Chicken MG

Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Salmon Faverolles Bantam Cockerel

Blanketed in a striking patchwork of plumes, Salmon Faverolles Bantam Cockerels look almost nothing like their female counterparts. These chickens are also known for being hardy meat and egg producers. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Araucana Large Fowl Cockerel

Known for their stunning blue and green eggs, this breed has a uniquely stumpy physique because it has three fewer vertebrae in its spine than a normal chicken. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Self Blue Belgian Bearded Danver Cockerel
 A particularly petite breed, this chicken weighs only about 26 ounces and wears an unusually shaped comb, called a rose comb, on its face.
  Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Bearded Buff Frizzle Polish Bantam Hen

This “little bearded lady,” as Staples calls her, owes her frizzled feathers to a particular genetic mutation that causes its plumes to curl from front to back. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Blue Cochin Bantam Pullet

First introduced to England from China as a gift to Queen Victoria, the matronly-looking Blue Cochin looks like it’s sporting a sort of bustle. Staples thinks this aesthetic may have contributed to the bird’s popularity in Victorian England. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Cream Brabanter Bantam Cock

An uncommon breed in the U.S., the Cream Brabanter Bantam has Dutch origins and can be recognized by its distinctive V-shaped crown. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

White Showgirl Bantam Cockerel

Cross a naked neck breed and a silky breed, and you get a very bizarre looking chicken. Notice the bright blue flap of skin on the side of his face highlighting his earlobe. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

Silver Duckwing Modern Game Large Fowl Hen
This chicken doesn’t just look tough—it was actually bred for fighting, as its name suggests. The practice of cock fighting has since been outlawed in the U.S.

  Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

White Leghorn Bantam Cock 

A classic “chicken-y” chicken, as Staples puts it, this lively breed is known for its stellar egg production and flight capabilities. Photo: Photograph by Tamara Staples

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