reported the breed was making good progress both on the Continent and in the USA.

	Silkie A very old breed, there descriptions of Silkies going back several hundred years. Marco Polo described similar birds in the C13th and they were described as having 'fur like cats' in 1645. It is thought that they originated in Asia, possibly China or even Japan. The first birds to arrive in the UK came from India in 1850 when their unusual looks won love and admiration which has continued to this day. They are unique. Their fluffy appearance is due to their feathers not having the small barbs that keep other feathers together and consequently they are soft and silky to handle. Silkies are no fliers and can be kept within a low fence. They are renowned for their broodiness and their calm, friendly and trusting nature. Their skin is dark purple, sometimes appearing black, this pigmentation being carried into the meat & bones and the Chinese regard them as a delicacy with medicinal properties. Silkies are a large breed but there is a lot of variety in size & weight. The body is broad and round with a short back and saddle rising to the tail which is plentiful, fluffy and raggy looking in the cock. The heads are quite different in the male & female. The cock has a pronounced purple comb and a crest of longer feathers swept back towards the neck hackles. The hen has a short, neat pom-pom like a powder puff. On both sexes, the wattles & face are purple with black eyes and bright blue ear lobes. Legs are short, grey blue, lightly feathered with a fifth toe. The hens do make wonderful broodies and are used widely as natural incubators by breeders of pheasants, partridges and ducks as well as chickens. Although they might lay up to about 150 pale tinted eggs a year, which tend to be a bit smaller than average, this number can be much lower if they sit a lot. Chicks are difficult to sex with any accuracy before about 15 weeks because of their peculiar feathers.

	Wyandotte The first mention of similar birds was in American poultry journals, in 1873, of Sebright Cochins, the result of crossing Cochins and Silver-spangled Hamburghs with 'other blood'. They were not well known until similar birds appeared named after American Indians called Wyandotte (why-an-dot) and standardised in 1883. The first was the silver laced and the Light Brahma had also been used in their creation. The silver laced Wyandotte came to the UK at the same time as it was standardised and the first English bred birds were exhibited at the Staffordshire Show in 1884. The gold laced came again from America in the late 1880s, as did the buff & blue laced, though nearer the end of the century. Other varieties, the white, black, buff, partridge, silver pencilled, columbian, red & blue, made their appearance by 1910. There is also a barred form. There are 13 varieties in all, each made from a blend of various breeds which provides vigour. Chicks grow strongly and quickly. They are docile, friendly, easy birds, graceful and active. There is nothing straight about them being well rounded with a saddle back. The body is short, deep & rounded; the back short & broad sweeping up to a medium sized, spread tail. The head is short and broad with a rose comb. Legs are yellow as are the beaks. Hens may lay up to 200 tinted eggs a year and are reliable broodies that make good mothers.

	Chamois Pencilled Friesian Friesian Fowl are an old breed believed to be from the Friesian Islands and are a relatively new breed in the UK having only been imported since the early 1980s. The chamois pencilled is the most common probably as the colouring and pattern is not found in any other breed. They are a good layer, laying approx 230 white eggs per year.

	Vorwerk This breed originated in Hamburg by Oskar Vorwerk in 1900. They were imported into Britain about twenty years ago by a Mrs Wallis of Arundel who wanted to form a club for the breed. They are quite a flighty bird similar in character to the Scots Grey so need high fences to keep them contained as they like to try and roost up as high as possible. They are a good layer laying approx 170 cream to tinted eggs per year.

	Pekin Partridge Pekins are true bantams with no large counterpart although Continentals & Americans refer to pekins as bantam cochins even though there are many differences. They come from China, being brought to the UK as loot from the Summer Palace in Pekin after the Second China War of 1860. The original colour was the buff followed by many others in the UK & Europe. The popular lavender came from Holland. Pekins are very tame, placid and confiding with an appealing round and fluffy appearance. They are wonderful for children and love being handled, hopping up onto laps & shoulders. However, they can also be bossy and fight strange birds. They have a short body & back, deep breast and short wings & tail. The head has a short beak & single comb. legs have stout thighs but are short and well spaced, covered with feathers. This description is rendered somewhat superfluous by the abundance of soft feathers which does away with any straight line. The body is rounded, the tail as well and there is loads of fluff underneath. They do not fly but use their wings to help them along, appearing to bounce. The hens are moderate layers, but famous as broodies and are very good mothers. The large amount of feathering around the vent can affect fertility and may need trimming. They love to roam but do not need a large area. The male is a delight with a dark red head that passes through orange or gold-red down the neck hackles getting lighter towards the shoulders, each feather striped down the middle with black. The breast, thighs, wings, tail & underparts are green-black, the back, shoulders and wing bow crimson. Hens have a light gold or straw neck hackle with the black stripe down the middle of each feather. The rest is partridge brown with three fine pencilling marks in a darker glossy green-black.
	Barbu d'Anvers (Belgian Bantams) Barbu d'Anvers or translated to english Belgian Bantams, are originally from Belgium. They have been in the UK since victorian times and being a small bird do not require large runs or poultry housing. They are a rose combed, clean legged bird, the cock weighs approx 26oz (740g). They are easily tamed and suitable for children to handle. The eggs are small but are excellent for children who are reluctant to eat eggs. The birds are good sitters and mothers.

	Australorp Bantam The Australorp was developed as a utility breed in Australia in the 1920s from the Black Orpington primarily for egg production rather than for its meat. The name originates from the club which was founded for them, The Austral Orpington Club. They are excellent layers of tinted eggs and hold the world record for egg production as a hen of the breed laid 364 eggs in 365 days! The feathers have a wonderful beetle-green sheen and they have a prominent dark eye. Their comb is single and evenly serrated while their earlobes are red as are their medium length wattles. Their black legs are strong and free from feathers. Being a Bantam variety they are a perfect size for children to handle.