Meet The World's Strangest Chicken Breeds (Part 3/3)

This is the third and last part of my "World's Strangest Chicken Breeds" mini-series. Click here for part 1 and here for part 2 in case you missed them! 

11# Sultan

Sultan chickens (credit) 

First on today's list is the funny looking Sultan, an old breed originating from Turkey.This is a highly ornamental bird, with a distinctive appearance featuring large, puffy crests, beards, long tails, and profuse foot feathering. Just look at that headgear..it's hilarious!  

Like the silkies, featured in part 1, they are one of the few chicken breeds  that have five toes on each foot instead of four. Sultans come in three varieties; black, blue, and white, with the latter being the most popular. 

Thinking of buying a pair for your hen? That's a great idea actually, as they are very docile and friendly and you can get a pair of them for about 10 bucks! A nice addition that definitely stands out!

 12# Modern Game

Modern Game chicken (credit)

Next in line is the bad-ass looking Modern Game. It looks like a fighter doesn't it? Well, there's a good reason for this! This breed was created in England, sometime between 1850 and 1900, around the same time cockfighting became illegal.  

As a result of the ban, some cockfighting enthusiasts decided that their next best alternative were poultry shows and mixed various fighting breeds to create an exhibition bird. The modern Gam, with the tall, slender looks is the awesome result of that effort.

If you are looking for a bird to add some variation to your hen, then the modern game is definitely something to consider. They are docile, friendly and handle other breeds well despite their "bad" history. However, if you are looking for a good meat & egg producer then better look for something else. Like the....

 13# Naked neck

(credit)

The third chicken of the day is the Naked neck, also known as Turken cause it looks like a hybrid between a chicken and a turkey. The breed originates from Transylvania and was largely developed in Germany.

The unusual naked neck trait results from a dominant gene that is easy to introduce to other chickens. Today, there are many recognized varieties including black, white, cuckoo, buff, red, blue, black, white, buff and red. Despite its unique looks, this breed is not really popular in shows, probably cause it's freakin ugly, and is mainly used as a farm animal.

If you can get over the aesthetic problem, the naked chicken is sturdy, resistant to disease, adaptive to all environments and...easy to pluck making it a great, all-purpose chicken to have! And remember... All chickens look pretty much the same when served!

 14# Appenzeller

Appenzeller chickens (credit)

Congratulations, after 3 posts and 13 chickens you made it to the end! The last breed I want to present you is the  Appenzeller, a breed from the Appenzell region of Switzerland, hence the nickname.

Interestingly, this attractive breed went almost extinct in the 1950s but it was saved in the last moment by the efforts of German breeder Kurt Fischer and some other good fellas. Today, there are two recognized varieties:

1. The Spitzhauben ( "pointed hood" ) which has a V-comb and feather crests
2. The Barthuhner ("bearded hen") which has a rose comb and no crest

Both of these varieties come with either black, golden spangled or silver spangled plumage.

This is mainly a show bird but it's also a moderate egg layer that does well when left to roam freely.

The End

So this brings us to the end of this mini series. If you liked it please leave a comment to let me know, maybe I will do something similar in the future with some other domesticated animal. You may also want to check these two runner ups that didn't make it in the list because I didn't consider them to be weird enough:

1. The Phoeinx 
2. Polverara 

See you tomorrow, in my next strange animal post! I have something really, really, really creepy & disgusting for you guys :D 

In the meantime, you may want to watch what is probably the best scene Game of thrones has offered us:

 

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_chicken
• https://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/chickens/sultan
• https://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Sultan-B104.aspx
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Game_fowl
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Neck
• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110315-transylvanian-naked-neck-chicken-churkeys-turkens-science/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appenzeller_(chicken)
• https://poultrykeeper.com/chicken-breeds/appenzeller-spitzhauben-chickens/

My dear readers, thank you for reading today's article. Hopefully, you found it interesting enough to follow me, @trumpman. You may also want to check my strange animal series where you get to discover some of the world's weirdest animals!  Here are the last 3 weirdos of the series: 

1. Meet the Platypus a Very Strange Mammal That Lays Eggs!
2. Notaden bennettii: The Super Cute Holy Cross Frog
3. Scientists Baffled by Weird Jelly Blob. Find Out How You Can Help Them!

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