Appenzeller Spitzhauben Chicken

     The Appenzeller Spitzhauben, literally means ‘Pointed Hood Chicken of Appenzell’, is a Chicken breed that was first developed in the province of Appenzell in Switzerland. The dates and the breeds used in its development are somewhat of a mystery. But, no doubt that their cross-breeding brought us a crazy-looking magnificent bird.

     The Appenzeller Spitzhauben has a unique appearance with its V-shaped comb, and feathery crest. It has also long wattles, white earlobes and slate-blue legs. Simply, the Appenzeller Spitzhauben is a beautiful specimen that does well in poultry shows, and has good capabilities as an egg producer too. 

    Appenzeller Spitzhauben hens are good layers of white eggs (around +200 eggs per year), but they rarely go broody. This breed appears mostly in the golden-spangled and the silver-spangled color-varieties, though other color-varieties such as the blue and the black do exist. The Appenzeller Spitzhauben is a tough chicken suited to the conditions of the mountains indeed, as it’s a good rock climber and forages well. A bantam version is also available for this fabulous breed.