Reviews by mandelyn

This is the first Turkey variety we have stuck with, several others came and went. For Heritage type, these guys fit the bill. We picked our birds up from a small local farm out of show stock and continue with the maternal line, occasionally adding a fresh Tom who fits the look for genetic diversity.

We predominately raise them for our own table, we've been very happy with them! Over the winter we slim the flock down to the best all around birds, for the next season.

Have 4 of these funny girls, hatched here. Average growth rate, laid right at 6 months as expected, no issues. None of them turned out with crests, but the range in colors is neat. Three of the four have Blue points on a red base, and you don't really see that in other breeds. Another is red and white speckled. One is solid red, with only blue in the tail. Some are sweet, one is mean. Reasonably tame without a whole lot of hands on rearing. Not flighty. Curious. Just normal chickens really, with neat coloring.

Egg color... 2 lay the expected light beige. The other two lay white. Mine didn't come from someone who was picky on the breeder birds, they're purebred as that was the only breed on the farm, but there was no culling for specific traits (egg color, crests, etc)... so it really was "You get what you get" variety. I'd like to see the breed retain the range of colors, but gain consistency with having crests and laying the beige colored eggs instead of white.

They can go broody, seems inconsistent in the who and when. Mean streaks are in there if you don't cull it out from the breeding stock. Overall I'm pleased with them.

When anyone thinks of a broody, they think of a Silkie. 5 stars for mothering ability. 2 stars for laying ability since they all seem to want to mother something, at least the ones I have had. The roosters are sweet and calm, cute as can be.

They are predator bait, being small and usually having obstructed vision from the hairstyle. They cannot fly either, with the consistency of their feathers.

To the untrained eye, it can take awhile to tell gender on babies with their unique look, and with their size it can be dangerous to vent sex them. If you can't have a rooster, it's best to buy these when gender is for sure known, from someone you trust.

Great pets and even better mothers.

You won't find a better mother than a game hen. Diligent setters and will guard the chicks with their lives. I had one so determined she would roll eggs several feet to her own nest. The boys are just as persistent in maintaining their flock and will guard it till death and take on predators.

EXCELLENT fliers, I watched a hen shoot 40 feet into the air when startled. They can be mean and flighty, and they do not trust strangers. They can tame down once they know who to trust. When they are not broody they are decent layers.

They forage quite well and tend to be savvy birds. They will sleep in trees if they don't think the coop is safe, if given the choice. When a hen has chicks, give her a wide berth. That's where they differ from a Silkie... a sweet Silkie hen will get the brooding done, but a game hen will be the more intense mother.

First generation cross makes gender known at hatch. GREAT layers for any operation of large/XL brown eggs. They will slow down after 2 years, not for those who wish to keep the flock laying for many years since they are strongly bred for early production.

Calm birds, some flying ability. Good foragers. Not likely to go broody but can happen. The color sexing is only good on the first cross, so you must buy more or produce the cross yourself.

Great pets for backyards, great layers when you need dependable eggs, at least for the first 1 1/2 years. They seem to handle confinement well with their calm natures. Good size birds, easy to put weight on them after they're done laying.

Good layers, production types don't typically go broody. The meanest roosters I've ever had were this breed, but in some settings a good tough guy is exactly what you need. The hens were great... calm, good foragers, very good layers.

Some flying ability. LOUD crowing. Hens didn't much sing the egg song after 8 months of age, so I wouldn't call the girls loud. The girls were not prone to frequent cackling.

Roosters not recommended around small children unless he's proven to be well behaved.

Some of the calmest and sweetest birds I've ever had, both bantam and LF. Consistent layers that can go broody and be good mothers. Excellent foragers that can also handle confinement well. Cold hardy with all the extra feathers and small/medium sized single combs.

The foot feathers can get dirty on muddy days and dry caked up. Keep on good footing or wash as needed. As the mud dries it can cause discomfort to the bird.

Great layer of large brown eggs. Good feed conversion, excellent foragers. Very reliable. Hens can be bossy and roosters can be mean, but they tame down well. I have had to weed out the bad apples but they weren't all that way. Generally they are great birds to have around.

They also handle confinement well, but without a roof it takes a 6 ft fence.

Until I met Marans, this was my all time favorite breed. I had every color at one point. Great foragers, great pets. Most of the roosters were sweet as could be, and that seemed to be hereditary.

The hens were reasonable layers of white eggs and excellent mothers. Boys and girls alike can fly well. They handle confinement well, but only if there is a roof! They tend to tame easily and lead by example, hen raised chicks learning the human means no harm. The broodies take their job seriously, being diligent and sometimes aggressive. Some will even steal eggs from other nests, more than they can handle, and they will set until something hatches, even if they're setting golf balls.

Fun little birds with likable personalities.

Cold hardy with the rose comb, some of the best broodies I've ever had! Every rooster was a cute, talkative, gentleman that took excellent care of his girls. The hens were reliable layers of little white eggs.

Good foragers, good fliers.

Fun little bantam! Cold hardy, good layer, good mothers, sweet boys in my experience, excellent foragers and good pets.

Really cool looking birds! Hard to find novelty. Excellent layers. Can fly reasonably well with their light build. The large combs some get can flop over and obstruct vision, or can be prone to frostbite depending on coop ventilation. Not an issue on strains with a smaller single comb.

It takes some time for the white faces to mature, you can spot a young bird that is less than a year old by the amount of white, since that doesn't come until later, after one year of age. They will have more white than other chickens, but it doesn't pop up over night. At laying age they still look reasonably "normal".

Good foragers that also handle confinement well.

One of the silliest breeds I have ever had, if you like breeds with personality. Cute white eggs, good size once they get going. Mine average 5 eggs a week in winter. Cold hardy with the comb type. Great fliers, so will need a roofed pen or clipped wings. Friendly and calm but can be bossy and loud.

Their coloring makes them hawk bait but they're good about paying attention to their surroundings, nice and alert without being flighty.

I have the golden variety, beautiful color! It is hard to find properly marked stock, most will have black on the body when it should be solid gold except on the neck and tail. Every one of them was a flighty lunatic, a good thing for free range, they trust nothing. Their size let's them fly well, be it away from danger or out of a pen. The gold coloration provides some protection from birds of prey.

Reliable layer of nice sized white eggs, given the size of the birds. Not good for meat being medium sized and light. They will not take a break to go broody.. good for a laying operation but not good if you were expecting babies from them naturally.

Some of the sweetest little roosters I've ever had who knew their job well. Some can be mean little suckers though.

The hens lay well for being bantam, mine averaged 4-6 eggs a week. Cold hardy with the rose comb.

I had both Silver and Gold.

I LOVE this breed! You don't have to buy them friendly to get them friendly. They start laying right on schedule at 24-26 weeks of age. Their coloring helps protect them during free range but they also seem to do well in confinement.

Nice all around bird.

If you like white eggs from a neat looking rare breed, this is it! My husband just loves their unique look. It can be difficult to find good quality stock with the correct "headdress".

They are great foragers and always on the look out for danger. This can make them flighty. They are boldly marked with the striking black on white, so they are prone to predation from birds of prey.

Great breed for laying! Nice sized brown eggs, calm temperament, generally healthy and great to have around!

I have 1 Splash, 1 Blue, and 1 Wheaten Marans from 2 sources. All 3 are great layers, calm and a friendly birds. They do ok in heat and excellent in cold. My goal is to have one hen in every available color since they're just great all-around birds.

You don't have to be very hands on in taming them, they're just naturally calm birds.