Last Updated on February 9, 2021 by Pauline G. Carter
It’s easy to see why the Wyandotte breed of chickens came about – its’ because there was a need to create chicken breeds that was an all-rounder, one that produced fantastic eggs and delectable meat.
The Wyandotte’s have met those specifications over and over again and that applies to all the breeds. Silver Laced Wyandotte is one, and Some of the recognized official names are:
- Silver Laced
- Golden Laced
- White
- Black
- Buff
- Partridge
- Silver Pencilled
- Columbian
- Blue Laced Red
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Going Back In Time With The Silver Laced Wyandotte
The innovators of the Silver Laced Wyandotte Chickens were four men – Doubleday, Ray, Whittaker, and Houdlette. They wanted to create a bird that would suit the American family needs but at a minimal cost.
They all worked towards perfecting the bird known as Mooney. Other names were the American Sebright or Sebright Cochin, which would later be called the Wyandotte.
It’s a little confusing because in the UK, there is a bantam called the Sebright which is not related at all to the Wyandotte.Finally, when the breed was submitted for the 1883 Standard of Perfection, the name changed to Wyandotte. The original color to be recognized as the Silver Laced Wyandotte.
Since its development, there have been many other Wyandotte varieties that have gone on to be bred.
Wyandotte cocks can weight around 8.5 lbs and the hens about 6.5lbs. Each feather of the Silver Laced Wyandotte chickens is silvery-white edged in black. The hens look like they are dressed up in their fancy best!
The Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster has the same magnificent laced feathers, but his capes and hackles are like a suit of armour of glimmering silver.
Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks will vary from being like black to light silvery-grey. A lot of them have contrasts of light and dark stripes on their backs.
Even though the precise origins of the beautiful Silver Laced Wyandottes are not known for sure. There has been genetic material showing that contributors could be from the dark Brahmas as well as the Silver Spangled Hamburgs birds.
Other possible contributions to this genetic pool were the Polish fowl and the Breda birds.Once poultry farming started becoming industrialized back in the middle 20th-century, Wyandotte’s were considered as not being productive enough, not producing eggs in sufficient quantities.
It was also considered not to get meaty enough quickly to make it a profitable choice. This meant that the Wyandotte’s numbers started declining, eventually turning the breed into an endangered breed.
In fact, it is only recently; 2016, that the bird is considered no longer in danger. Its numbers had recovered sufficiently enough again.
It’s just wonderful news that there are many, many, backyard chicken-keepers who invested themselves in this beautiful bird and were able to rescue them.
Unfortunately there are other Wyandotte’s that are still considered on the danger-list such as the White Wyandotte.
Some Interesting Things About Your Silver Laced Wyandotte
- Silver-laced Wyandotte cocks may occasionally display hen feathering. This happens via a genetically-conditioned character in domestic fowl such as the Gallus gallus domesticus. Males, even though virile, develop plumage like the females.
- The silver-laced is the original variety of the breed.
- They are birds that love foraging when able to free-range but they can be confined to smaller spaces.
- arrow-right They do well in the colder climates. If they have shade available and clean and plentiful water, they can do fine in warmer weather too.
- arrow-right Expect your Silver Laced Chickens to live anything from 6-12 years.
- arrow-right Check birds for lice and mites because of their thick feathers. Because they have a lot of feathering at the back, they might need to be trimmed to keep them clean and to help with the facilitation of fertilization.
- arrow-right If you go out and collect eggs and notice a nest is covered, it is the Wyandotte hen going broody – wanting to produce some Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks! The Heritage breeds like your Wyandottes do go broody. If you weren’t intending to have chicks, this could be a bit problematic because the hen will then stop laying eggs. There are some ways to stop a brooding hen and you will have to research these if you want your Silver Laced Wyandottes to be egg-layers and not chick producers.
And Finally …
If you are considering the Silver Laced Wyandotte for your spaces, whether urbanely or rurally, they are great for beginners, because they are relatively placid.
Remember that they Wyandotte is a social and noisy bird, so you would have to take care in a urban area that your neighbors do not complain about the noise!
If you already have a mixed flock of birds, you will love having a few magnificent Silver Laced Wyandotte’s around as well; they are beautiful and can produce around 200 eggs in a year, producing through the winter months as well.
Let the Silver Laced Wyandotte’s strut their stuff in your backyard, you won’t be sorry.
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