The Norfolk Grey is a utility

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

that originated near the city of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England, in around 1910. The breed was originally created by Frederick W Myhill of Hethel, Wymondham under the name Black Maria. It is a rare breed which is currently considered to be at risk by the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to prese ...

History

The breed was originally created by Myhill before 1914, possibly as early as 1908. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the breed was allowed to free range while Myhill had departed for military service. On return, Myhill discovered that the birds had cross bred with other breeds and the strain had to be recreated. The Norfolk Grey was first exhibited under the name Black Maria at the Dairy Show in 1920. In 1925, Myhill applied to the Poultry Club of Great Britain in 1925 to have the name changed to Norfolk Grey as the breed did not gain popularity under Black Maria. The Norfolk Grey came close to dying out in the early 1970s but a private flock containing 4 birds was found in 1974 and the breed was revived.

Characteristics

Norfolk Grey is considered to be a heavy breed but does not grow as large as many other heavy breeds. The development of this breed is not factually known but it is thought that Birchen English Game and possibly Duckwing Leghorns were used in the makeup. The game inclusion would account for the excellent meating ability and the Leghorn for the laying ability. They have a single comb and a red face with black eyes while the legs are slate or black. Plumage is attractively marked and the male has a beautiful silver hackle striped with black as is the neck, back, saddle and wing feathers, while the rest of the plumage is black. The hen's hackle is similar to the cockerels but she has an otherwise rich black feathering all over apart from the throat which is silver laced. They can produce a good-sized carcass for meat production if they are allowed to mature slowly and are regulars at shows where they win prizes. The Norfolk Grey is an excellent forager and does well when free ranging. Males reach while the female reach .

Utility aspects

The Norfolk Grey was bred to be a utility bird, both for production of eggs and for the table.

Eggs

Approximately 150-220 tinted (pale brown), medium-sized eggs per year from a healthy hen, and the breed can be expected to continue laying well throughout winter.

Meat

Cockerels make good table birds if allowed to mature slowly. The meat is more gamey than most other common breeds.

References