Our Chickens

The Renaissance of Old Europe

       Here at Yellow House Farm, we specialize in the foundational chicken breeds of old Europe.  By "foundational breeds" we intend those honorable, old-fashioned breeds that have played a role in Western civiliaztion for centuries or even millennia.  For the most part, their origins are obscured by the passing of one age into another.  However, they have stood the test of time and from the villages of ancient Britain, Gaul, and Rome, they continue on here at Yellow House Farm to serve yet another generation of homesteaders.

       Unlike the more modern "composite breeds", such as the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte and Orpington, which are all the fruit of crossbreeding various foundational breeds, the foundational breeds represent a unique genetic resource that can not be reproduced.  If they are lost, they are lost forever.   Sadly, with the advent of modern factory "farming" practices, these breeds have fallen into the shadows.  Both the ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) and the SPPA (Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities) list the breeds as being in need of serious conservation efforts.  Here at Yellow House Farm we work diligently to answer this call to support our ever dwindling bio-diversity.  With your support, we shall attain our goal of a new Renaissance for these ancient treasures, bringing these valuable breeds back from the brink of extinction and reintroducing them as productive farm fowl in our agricultural landscape.

1. The Ancient Dorking

2. The Stylish Houdan 

3. The Productive Ancona

The Ancient Dorking

       The Dorking is among the most noble and ancient of poultry breeds.  It's origins date back to time immemorial.  Our earliest record of them is found among the writings of Columella, a Roman agricultural historian of the first century A.D.  They are believed to have been brought to England with the invasions of Julius Caesar.  It is from this importation that they receive their name as Dorking.  In the region of Surrey, England, the town of Dorking boasts proudly of the Dorking on their coat of arms.

       The Dorking remained a prominent breed throughout our history.  Ulisse Aldrovandi, an agricultural historian of the Italian Renaissance, refers to the White Dorking as being an ancient fowl, indeed.  In more recent times, Queen Victoria prefered the Dorking about all other chicken for her plate.  Moreover, the Dorking has a long history in North America, coming over with early settlers.  Many an American homestead benefitted from the superior qualities of the Dorking.

        It is, indeed, on account of quality that the Dorking has endured for over two milennia.  Few other breeds can rival the Dorking when quality and flavor are the measuring stick.  The breast meat of the Dorking is very white, fine grained, and juicy; the flavor is excellent.  Moreover, they are fine layers of white or tinted eggs.  As broody hens, they are tough to beat and make excellent natural mothers.  Moreover, they are good foragers:

The [Dorking] approach the ideal for general purposes [...] American breeders prize the Dorkings highly for the quality of flesh, and also for the small proportion of bone.  They are especially noted for a broad, deep breast, and the breast meat is distinctly fine in quality (Watson, George C. Farm Poultry.  1914)

       At Yellow House Farm the Dorking is our primary breed bred for roasting.  We are proud to be a part of the long heritage of this breed and look forward to seeing its population increase in New England as we rediscover the superior flavor and quality of heirloom poultry.

       At some interminable point in time during the height of the French Renaissance, a new breed emrged in the countryside of Normandy, in the quiet village of Houdan.  This breed, which derives its name from its home town, would go on to be the region's pride,  becoming so popular that it would come to dominate the markets of London and Paris during the second half of the 1800's.

       The Houdan represents the difficult combination of both beauty and productivity.  Watson, quoting Wrights, adds, "Better table fowls are none, the laying powers are great, the chickens fledge and grow faster than almost any other breed, and the eggs are invariably prolific." (Watson, Farm Poultry, 1914)

       Here at Yellow House Farm, we raise the White Houdan.  The continued existence of the White variety is a veritable miracle.  Until recently, it was believed to be extinct, until one lone flock was discovered in Mississippi.  Through the meritorious efforts of Ed Hart and Glenn Drowns of Sand Hill Preservation Center, the breed was recovered and given another chance at survival.  Hopefully, this stunning bird will never be lost to us again.

       This is an old Italian breed, being indigenous to the central Italian region: Umbria, Lazio, and Le Marche.  It is a small, efficient layer, eating little while producing many eggs.  Although the cockerels are not truly suited to being roasted, due to their small size, this is the type of heritage fowl used for traditional fryers.  When bred, extra cockerels of this breed are slaughtered at fourteen to sixteen weeks of age. 

       Anconas are recognized for early maturity, and pullets often begin laying pearly white eggs at as early as 4 1/2 months.  We keep both rose-combed and single-combed birds together, although we are selecting for rose-combed birds.  We have combined a show-bred line of RC's with a production-bred line of SC's with goal of developing a production-bred line of RC's which are more suited to our northern clime.  Although with hens it is less important, we strongly recommend selecting only rose-combed cockerels for breeding stock, as they are much less likely to suffer extreme frostbite.  Single-comed birds, however, will not do well over the coarse of the NH winter without a source of artificial heat. 

       If you are looking for an efficient layer, without the goal of producing roasters for the table, Anconas are for you.  Anconas are non-broody.