Gilyan Chicken

     The Gilyan is an old Chicken breed, perhaps the oldest in Russia, as it dates back to the 16^th century. It’s thought that this breed originated in Gilan (a small province in Iran) hence comes the name, and got developed to its modern shape in Russia. The Gilyan is also believed to be the ancestor of the Russian Orloff, which it closely resembles, but more genetic researches are still needed to prove that.

     The Gilyan is a strong-looking and exceptionally tall bird (as it has a bird of prey’s appearance with a height that reaches 80 cm), that was bred originally for cockfighting. After the prohibition of cockfighting by law in Russia, the bird’s popularity decreased and only enthusiasts raised it. The Gilyan was still the traditional farm chicken in some areas in Russia and that’s how the breed could be restored out of these flocks.

     The Gilyan is a large fowl with a walnut comb, a beard, and red invisible earlobes. It also has slate-blue legs, close fitted and hard plumage, and a relatively short tail. In general, Gilyans are cold hardy birds, that are suited for dual-purpose rearing.

     Gilyan hens are fair layers of creamy white eggs of weight 70 g per each, and have a broody nature too. They usually lay 140 – 150 eggs in their first year, and the number decreases to 110 – 120 in their second year. A lot of color-verities are also recognized for the Gilyan which include; white, black, blue, and black-breasted red.