Sicilian Buttercup Chicken

     The Sicilian Buttercup is a rare breed of Chickens, that originated in the island of Sicily, in Italy. The bird has a beautiful glorious golden feathering indeed, and  unusual cup-shaped comb of which it got named after.

     Buttercup chickens have a unique appearance, with roosters and hens having completely different plumage patterns. The roosters sport rich deep orange feathers with a greenish black tail. While the hens are of a gold color, with black spangles running in parallel rows producing an almost spotty appearance. In both sexes of the Buttercup chicken, the earlobes tend to be white and the legs are of a soft green color.

     The Buttercup hen lays well (around 180 white eggs per year), but she isn’t known for going broody. These birds are flighty and active chickens, that do much better in free-range rearing. Also, Buttercup chicks are early-maturing birds, but the cup-shaped comb itself takes a while to be fully developed. Luckily a bantam version is also available for this attractive and fabulous breed.