10 Strikingly Odd Backyard Chickens

Chickens are just great to have in a farm or backyard. Some chicken breeds are picked for their tender meat, while others are chosen for their great egg-laying traits. A number of breeds are excellent in both of those fields. But how about selecting chickens that are weird-looking!

So, if you go for the weird-looking ones, then here's a list of 10 strikingly odd backyard chicken.

Check them out, and learn a few things about them as well.

Silkie

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The Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its unusual fluffy plumage. Some breeders often called this chicken a "walking cotton ball". The breed traces its origin in ancient China. The breed features some odd qualities such as blue earlobes, black skin and bones, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four.

Silkies are such cute chickens, since you can hardly see its eyes, and only a glimpse of its beak is visible. And yes, even a portion of its legs and feet is concealed by its silky feathers.

They are relatively small chickens, with the males weighing only 1.8 kg (4 lbs) pounds, and females weighing 1.36 kg (3 lbs).

These strikingly odd chickens are often kept as ornamental fowl and are considered an ideal pet by backyard keepers. Silkies appear in two distinct varieties: Bearded and Non-bearded.

Frizzle

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The Frizzle looks as if it has just stepped out of a beauty parlor; wearing a peculiar curled or frizzled plumage. The breed is thought to have originated in Asia.

The Frizzle developed from a mutation which makes the chicken’s feathers curl upwards curve outward instead of the normal look where feathers are straight and going downward.

Some chicken breeders consider the Frizzle a totally unique breed; and are kept mostly for its ornamental value.

Araucana

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The Araucana or South American Rumpless is a breed of chicken originating in Chile. A rare chicken breed, partly due to being difficult to breed because a high percentage of the chicks die in their shells.

The Araucana breed is characterized by the feather tufts around the ears, absence of tail or rump, and the breed is known for laying blue eggs!

Onagadori

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The Onagadori known for its striking long tail, is a breed of chicken which traces its roots in Japan. These chickens can achieve tail lengths from 3.65 - 8.2 m (12 - 27 ft). Under good housing and special care, these feathers never molt, thus can continue to grow through the life of the rooster.

If you’re looking for an easy-maintenance chicken, then this breed isn't for you. Just imagine keeping their tails clean!

The Laced Polish

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The Laced Polish is a unique breed of chicken characterized by its V-shaped comb and its huge bouffant crest of feathers, which virtually covers the whole of the bird's head! It is the most popular of the crested breeds. Polish chickens come with or without beards on their faces.

The range of colors is quite extensive. The most popular are the White Crested variants: these come in black, blue and cuckoo. Originally, these funny looking chickens were bred and kept as egg laying chickens, but today the breed is primarily bred for ornamental value.

La Fleche

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The La Flèche is a rare breed of chicken whose roots originates from France. The breed's main distinguishing feature is its unusual V-shaped comb that looks like horns. Thus, this strikingly odd chicken is also called the Devil Bird!

The breed was once famous for its fine meat; but are now kept as ornamental birds.

A medium-sized chicken with black plumage, white earlobes; La Fleche also are found as bantams.

Naked Neck

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The Naked Neck, also called the Turken, is a peculiar breed of chicken that is characterized by its 'featherless' neck and vent. The breed originates from Hungary but was largely developed in Germany.

This breed has approximately half the feathers of other chickens, making it resistant to hot weather and easier to pluck.

Despite its highly odd appearance, the Naked Neck breed is not considered as an exhibition bird, but as a dual-purpose chicken. They are good layers of brown eggs, and are good for meat production.

The Naked Neck can be found in several different color variants including black, white, buff, blue, red and cuckoo.

Sultan

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The Sultan is a breed of chicken originating in Turkey. The breed has always been kept for its ornamental value. They are wonderful for show, because their "attire" is so impressive and outlandish.

Sultans have a great deal of decorative plumage, including large, puffy crests, a V-shaped comb, beards, muffs, long tails, and abundant foot feathering. The breed is also one of a few chicken breeds to have five toes on each foot.

The smallest of the large breeds of chickens, males weigh around 2.7 kilos (6 pounds) and hens 2 kilos (4 pounds. Sultans also come with bantam version.

Sultans appear in three color variants: Black, Blue, and White.

Sebright

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The Sebright is a breed of chicken named after its developer, Sir John Saunders Sebright. Sebrights are a very special breed of bantam chicken in that the males and females have exactly the same feathering. Males are devoid of the long, sickle–shaped feathers common in most roosters that appear at the tail, neck and saddle.

Furthermore, it is considered a 'true' bantam (meaning there is no standard (large) version of the breed).

There are two types of Sebright bantams; the gold-laced and the silver-laced bantam.

Ayam Cemani

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The Ayam Cemani is a relatively new and a rare breed of chicken originating in Indonesia. These chickens sport a 'completely black' appearance! Black plumage, black skin, black beak and tongue, black comb and wattles, black legs and toe nails; even their meat and internal organs appear dark black.

Ayam Cemani get their black coloring from a generic trait known as ‘fibromelanosis’, that promotes the proliferation of black pigment cells.

One of the most beautiful chickens in the world; Ayam Cemani takes ‘black’ into an entirely different realm. The breed is referred to as the “Lamborghini of poultry.”