This is a beloved breed.

No one gets Orpingtons for their egg laying prowess. They provide a few eggs a week, unless they’re broody, or too hot, or too cold. Then they don’t lay any. But, their looks and personality make them one of the most popular backyard breeds. I like to say that the Orpington is the Golden Retriever of the chicken world. Pretty. Friendly. Easy going. But, I guess that back in the day, they were known as a meat bird.

I’ve lucked out because my Buff Orpington, Amber, is the rare one that doesn’t go broody and who lays steadily during the season. She’s a tolerant hen that I take on school visits. Tell me about your Orpington!

There are Naked Necks, Nankins, Narragansett Turkeys and New Hampshires, and yet the maker of these cards went with Nondescript! Sometimes called Utility birds, back in the early 1900s, these chickens of mixed heritage were commonly seen on small farms. Not superlative layers, like  the purebred Leghorns, but they were inexpensive to procure and thrifty to raise.

As you can see by this image, they could also be quite interesting and beautiful.

Lately there’s been an upswing in small hatcheries offering mixed breed hens. These chickens often have hybrid vigor. Do you have any? What’s your experience with a nondescript hen?

Here’s another breed that I’m not familiar with.

But she looks enough like a leghorn to have me intrigued. I have a number of books on chicken breeds, and the one that’s been helping me the most on the alphabetic journey through chickendom has been Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. If you’re mulling over which chickens to get for 2015, this is the book to peruse.

The Minorca, like my favorite Leghorn, is a Mediterranean breed, which means it is sleek and fast, early to mature, and a prolific layer. The Minorca isn’t for everyone – that floppy comb is susceptible to frostbite (dry air and good ventilation is the key in cold climates) and she will need plenty of room to roam. But, wouldn’t it be grand to have a flock of white Leghorns and black Minorcas? What a sight that would be!

You know how much I value and adore my Leghorn, Twiggy! Sassy, curious, flighty and a flier, this is a hen that can get into trouble, but also one that goes through her day with energy and purpose. She’s not an aggressive hen, rather she gets what she wants via speed, not bullying. Twiggy began laying when she was less than five months old, and, here we are a year and a half later, and she hasn’t stopped yet.

Twiggy is my first full-sized Leghorn (Snowball and the others were bantams) so she could be an exceptional individual, but judging by the poem, she fits the standard.

Tell me about your Leghorns. Does anyone keep brown Leghorns? Do they have the same temperament as the white? Extra points if you comment in rhyme!