Chicken Pick of the Week - Old English Game Bantam

A bird that was originally bred for fighting, the OEGB is a small, but hearty bird. They are very proud and talkative. Their descendants were brought over to England by the Romans in the 1^st century A.D. where they were predominantly used for “cock fighting” until the sport was banned in England in the mid 1800’s. The breed was brought over to the U.S. in the 1800’s in order to preserve the breed. The OEGB’s of today are pretty much identical to their predecessors from 2000+ years ago, except for their smaller size. It is rumored that former U.S. Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln kept OEGB's and even may have fought them in the White House. The OEGB's were breed to be a smaller version of the original birds. This smaller size made it easier for one to conceal in their coats in order to avoid the police if they were to practice illegal fighting. 

The OEGB are now kept as pets and are especially popular for showing. They come in a variety of colors. They weigh 1.5 to 2lbs and the hens lay a small off-white egg. They are very friendly and personable. They are also very good flyers which makes them adept at getting away from predators.

The Hatching House is proud to offer the Silver Duckwing Old English Game Bantam. If you are interested in ordering the Silver Duckwing OEGB then go to our website at www.TheHatchingHouse.com.

Chicken Pick of the Week - German Vorwerks

The German Vorwerk is easily recognizable by it's black head, hackles, tail and buff body. It originated in Hamburg Germany in the early 1900's by Oskar Vorwerk. The Vorwerk was developed to be an all around utility bird for both egg laying and a traditional table bird.

The Vorwerk is a great choice for new chicken owners due to it's cooperative nature, a good starter bird for showing and considered and easy keeper as chickens go.




The Vorwerk hens weigh around 5.5lbs and lay around 160 to 190 cream colored eggs per year.


The Hatching House are proud to offer a pure German Vorwerk, not to be confuse with the similar looking Golden Lakenvelder. We offer both Black and Blue Vorwerks.


If you are interested in ordering the German Vorwerk, go to our website www.TheHatchingHouse.com.

Chicken Pick of the Week - Russian Pavlovskya

The Russian Pavlovskya is one of Russia’s oldest chicken breeds dating back centuries. Thought to be extinct by the late 1800’s, they were raised by residents of the town of Pavlovo, Russia, located about 200 miles East of Moscow.

The Pavlovskya is believed to be the foundation breed for some of the more familiar Polish breeds. The Pavlovskya was brought back from near extinction in the early 1990’s when only one viable Rooster was located. Through selective breeding they were able to re-establish the breed. In 2012 and 2014 Greenfire Farms was able to import the breed to the U.S.

The Pavlovskyas are well adapted to cold climates due to it’s Russian heritage. It has five toes, feathered legs, a crest and a beard. They are a sweet natured and social bird. Considered large fowl, they are not heavy egg layers, laying 2-3 eggs per week. The eggs are white and range in size from medium to large.

The Hatching House is offering the Pavlovskya in a limited supply due to their egg laying limits. Our Rooster “Levi” is direct from Greenfire Farm.

If you are interested in purchasing the Russian Pavlovskya go to our website www.TheHatchingHouse.com/pavlovskja

Chicken Pick of the Week - Cream Crested Legbar

Developed in Britain in the 1930's the Cream Crested Legbar is a medium-sized bird that lays blue eggs. A great breed for hatcheries since they are also "auto-sexing", meaning that the female chicks are easily distinguished from the male chicks by their feather color.

A popular breed in the United Kingdom, they have only been in the U.S. for less than 10 years. They were originally imported from the UK by Greenfire Farms located in Florida.




Less broody than other breeds, the Cream Legbars are active foragers and excellent layers. They average around 260 eggs per year. The Cream "Crested" Legbars stand apart from other Legbar breeds because of the crest the Hen's sport. The feather color of the hens are cream, gray with some possible chestnut coloring and faintly barred throughout. Some salmon color on the front of the neck can also be present.




These beautiful birds would be a great addition to anyone's backyard collection and add some color to your eggs. The Cream Crested Legbars offered by The Hatching House are descendants of the Rees line.




To order the Cream Crested Legbar, go to http://thehatchinghouse.co/products/creme-legbar

The following link is from the recently formed Cream Legbar Club's draft of the SOP on this breed.
http://www.creamlegbarclub.com/29-draft-standard-of-perfection-revision-2