You might think that a chicken is just simply a chicken, right? Well, it turns out that mother nature definitely made sure that there are a lot of different sorts of chickens walking around on the planet. Other unique chickens are the result of careful select breeding. Either way, they’re absolutely astonishing and definitely worthy of your attention.
Some of these chicken breeds and their hens and roosters are so bizarre and so unique, that you may even start to wonder if they could be called chickens at all.
We’ve compiled a list of the most amazing, interesting, unique and mesmerizing chickens spotted on Earth. Let’s take a look and be prepared for a couple of surprises.
The Phoenix is a chicken breed that shares a couple of similarities with others in this list, and the reason is quite simple: careful and specific breeding. It’s a mixture of the Onagadori breed with another, more common one. The tail is also long and majestic – but it’s not as excessive as the tails you’ll see on full-breed Onagadori chickens. They exist in several different colors, although most of them are black, silver or gold.
Despite what the name might imply, this chicken breed doesn’t originate from Poland. They were actually bred for the first time in The Netherlands, and their most distinctive feature is their hair. Compared to other chickens, the Polish breed has a small piece of bone at the top which creates a dome-like structure for the hair to grow on.
As you could see in the previous slide, the Polish chickens are definitely unique. Even more amazing, however, is the Golden Polish – which is a color variant that you don’t see very often. In other words, a unique type of chicken amongst unique chickens. Fun fact: the feathers at the top can be so excessive sometimes that it hinders their sight.
The Ayam Cemani is completely black – even underneath its fur. The muscles are tinted black, and the noir feathers are absolutely beautiful. It’ll be tough to spot color on these chickens, although some of them do have a navy tint. It originates from Indonesia, and some inhabitants believe that the breed has magical powers.
You can probably tell by the name that these chickens originate from Sicily, but these chickens are a lot more original and unique than their name. Their comb is completely butter-cup shaped, which is an absolute unique exterior treat when it comes to poultry.
Measuring at only six inches tall, these small chickens definitely prefer to stay inside. Even though the breed originates from Malaysia, the chicken breed has been introduced to other territories including the States. Tragically, a significant part of the breed was forced to be culled during the 2004 bird flu, but according to animal specialists, the population of the Serama chickens is starting to become stable again.
This special chicken breed comes in a number of different colors and is known for the incredibly long tail feathers. In some cases, they can even measure at almost a whopping 30 feet! The Onagadori chickens are selectively bred and you can find them with white, golden, black or silver feathers. They’re mostly found in Japan.
This Chilean chicken breed is special for two very different reasons. Of course, their look is definitely quite distinctive as you can see in the picture, but there’s one more thing that makes them more unique than you might think. The Araucana’s – also known as South American Rumpless chickens – are known to lay blue eggs. Scientists believe that the blue eggs were caused by a DNA retrovirus.
The Polish chickens are definitely well-represented in the world of unique chicken breeds, and for good reason! This variety is even more special, and their feathers are truly mesmerizing to look at. These Polish roosters and hens are often used as exhibition birds, as egg laying can be rather inconsistent.
When you spot this chicken breed on a picture, it’s hard to believe that it hasn’t been Photoshopped or altered. This rare chicken breed was first seen in the United Kingdom around the 20th century. The modern game breed was created after the government banned cockfights with game birds, so breeders came up with this solely for exhibition purposes.
Aside from their exotic name, the Crevecoeur breed definitely has quite an exotic look as well. The French first started breeding these chickens, and the somewhat aggressive-looking animals are named after the town of Crèvecœur in Normandy, France. Unfortunately, they have been endangered since 2007.
The Rumpless chickens are usually found completely within the breed of Araucana roosters and hens, which also has a spot on this list. Compared to most other chickens, there are a few vertebrae missing in the lower area which prevents them from developing a tail and accompanying feathers. It’s considered a genetic defect. Just like the Araucanas, Rumpless chickens have blue eggs.
Everything about these chickens absolutely screams majestic and luxury, and it turns out that they’re not only beautiful but also quite productive as well. You can definitely depend on this breed if you want a steady supply of eggs, and they also do well in harsh weather. As a bonus, their gold accents ensure that they’re insanely photogenic.
You could probably tell just by the name: these chickens were first spotted and bred in France. The French people specifically bred them to provide both meat and eggs, and they’re not too keen on living in enclosed spaces. Locals often call them little devils, a reference to their completely black exterior along with flashy red devil-like horns at the top.
This cute chicken breed is known as the official state bird of Rhode Island and was first introduced to the world in the nineteenth century. Breeders brought red chickens from Asia and bred them with chickens that were already present in the United States, resulting in the Rhode Island Red breed. They have a long and flat back and distinctive red-brown eyes.
These chickens originate from Turkey and have quite a majestic look, but they’re noticeably smaller than most other chickens in this list. The name originates from the Turkish “Serai-Tavuk”, which loosely translated ends up being “fowls of the Sultan” in English. These cute chickens are known for their calmness and friendliness towards humans.
Granted – these cream legbar chickens don’t really seem that astonishing or unique except for the hair on the head, but they’re seen as rare and unique for a very different reason. When these chickens hatch, you can immediately spot the difference between a male and female chick – something that’s quite uncommon. The difference? Male chickens can be identified with a brown stripe on the back.
These Sebright chickens look like they come straight out of a fantasy movie or video game with their mesmerizing look, especially the completely silver ones. There’s a gold variety as well, although it’s somewhat less striking due to the red accents as opposed to the completely black and white silver variety. Unfortunately, you don’t see these too often because raising them is considered to be quite tough.
Just look how cute and adorable these chickens are! Their fluffy and huggable look ensure that they’re popular to keep as pets, but their numbers are very limited. In fact, they faced the brink of extinction once, but a breeding program luckily made sure that the planet could keep having these fluffy Frizzles around.
According to most people who own Welsummer chickens, photographs of the animals don’t them justice. Their chestnut feathers are magnificent and their personality is also friendly and outgoing. There’s a rumor going around that Cornelius, the rooster found on the Kellogg’s packaging, was modeled after a Welsummer chicken. It’s definitely a possibility!
If you spotted one of these Silky’s on the road – sometimes also written Silkie – the thought of it being a chicken probably wouldn’t cross your mind. However, these fluffy animals are definitely a part of the chicken race, although they don’t have many distinctive features in common with a regular chicken. A fun fact is that their earlobes are usually blue and they also rock five toes, instead of the regular four. Silkies are found in a plethora of colors, including grey, white, black and blue.
22) Belgian Bearded d’Uccle
If you thought that Belgium was only known for its chocolate, French fries and beer – think again! This Belgian Bearded d’Uccle is a unique chicken breed with beautiful spots on its fur. And if you take a look at their feet, you’ll notice that they’re feathered as well, something that doesn’t occur too often.
Just look at the royal combination of colors that these chickens have! Their unique look is accompanied by a very affectionate and loving personality, and they also tend to get attached to their human owners. In other words, these Faverolle chickens are perfect to keep as pets or in the backyard, and they do well with children too.
We have to admit, the name ‘Scots Dumpy’ doesn’t exactly sound very appealing or flattering, but they received their name because of their dwarf size. Their feet are very close to the ground, usually only two inches off. They’ve been around in Scotland for centuries, but because the hatch rate of eggs, scientists estimate that the Scots Dumpy breed will eventually go extinct.
Breeding can be complicated and sophisticated, but if there’s one thing that fairly easy to do, it’s to breed completely naked chickens. The idea wasn’t that appealing to scientists at first, but they decided to go through with their idea to breed completely featherless chickens in 2002. They have less heat exhaustion issues, but their lack of feathers results in sunburns and overheating due to direct exposure to sun rays.
Marans are quite rare and have one specific trait: they late chocolate-colored eggs. Just like the Araucana breed, these eggs are definitely one of a kind. Further crossing with other breeds can even result in green eggs!
27) Transylvanian Naked Neck
A lot of people often mistake this breed for a cross between a chicken and a turkey – but these Transylvanian naked necks are absolutely the real deal. They were first specifically bred without feathers on their neck because they would be easier to pluck and could handle higher temperatures better. You can spot them in Hungary.
The Delaware breed is one of the most recently developed chicken breeds on the list and are known for their almost completely white exterior, with a touch of black at the tail and around the neck. They’re very calm animals and are also pretty decent and reliable at laying eggs.
You might’ve heard the term ‘Manx’ used for cats before, and one farmer saw the resemblance between those cats and this new chicken breed, as they both don’t have tails. There are no vertebrae present for the tail section, resulting in quite a weird look. They’re originally from the region surrounding the Persian Gulf.
Minorca’s – a new name for the Red Faced Black Spanish breed – are known for their size. Out of all the Mediterranean chicken breeds, Minorca chickens are among the heaviest and the largest. Named after the island, these dark-brown or all-black chickens are also Lawrence of Arabia’s (Thomas Lawrence) personal favorite.
The Appenzeller Spitzhauben have a unique and remarkable white look and are covered in polka dots. That’s definitely something you don’t see every day! Aside from their looks, the Appenzellers are also known for their above average egg production, but unfortunately, they’re very rare. The breed was given its name as a reference to ladies with large bonnets in the city of Appenzellerland in Switzerland.
Dwayne Johnson/The Rock’s nickname while he an active wrestler was “The Brahma Bull”, and this chicken definitely lives up to the nickname of being a powerhouse. Brahma’s, which also referred to as the “King of Chicken Breeds”, can register up to almost 20 pounds on the scale. Their fierce look is further strengthened by feathered, protected legs.
The Plymouth Rock breed has been around for a while and is one of the breeds that are native to the United States. They’re named after Plymouth Rock because the markings found on their body is quite similar. If you look closely, you’ll definitely see the resemblance.
The Dominique, sometimes also called a Dominicker or a Pilgrim Fowl, was first spotted in the States at the time of the colonization and is considered to be the nation’s oldest chicken breed that hasn’t gone extinct. Even though you don’t see them that often today, the Dominiques were incredibly popular in the 19th century.
There’s only one chicken breed in existence where the males and females share the same look, the Cornish chickens. They’re quite broad, have harsh feathers and usually have a striking, brown look. So, how does one distinguish a female from a male? Luckily, there’s a small difference in weight as the hens weigh a couple of pounds less.
With the spiky hair on the top, the Drenica breed definitely resembles a magician. Their superpower is on the inside, however, as their crow can last well above 15 seconds even up to a minute. It’s speculated that the Drenica’s have an aggressive nature which allows them to crow for so long, but others believe that their lung capacity is vastly superior to that of other chicken breeds which allows them to crow for much longer.
The Polyverara breed has been around for quite a while, and are also known under the name of ‘Sciata’. They originate from Padova, Italy and are named after a small city. As you can see, this chicken breed has a small yet distinctive beard. Unfortunately, they were brought to the brink of extinction during the millennium switch, but their numbers have thankfully risen again.
This game chicken breed is known for one thing – its height. Universally known as the tallest chicken breed on the planet, you’ll find these across multiple continents, although they mainly originate from India and the Malay Peninsula. The Malay breed can stand over three feet tall.
Just look at how elegant these chickens look! These English chickens have cream-colored feathers with red accents in their combs, wattles, and earlobes. Female chicks also tend to have a touch of gold at the head. Apparently, these Bantams are always alert and feel very confident about themselves.
If this wasn’t a chicken, we’d probably think it was a piece of art. Granted, not all chickens of the Hamburg breed look as distinctive as this silver-spangled one – but they’re animals you don’t see very often. It’s an old breed originating from Europe, and they tend to get bored very, very easily. Trees are their preferred habitat.
As you can see, there are plenty of unique and astonishing chicken breeds around. Some of them are truly pieces of art, while others are known for their special characteristics or personality traits. Who knew that there would be so much variety in chicken breeds?
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