Sulmtaler Chickens

We're incubating a couple dozen Sulmtaler eggs we recently received from our good friends at Java Hill Farm. This variety originated in Austria in the mid to late 1800's as a table bird, and was for a time considered a delicacy.

We're trying this variety as a meat bird for a couple of reasons.

First, the meat is considered to be some of the best available, and the birds are fairly large--the rooster weighs between 7 and 9 pounds, the hen between 3.5 and 7 pounds. Hens lay about 150 smallish eggs per year--so not as many eggs per bird, so we'll add a few hens (normally we keep about twenty hens of dual-purpose varieties)  to have enough fresh eggs each day. So we won't be getting large or extra large eggs each day, but we will be getting bigger birds to the table. (Granted, we could have some laying hens as well, though this complicates the coop arrangements.)

Second, the Sulmtaler is reported to be quieter than other varieties. Our hens make a lot of noise celebrating each egg they lay. Sulmtalers reportedly do not engage in this revelry. Our poor neighbors have also suffered through our Marans rooster--one loud bird. (He was very tasty though!) We're hoping that the Sulmtaler rooster will not be as loud.

In a couple of weeks our eggs will hatch, beginning our trial with this interesting and historic variety. We'll have pictures and details as they become available.