The black and white chicken breeds are an attractive choice of pet for anyone who loves chickens, but the breed may come with some quirks. Since there is no true standard color for black and white chickens, their looks can be irregular in some cases. For example, one bird may have all white feathers while another looks almost entirely black. The same thing can happen with the patterns of white on their faces, necks, breasts, or wingtips. These irregularities only add to the charm of this unusual breed of chicken.
For someone interested in more than just a pretty face or curious about what kind of eggs they lay, black and white chickens are not the right choice. This breed does not lay particularly more eggs than other kinds of chickens. It would also be difficult to raise them for their meat since they are not the fattest of breeds. They are, however, very friendly and intelligent birds that can become great pets.
Here are some of the top black and white chicken breeds:
– Araucana: This breed lays green eggs and comes in different colors, including black and white.
– Cream Legbar: These chickens are mostly white with colored heads. They produce blue eggs and lay around 200 per year.
– Dorking: This breed is one of the oldest domesticated chicken breeds. It is known for its size and egg production (around 250 a year). The roosters weigh about 9 pounds (4 kg), while females weigh 7 pounds (3 kg). Their coloration is similar to that of the Dorking chicken.
– Faverolle: With white feathers and red earlobes, these chickens can be used as both egg and meat producers (about 150 eggs a year). They weigh between 4 to 5 pounds (2 kg) and are a dual-purpose breed.
– Houdan: This French chicken is known for its scaly feet, muffs, beards, and five toes. It comes in different colors but mostly black and white.
– Sumatra: These chickens have long tails and were at one point called Long Tail Chickens. In fact, they have the longest tails of any breed of chicken! They come in many colors, including black and white.
– Yokohama: This Japanese hybrid has been crossed with many other breeds to create even more varieties. Commonly black and white, there are also some that came out golden or silver in coloration.
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Chickens with black and white feathers
Black and white chickens are rare breeds that aren’t kept by many farmers because they don’t produce eggs or meat as much as other breeds. Black and white chicken breeds also do not lay eggs nearly as often as most chicken breeds, which makes them less desirable than brown egg-laying breeds.
There are several black and white chicken breeds, but perhaps the best known is the Orpington breed. Orpingtons were created in England in 1886 for meat, egg production, and temperament. They come in five color varieties: black, blue, buff (light tan), white, and barred (black with thin lines of another color). The black variety was the first type of Orpington to be bred for a show at agricultural fairs. The first black and white Orpington was bred in 1890.
Many other breeds also have black and white varieties, including the Cochin, Wyandotte, Hamburg, Leghorn, Plymouth Rock, and Rhode Island Red. The Araucana breed of chicken is notable for laying blue eggs! These chickens are considered to be extinct because they were unable to adapt to Chile’s changing environment.
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Black and White Rooster Breeds
Black and white roosters are roosters that have either solid black or white feathers. These roosters can be great show birds, but they’re also friendly pets. A flock of these beautiful chickens is a sight to behold.
Plymouth Rock: This breed laid brown eggs and was developed in the United States around 1874. They come in black and barred varieties and lay an average of 160 eggs per year. Plymouth Rocks weigh 10 lbs., making them a good dual-purpose breed for meat and eggs.
Wyandotte: The Wyandotte breed comes from America as well. You’ll find this hardy bird in many colors, such as golden laced, silver laced, buff, white, partridge, silver penciled, and black. Wyandottes lay brown eggs and don’t get too big at 7 lbs. They’re a good breed for the beginner chicken-keeper because they’re easy to care for.
Australorp: This bird is originally from Australia, but you can find it in other colors such as white, blue, black, silver, penciled, and barred. Australorps lay about 170 eggs per year and weigh around 8 lbs. These chickens are friendly and won’t mind being handled by children or adults.
Lakenvelder: The Lakenvelder was developed in Germany during the 19th century. This breed comes in black and white only. They have single combs on their heads, which means that they’ll need protection from the frost during winter. They’re also good producers of eggs and meat, with their average laying of 150 eggs per year.
Hamburg: This breed comes in white, black, brown-red, silver penciled, golden laced, blue, cuckoo, pea-combed, buff, or red. You can find Hamburgs all over Europe as well as North America. They lay 260 to 290 eggs per year and weigh around 8 lbs. These chickens may have a tendency to be a bit flighty at first but aren’t too picky about their living conditions if they’re well taken care of.
Mottled Houdan: This French breed was originally developed from the Brahma chicken. The Mottled Houdan comes in black, white, cuckoo, red, silver penciled, and golden laced. This breed gets its name from the mottled pattern of its feathers. They’re good birds for meat production but also lay about 200 eggs per year.
Indian Game: Indian Games are an Asian bird that comes in three colors: white, blue, and black. These chickens were used for cockfighting in their native land before they were imported to Great Britain during the 19th century. Today you can find them throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. Indian Games are known to be aggressive but will produce a lot of chicks if they’re allowed to reproduce. They grow up at 9 lbs., making them another dual-purpose breed.
Polish: This breed comes in black, white, blue, and cuckoo. These birds were developed in the U.S. around 1872. They’re good foragers that like to stay busy with plenty of exercise. You can find Polish chicks at most hatcheries.
Black Andalusian Silkie: The Black Andalusian is an ornamental chicken breed that was developed in Spain. It also comes in several colors – white, black, red, cuckoo, partridge, and gray. If you want a rare breed, then this may be the one for you because not many people have them in their flocks. You’ll need to keep them safe from hawks when they roam outside, too, because they’re flightless.
Red Star: This breed is also called the Red Sex Link, or Rhode Island Reds crossed with New Hampshire. You can find them in black, white, and barred. These chickens were developed for their laying abilities and will lay about 200 medium-sized brown eggs per year. Red Stars are a good dual-purpose bird, and they come in several different colors.
White Plymouth Rocks: These birds aren’t as common in America as some of the other breeds on this list, but you may be able to get your hands on chicks if you ask around because not many people raise them. They’re similar to Plymouth Rock except that they come in white instead of black and barred varieties. White rocks like to roam freely when possible, so make sure that they’re in a secure place.
Golden Laced Polish: This breed comes in black, white, cuckoo, blue, and silver penciled. They were developed in the 19th century when farmers wanted to improve their crested breeds. Golden Laced Polish are good foragers with friendly temperaments that won’t mind being handled by people of all ages.
White Silkie Chickens: These birds come in both standard and bantam sizes. They may be white, but they still need to be protected from the cold because they don’t possess any feathers on their legs or feet. You can find them anywhere that sells chickens, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one.
Mille Fleur D’Uccle Bantam: This breed comes in black, blue, white, cuckoo and silver penciled. Mille Fleur D’Uccles are friendly chickens that don’t mind being handled by children. They’re good foragers that like to stay active though they aren’t very cold hardy because their feathers don’t cover their feet and legs.
Black-Breasted Red Games: These birds were developed in Australia and come in several colors – dark red or scarlet, white, brown-red, silver penciled, and buff. If you want a rare breed, then this may be the one for you because not many people have them in their flocks. You’ll need to keep them safe from hawks when they roam outside, too, because they’re flightless.
Birchen: Birchen chickens come in several color varieties – black, buff and white, and cuckoo. You can find them anywhere that sells chickens, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one. They were developed in England as a utility birds, but they’ve become pretty rare because most people now prefer to raise the more modern breeds like Rhode Island Reds.
White Dorking Chickens: White Dorkings come in both standard and bantam sizes. These birds were originally brought to Great Britain from Tibet by the Romans around 55 BC and then later crossed with other chicken breeds over the years. If you want a rare breed, then this may be the one for you because not many people have them in their flocks. You’ll need to keep them safe from hawks when they roam outside, too, because they’re flightless.
Barnevelder Chickens: Barnevelder chickens are friendly breeds that don’t mind being handled by children. They also lay large eggs, so make sure that your children are for all of those egg hunts. They were originally bred to increase egg production, so they don’t have much meat on their bones.
Chantecler Chickens: Chanteclers are peaceful, quiet chickens with friendly temperaments. They’ve been bred for generations to produce large quantities of both eggs and meat, which is why they tend to carry more fat around their bodies.
Cornish Game Chickens: These birds were originally bred for cockfighting, but they’ve since become popular as meat chickens. They’re good layers, too, so they lay about 160 eggs per year. You can find them anywhere that sells chickens, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one.
Catalana Chickens: Catalanas is a cold-hardy bird with a single comb, V-shaped neck, and bright red ear lobes. These birds are good foragers that like to stay active though they aren’t very cold hardy because their feathers don’t cover their feet and legs.
Sumatras: Sumatras were originally bred in Indonesia, but they’ve since become popular all over the world. They’re mostly white with black tails, wings, and necks, which makes them easy to spot when they’re free-ranging outside. If you want a rare breed, then this may be the one for you because not many people have them in their flocks. You’ll need to keep them safe from hawks when they roam outside, too, because they’re flightless.
Welsummer Chickens: Welsummers come in both standard and bantam sizes, so you’ll need to decide which one is right for your flock. These birds were originally brought to Holland from Turkey in the 1930s, where they’ve become very popular as backyard chickens. They can be used for producing both meat and eggs though these are not dual-purpose breeds.
White Brahma Chickens: White Brahma chickens are large, friendly chickens that don’t mind being handled by children. They’re good layers, too, so they lay about 160 eggs per year though they aren’t very cold-hardy because their feathers don’t cover their feet and legs.
White Leghorns: White Leghorn chickens were originally brought to the United States from Italy in 1828. These birds are good for producing eggs, but they don’t make very good meat birds. They’re also not very cold-hardy because their feathers don’t cover their feet and legs.
Bottom Line
The next time you’re in the market for a chicken, try to find one of these rare breeds because there’s nothing else like them in the world! In conclusion, when looking for chickens, take care to choose only black and white chickens from these or other rare breeds so that your flock lives up to its potential.
