Which breed of chicken is the most beautiful?

From a visual standpoint, what do YOU think is the most (beautiful) breed of chicken? (i.e. colors, feathers, etc.)

Light Sussex.

All of my girls lol. I love the light bramha. Black and white with feathered feet. But I love them more when they mix with the americana. The beards and feathered ears are the best.

well, the ones i have, of course ;-)

Ohhh... I'd say the ones with feathers.

But seriously, I think the golden laced wyandottes are exceptionally pretty, and partridge rocks.

Im in agreement with everyone! Love the one you're with, LOL! But seriuosly Ive seen some really beautiful birds and each one has their own unique characteristic that makes them pretty! I guess thats why Im such a Chicken nut! I cant make up my mind!

This is the cream of my crop right now though! My Blacktailed Japanese!

I'm a big auracauna fan myself.

Right now I think my prettiest bird is probably Piccadilly, the bantam silver laced wyandotte. I bought her ( and my bantam brahmas, those are pretty too!) from a chicken breeder who goes to shows, etc. and so she is really close to the breed standard ( who knew there was such a thing.) She is so pretty.

I had no idea how different your typical murray-mcmurray chickens would be from the standard of perfection ( i feel silly writing that) but there is a huge different between my mail order wyandotte and my chicken breeder one, in terms of the amount of white.
apparently silver -laced are supposed to have white feathers with a penciling of black around each one. Piccadilly is a little too white on the breast.

Here is piccadilly.

And here is savannah, by comparison.

in her defense, the bald head is due to her falling out with a local roo, and should not be noted in the comparison.

Okay, here is a picture of the VERY broody little Piccadilly this afternoon when I took some of the eggs out from under her.
she really is very pretty, if somewhat flat looking :)

ohh, lace d anything is my favorite!

I agree -- laced is beautiful. But those blacktailed Japanese are magnificent, too! I don't have any yet, not until the tractor is finished, but am limiting myself to three (just a backyard in a neighborhood) and am having trouble deciding. I'll be very limited by what's available, though, which will probably be a blessing. I'll love whatever I get, I'm sure. As with a partner, personality means a LOT more than looks! But looks don't hurt!

those silver laced are sooo pretty! I have one golden laced hen and one partridge hen still young , spring hatch from MMcMurry ! No roos though! When you order an assortment you never know what youll get ( like a box o' chocolates) LOL!
Ive been looking for roos though , Maybe Ill luck up soon! I saw a variety of chickens at the auction that were just absolutely gorgeous! They were a standard breed but I had never seen them before! I thought they might be Wyandottes but some one said they werent! They were White with Black spots like a dalmation dog!!! The spots were different sizes but very beautiful! I cant remember what the man said they were called!

Wish you'd take my Golden Laced Wyandotte roo. I don't need him. He's lovely, though.

Ahhhh, Zeppy ! I wish I could get to Virginia, I sure would give him a good home!!

I'd agree with the Laced
any breed laced

Chicken with breading
LOLOL
sheri

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is beautiful to one is not even pretty to someone else.

Certainly that's true Leaflady, but it is fun to hear which breeds other people think are the prettiest. For those of us who are new to raising/having chickens, it helps us learn about breeds that maybe we haven't become aware of yet, and would like to have maybe. Plus, everyone really enjoys sharing pictures of their favorite roos and hens, and its fun to see all the pictures. ...Kind of like sharing pictures of your grandchildren. LOL!

Glenda, I totally agree! Half the fun is seeing everyone else's pride and joy!

I loved loved my evil silkie/turken cross. and he was Soooooo ugly he was adorable!

Leaflady, you are keeping it real like usual. Are you partial to any breeds in particular?

Just for you Zeppy,this pair of Light Sussex picked up top honours at the royal show here over the weekend.VERY large birds!
I have this breed and am very biased:)

I like them, as well. I have 2 light brahma and 1 buff brahma. They look just like the sussex except they have feathery feet.

Gorgeous birds, 'Nuts. That breed is extremely rare here. The eggs: are they large? Brown?

Backyard, I have three light brahma as well, but two are roosters (grr).

'nuts, those birds are absolutely beautiful.

I have to admit to being rather partial to Golden Seabrights and Millie Fluers. And cross breeds that turn out pretty. I also like white Silkies.

I love those light sussex. I don't think I have ever seen one!
Is there a heavy sussex? (as opposed to light?).
what is their temperment?
Thanks!
sheri

Light as in white, Wiggly! Or were you kidding? :)

I loved seeing everybody's favorites. I had never seen the light sussex before. It reminds me of my Light Brahma's but obviously, much more white and defined. I would love to have some of those Sussex's too. Are their temperments as nice as their looks? Where would a person go to get the 'closest to standard' type chicks this time of the year or even next spring? I know a breeder or at a show, but how do you find ones that have show types? I get my chicks from Murdoch's, they say they get theirs from Murray-McMurray, but the chickens aren't show type. My son would like to have some to show next summer. Any ideas? Personally, I like something about almost all of them. Especially, the cochins,,,,,and the silkies,,,,and the brahmas,,,etc,,,see, I can't make up my mind. But lately, my favorites are the Polish, with their funky 'hairdoos'. :-)

Zeppy the eggs are only a medium size and are cream in colour.
WigglyPaw,yes the light refers to the colouring.They are a very heavy breed though and a temperment like a rhode island red(placid and non flighty)

NowRot, you know a Light Sussex breeder? I thought there was only one in the U.S. But now Sand Hill Preservation sells the L.S. chicks, so I'll be ordering, come spring.

My own preference (for show) is birds that are also functional: layers or meat birds or both.

I'd connect in with your state Poultry Fancier's Association and see what is showing in your neck on the woods. They'd know how to get in touch with someone, for sure.

Polish are great. I love my new frizzle, too!

Go to www.poultryconnection.com and click on whatever forum you are interested in at the moment. Lots of professional breeders seemed to be there when I use to go.

I don't know of any L.S. breeders, Zeppy, but will check out the Sand Hill Preservation you spoke of, to order some too. Backyard and Leaflady, thanks too, I'll check those out. The frizzles are the craziest looking of all (except the tie-dyed ones) but I don't have any. Maybe next year. I also like the multi-purpose girls too. Geez, it's so hard to decide which is the favorites.

Sand Hill has Black Frizzle Sumatras, and some other very unusual (and ancient) breeds. You have to be willing to deal with their system, so do read their front page. They're about genetic preservation, and not so much about turning out thousands of chicks per day. They do not sex their chicks, either. So they're quite different from, say, Murray McMurray Hatchery. But they do have satisfied customers (and fantastic veggie seeds!): there is already a wait list for their heirloom turkey breeds, and for many of the rarer chickens.

www.sandhillpreservation.com

Here's my Golden Laced Wyandotte cockerel, Eufaula. I can't keep him, and I fear he may soon end up coq au vin. Know anyone coming up thisaway? :)

And since he kept posing:

a gorgeous bird Zeppy!!! wish i could "drop by" and get him!

i cannot recommend any breeder/hatchery more than xtremegamebirds. com they have sho quality too, you just have to ask...

love thos light sussex, always wanted some...

still liking my buckeyes

Oh, Zeppy, it must be breaking your heart. I hope you can find him a home. That's why I ALMOST don't want to get any. Cannot have a roo and wouldn't know what to do if one turned out that way.

I just found this thread while skipping around. We always had chickens when I was growing up but they were for egg production only. No shows so we didn't care what they looked like. We had Rhose Island Reds and Dominics (sp?) mostly. My mom has a bunch of laying hens now that really know egg production. They are Black Sex Links and lay brown eggs.

I don't have any chickens but would love to if I had the room for any. I think I would go with the Black Sex Links also.

As far as a good looking bird goes, a game cock gets my vote. I abhor cock fighting and think it is just as barbaric and hateful as dog fighting. But the cocks are beautiful birds with those long, draping tail feathers. I don't know much about them so I don't know what the different kinds are. I like the ones that are black with red and yellow. I know they are feirce things and don't have to be trained to fight. It's a natural instict with them and I don't know if it can be bred out or not, but they are beautiful to look at.

Forgive me; I'm as "green" as they come when it comes to raising/having chickens, but are game cocks a totally different breed(s) than the chickens they offer at McMurray's? Does McMurray's offer gamecocks? If not, (where) do you find/purchase gamecocks? For the record, I'm just curious; I don't want to buy one. "The General" is all I care to have around my house (my Millie Fleur bantam rooster). I don't need or want something that can't go to sleep at night unless he's attacked everything in my yard; I just want to educate myself about all kinds of chickens. It's been 40 years ago, but I did see a gamecock when I was 9, while visiting my family in Eastern Kentucky. A neighbor of my Papaw Williams had one, and I do remember it being absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

I'm going to post this question in a new thread...
Glenda

no,mcmurray does not offer gamecocks

If you are looking for the coloring of one try large fowl Old english