Frizzles are a lot of fun as a pet chicken breed. Because of their distinctive curly appearance, rather than their flat feathered appearance, they stand out in a crowd.
Although typically kept as a pet, they can contribute to the flock by laying eggs. Is there a special kind of chicken that you’d like to know more about? If you want to know everything important, keep reading…
You may also want to read about the best chicken feed.
Appearance
A Barred Rock Frizzle, for instance, will have the same plumage and general appearance as a standard Barred Rock (with the exception of their feathers).
It’s common to notice that they’re plumper and fuller-looking.
Keep in mind that the United States does not recognize the Frizzle as a breed worthy of exhibition or show. To enter a Frizzle into a dog show, you would do so under the breed section (Barred Rock, Cochin, etc).
Several countries other than the United States recognize the Frizzles as a legitimate breed and even have their own breed standard for the dogs. Here’s a rundown of the basics of the Frizzle breed, as it’s known in the countries of Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.
A single, bright red comb will grace the head of every Frizzle Chicken. The color of their beaks will match the color of their feathers. The color of the beak will match the color of the feathers, in this case, black.
She stands erect and narrow, with full breasts. The wingspan is typically quite long, and the tail stands straight up.
The legs are neat, and the shanks can be any color that matches the feathers.
Egg production
The actual breed of Frizzle Chicken will determine how many eggs they lay per year.
Whereas a Cochin Frizzle might only lay two or three eggs per week, a Plymouth Rock Frizzle could lay as many as four.
When given the chance to sit on eggs, they develop into caring mothers. However, a word of caution is in order. Breeding male and female Frizzles is not recommended. Frazzle chicks are the result; while the name is endearing, these poor birds face significant difficulties as they develop and may not make it past the first few months of life.
Health
Generally speaking, the Frizzle is a robust chicken that rarely suffers from any strange or exotic diseases.
Similar to other dog breeds, they are susceptible to a wide variety of parasites, both internal and external. This means that you should check them for lice and mites frequently.
Since their feathers are so delicate, it’s important to make sure they aren’t being bullied or having their feathers plucked.
Additionally, the frizzles have difficulty in wet or cold climates because their feathers do not lie flat against their skin. Water or snow can cause hypothermia and death in birds, so it’s important to dry and warm them up if they get wet.
Feeding
About a quarter of a pound of food is needed daily for each Frizzle. For the majority of the year, feed them a high-quality 16% layer feed. To aid in feather regeneration and ensure your bird has enough protein to sustain itself, you’ll want to up the protein content of its diet to 18–20% while it molts.
Further, the hen should be given a separate source of calcium (oyster shell) if she requires it. If your chickens are housed in a run, make sure you provide them with insoluble grit.
Establishing a Cooperative and Free-Roaming
Each Frizzle Chicken will require about 4 square feet of coop space. Naturally, a bantam will require a smaller living area.
Each bird needs between 8 and 10 inches of space for roosting. Make sure there are enough roosting perches for the Frizzles and any other breeds in the coop to get away from any pluckers. Due to their inability to fly, Frizzles require perches that are lower to the ground so that they can reach them when it gets dark. It would be helpful to have a ladder for getting up to the vantage point.
The standard 12×12-inch boxes work great for this purpose. If bantams are all you intend to keep, the boxes can be as small as 8 by 8 inches.
Larger nesting boxes should be avoided because this encourages egg sharing, dirtier eggs, and ultimately, egg consumption.
They tend to go wild when given the opportunity to roam freely in the great outdoors. Provide them with access to the yard for a few hours daily if possible so they can fend for themselves.
Each chicken should have at least 16 square feet of run space if they must be confined.
Throughout the day, they will happily occupy themselves with various activities. Basically, just make sure there are plenty of places to perch, such as ladders, tree stumps, and other objects of varying heights. Consider a playground if you want to keep them from getting bored.
Also, try to keep the run partially covered to shield them from the elements. Keeping this breed dry and warm is of the utmost importance.