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Wyandotte

The Wyandotte originated in the U.S. in the 1870's. Wyandottes were made in Massachusetts,...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Rose
Broodiness
Frequent
Climate Tolerance
Cold
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Large
Egg Color
Brown
Breed Temperament
Friendly, easily handled, calm, bears confinement well, quiet and docile
Breed Colors/Varieties
Golden laced, silver laced, colubian, buff, partrige, silver penciled, blue, and blue laced red
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
American
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The Wyandotte aka American Sebright, were developed in the United states in the 1870’s, in and around the New York area. The first color developed was the Silver Laced variety and they were originally called American Sebrights. The name was changed to Wyandotte (after the indigenous Wyandot people), when they were admitted into the APA in 1883. They were exported to Europe around the same time.

Wyandottes are a calm breed in general and have very nice temperaments. They are good with people and generally get along well in a mixed flock. They are decent foragers, though they do not tend to wander far and are not good flyers. They are extremely cold hardy. The hens are good layers of light brown eggs, good winter layers, will set, and are good mothers. The cockerels make a good table bird. Today they are an extremely popular dual purpose breed and very popular among small flock owners looking for a colorful winter layer.

They have a flat rose comb and bright red face. Today they come in many feather colors and patterns, with over thirty found in Europe, the beautiful Blue Laced Red and Silver Laced are probably the two most popular colors in general. They are very popular as exhibition birds. Many breeds have been used to produce the Wyandotte we know today, including Brahma, Cochin, Hamburg, and Plymouth Rocks. They are also found in bantam size.

It was removed from The Livestock Conservancy's Priority list in 2016 and is no longer considered endangered.

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Wyandotte egg

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Wyandotte chick

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Wyandotte juvenile

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Wyandotte rooster and hens

For more info on Wyandottes and their owners' and breeders' experiences, see our breed discussion here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-wyandotte.1135563/
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Latest reviews

Fluster Cluck Acres
Fiesty, fun, & noisy
Pros: spunky personality
they keep maturing cockerels in line
healthy
intelligent
eggs have a pinkish bloom
Cons: hens are noisy
they can be bullies to more submissive birds
hard to handle
cute fluffy bums get messy
This review is based off of my 5 Wyandottes compared to other breeds that I have had more than one of (Barnevelders, Marans, Orpingtons, Hybrids, RIRs, & Bielefelders). There does seem to be some variance amongst color varieties. My silver & gold laced birds are most similiar in personality. My blue laced red had some commonalities with them, but my lavender has NOTHING in common with the other 4.

My wyandottes are spunky birds who are always around seeing what you're up to. They are personable, inquisitive, and enjoy being around people. However, they are harder to touch/handle than other breeds.

The hens are LOUD when they are displeased with something (another hen in the nest box or getting fed nonpreffered treats). They make a distinct sound that is different from other breeds I've had. Even the mix-breed offspring of my SLWs make this noise. I find it amusing, but in a residential setting it might be problematic. Interestingly, there egg song is not that loud. It's mostly just when they're complaining.

They are a dominate breed and don't back down in a fight. They can be bullies and are less tolerant of submissive or easily victimized birds (young birds, birds in recovery, molting, etc...). They are a good flock fit if you don't have any particularly "needy" birds in your flock. They also really keep young cockerels in line. They do not put up with hormone driven antics and will defend the other hens from these cockerels. In these situations I find the wyandotte hens to be more protective of the flock than the mature roosters.

My Wynadottes have not had health problems compared to my other breeds. I also believe they are more intelligent than my other breeds. They are intuitive and seem to figure things out that the other birds can't. They are resilient and adaptable birds. Their personalities are so strong that I see it come through in mixed breed birds that are only 1/2 and 1/4 wyandotte.

Lastly, I find the eggs of wyandotte (and mixes) to have the richest yolks. I don't know if this is a breed thing or an indication that they're better foragers, but their yolks are delicous.

*MY BLRW was less personable than the Silver & Gold. She was only loud when singing her egg song. She was such a bully that she is no longer with us. My lavender wyandotte I'm pretty sure is just a lavendar orpington with a shaved down comb, lol. She's 100% different from the laced varieties.*
Purchase Price
$4-$18 as chicks
Purchase Date
I've gotten a few over the years, 2019-2023.
talkinboutchickens
Pros: very sweet, great personality, fantastic with other chickens
Cons: none
My little hen Vicky was so sweet, she had a special bond with my black sexlink Winnie. They did everything together. Vicky had a lot of personality. She was kinda overweight either that or her legs were just far apart at birth.
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I'm not really sure how many eggs she laid because the color of her eggs were the same color as all the rest of the eggs.
Purchase Price
$4.00 at a local breeder
Purchase Date
March 2019
avjudge
Least favorite of my small flock
Pros: Decent enough layer
Cons: Prone to lay outside nest box (dropped from roost or in run)
Strong membrane makes cracking eggs messy
Not particularly friendly (esp. compared to Golden Comet)
Two of our six chickens - our first batch, now reduced to five by a sudden death - are silver-laced Wyandottes. I much prefer our Golden Comets and our Olive Egger. The Wyandottes are “OK” but I only use their eggs when I don’t care about unbroken yolks as they’re likely to break getting the egg out of the shell. I’m also getting tired of checking the run to make sure I didn’t miss an egg there. When we replenish our flock we’ll be getting something else.
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Comments

Evergreenliving
My wyandottes are very mean. They were all handled well since chicks.They are always picking on my lavender orpington as well as each other pulling her feathers out chasing her away from the food. They were also very slow to lay. I wont get any more of them, I have gold and silver laced hens. They are pretty though.
 
WyandotteLove1
Super sorry! I thought that this was a review of an Arucana! I am so sorry and embarrassed! Please consider this an Arucana review! Sorry!
 
Geminejoy
I don't think the majority of them are like that. Mine are always very sharp looking, well groomed, if you could call it that. I have 5 SLW and they never have dirty or marred butts. I love to watch the color developed as the get older. Maybe it was just because they weren't raised right, being raised in cages
 
Abriana
Evergreenliving said:
My wyandottes are very mean. They were all handled well since chicks.They are always picking on my lavender orpington as well as each other pulling her feathers out chasing her away from the food. They were also very slow to lay. I wont get any more of them, I have gold and silver laced hens. They are pretty though.
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I have two wyandotte chicks, gold and silver laced, they are about ten weeks old. Does anyone know if they are all mean? They are with a twelve week old Columbian Rock Rhode Island Red and they are all very sweet to one another, especially since the twelve week old has slightly deformed eyes from being pecked as a two day old chick (no pecking). They seem slightly timid and follow the twelve week old around and imitate her. Does anyone know if all wyandottes are mean?
 
SHERRING7712
I just love my SLW's. Well I guess it's only 1 now. My favorite hen Penny was lost to a Raccoon. She was a little on the bossy side but not mean at all. She was extremely curious and friendly to me. I also have Columbian Wyandotte that is just a sweetheart too!
I just purchased 4 lavendar wyandotte chicks so I am very excited to seem them grow up.
 
AnnieSantiago
I love my little BLW. She's real pretty,but she sure seems small, compared to my other chooks. Also, she is always, ALWAYS pecking at the feeder. It almost seems like maybe she's not getting pellets. But she's not too skinny. She isn't a friendly girl - she pecks me if I try to pick her up. I just wonder if this constant eating is a trait of the breed?
 
Isabella F
Has anyone ever a gotten golden laced wyandotte pullet from Murry McMurry hatchery? Were they friendly?
 
zephyr16
My Silver laced Wyandottes do not like being picked up either but are friendly. One of mine is top hen and lets no one push her around. I have 2 of them, 2 RIR and 2 California Grey. They are 20 weeks and looks like all hens. YAY.
 
AnnieSantiago
My Bella is flighty and not too friendly. Difficult to catch for wing clipping. And at what is SUPPOSED to be about 23 weeks right now and STILL no eggs!
 
achiekitty
My Blue Wyandotte, Grey, is the sweetest of my chickens. She doesn't mind being picked-up and petted and she's quiet. Even when she's broody, (about every 2 months so far since she laid her first egg on January 1st) she makes the soft broody hen sound and expand her wings, but she always let me pick her up.

She lays small light brown eggs everyday, unless she's broody.

She is the alpha hen and let the others know when it comes to eating, but she's also protective of my EE, Brownie, that grew up with her. Brownie sleeps with her head under Grey.
We have a new EE, Blondie, that's pecking Brownie in the coop at night. Grey intervenes and pecks Blondie back. Then they settle to sleep with her in the middle.

She's also not a flier, nor a jumper.
 
AnnieSantiago
Bella FINALLY started laying last week. Frankly, I think she has a screw missing. She first laid a couple of eggs in the henhouse where they sleep. Then she laid just out on the ground. Those first eggs were "rubber" eggs. Today she finally laid in a nest, but the egg is very thin-shelled and rough. It's also white, which was a surprise. The laying mash has plenty of calcium in it, and when I put out oyster shell or ground eggshell, they all eat it up in one day. When I throw treats for the other hens, she's VERY slow to respond. They'll grab food right out from under her. She's also never squatted and runs if I try to get near her. She has NO comb and barely any wattles. She's one weird hen.
 
mbienvenue
zephyr16 said:
My Silver laced Wyandottes do not like being picked up either but are friendly. One of mine is top hen and lets no one push her around. I have 2 of them, 2 RIR and 2 California Grey. They are 20 weeks and looks like all hens. YAY.
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Mine sit next to me to be petted
 
chickenmeadow
Just ordered 2 Silver Laced Wyandotte pullets from the Grange. Their arrival date coincides with the broody hatch next week to slip under the hen at night & wanted to add some color pattern excitement to my flock of Ameraucanas & Black Australorps that make a perfect hot & cold weather layer combination for year around laying. Looking forward to seeing how the Wyandottes will be as layers. The color pattern brings back fond & comical memories of my Seabrites years ago. The description above looks great for my group, thanks BYC for the lovely pics & info on all the breeds.
 

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