The Golden Laced Wyandotte is considered the “supermodel” of the chicken world! Her brilliant gold specks against a black plumage give her a distinctive look that makes her an exceptional American chicken breed.
Due to their beauty and docile personalities, Wyandotte chickens make a wonderful addition to a flock.
Almost every backyard chicken hobbyist adores these large dual-purpose breeds. Not only do these birds consistently lay large eggs, but they definitely add interest to the backyard flock.
To determine whether you should get Golden Laced Wyandottes for your standard flock in 2023, let’s take a closer look at the breed’s history, personality, and purpose.
History
The origins of the Golden Laced Wyandotte are believed to date as far back as the 1870s.
With a need for a well-set and good egg laying breed, the dual purpose chicken was developed in the USA and named after the North American Wyandot indigenous people.
Although much of the original Wyandotte’s history remains a mystery, its breeding can be traced back to four men…
The History of the Golden Laced Wyandotte
Original Breeders
They are, namely, H. M. Doubleday, John Ray, L. Whittaker, and Fred Houdlette.
In 1883, the first Silver Laced Wyandotte was recorded in the American Standard of Perfection.
Now, in 2023, they can be a great new addition to domestic flocks!
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a variant of Silver Laced Wyandottes.
Silver Wyandotte
The silver type was first described as an American Sebright for its distinct pattern.
It consisted of different breeds, including the dark Brahma, Leghorn, and silver spangled Hamburg.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a variant of the silver type.
It was first bred in Wisconsin by crossing the Partridge Cochin and Brown Leghorn Cockerel with the silver type hens.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte breed was instantly recognized as a show bird because of its size and unique color.
What is the Golden Laced Wyandotte Known for?
Wyandottes are known as a dual purpose breed….
It is raised for its large brown eggs and yellow-skinned meat.
While Wyandotte chickens are excellent egg layers, they are also incredibly beautiful.
What is most distinct about their appearance is the golden color pattern on their feathers.
With broad specks of gold against black plumage, the Golden Laced Wyandotte is one of the most popular show birds and a definite must for the backyard flock in 2023!
Is the Golden Laced Wyandotte a Rare Chicken Breed?
The Golden Laced Wyandotte breed was initially bred as a dual purpose bird.
Still, with its undeniable beauty, it soon became an impressive show breed in the poultry ring.
The breed’s demand was at its greatest during the late 1900s and early 2000s, when its color, meat, and egg production became sought after qualities.
Additionally, its colors of brown, black, and gold stand out among the rest.
Endangered Status
Unfortunately, with a decline in designer breeds’ desire, the Golden Laced Wyandotte was considered endangered in 2016.
With a resurgence of the breed and more people interested in adding the dual purpose bird to the backyard in 2021, today, you will find the Golden Laced Wyandotte in many homes and barnyards.
What is the Breed Standard?
Gold Laced Wyandotte chickens must have a gold laced pattern across their black feathers with no variations.
A red rose comb is evenly set on the top of the head, and the beak is short and curved. Golden Laced Wyandottes must have a rose comb.
While single combs are found, the single comb is not considered a purebred bird.
Physical Features
In 1883, breeders found the rose comb to be hardier against the frigid winters, and so the single comb was removed from the breed standard.
It is a short, full-feathered bird with round sides and a medium arched neck. The feet include four well-spread toes, while feathers must be smooth and close rather than fluffy.
Its character is upright and balanced with a docile personality.
Physical Appearance
Wyandotte chickens are simply beautiful!
Their gold laced color distinguishes them against birds with just black or dark brown feathers.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte breed has a prominent rose comb that will turn bright red when chickens reach maturity.
Gold lacing appears across the wings, breast, and saddle of hens but differs in roosters. These birds have yellow skin and feet with a stone color or a dark yellow beak.
They have a red to orange eye color and need a good quality diet to bring out their fantastic range of color…
Identifying Golden Laced Wyandottes
The Rooster
The Wyandotte rooster has a broad saddle that is concave towards the tail. Roosters will have fine and soft feathers on the thighs with rounded shanks.
According to the breed standard, the Golden Laced Wyandotte’s feet do not have any feathers or fluff.
Appearance
Wattles must be medium in length with a large rose comb on top of the head.
The comb and wattles will appear bright red in adult birds.
The sickles are black.
Roosters will have a less defined lace pattern compared to hens. Lacing is identified across the wings, breast, and triangular gold color on the wings.
The Hen
The gold laced hen has light color specks spread across her wings, chest, and neck compared to the cockerel.
She is short and stout with a large rose comb on the front of her head.
The comb, wattles, and earlobes of the Golden Laced Wyandotte chicken are red.
Her feathers are soft and loose but kept against her body for a smooth and compact appearance.
Chicks
Golden Laced Wyandotte chicks are charming and easily distinguished by their color combination of black and beige.
Chicks are fluffy with dark eyes and yellow legs.
This chicken breed’s chest or breast area is lighter in color than the rest of the body.
Sexing Golden Laced Wyandotte Chickens
One of the most common questions asked by the backyard chicken keeper is whether their chicken is a hen or a rooster.
For an urban flock, cockerels cannot be kept in the backyard coop owing to the amount of noise they make.
It is challenging to distinguish Golden Laced Wyandotte roosters from hens at a very young age. Quite different from Black Star chicks, for example, who you can sex right after birth.
What To Look For
You may be able to sex wyandotte chickens by looking at their comb development, leg thickness (size), and behavior.
Physical traits such as comb and wattle development will be more pronounced in roosters; however, this is not a golden rule.
Some cockerels are slower to mature than others.
Behavior
When you first observe the behavior of this chicken breed, cockerels tend to be bolder and have a lengthier stride than hens.
Hens also have more gold than black feathers.
The head, neck, and saddle of roosters are gold to chestnut in color—a distinguishing feature in these chickens when they reach maturity!
How do Big Do Golden Laced Wyandottes get?
Golden Wyandottes can reach a good average of 6 lbs for hens and around 8 lbs for roosters.
It is a large chicken breed and will need extra space in the coop to accommodate its size and personality!
Although the beautiful Wyandotte chicken has a docile nature, they love to be the boss.
This may not be the case with all Golden Wyandottes, but be well prepared if you happen to get a chicken who wants to rule the coop!
Wyandotte Color Varieties
Wyandottes come in a variety of color patterns.
Each recognized color will depend on the country you live in.
There are 13 different colors in the UK, while only 9 varieties are accepted in the US.
Silver Laced Wyandottes were the original breed established in the 1880s. Later varieties include:
- Golden Laced
- Blue
- Buff Patridge
- Columbian
- Silver Penciled
Egg Laying and Brooding
Are Golden Laced Wyandotte Chickens Good Layers?
You can well expect your Golden laced Wyandottes to lay beautiful brown eggs that are medium to large in size, and healthy in egg color.
Provide your chickens a great quality feed for many eggs every week.
The Wyandotte will lay around 4 eggs per week, which is good for a dual purpose breed.
Here’s what to expect when they are producing eggs…
Egg Laying/Production
Golden laced chickens make for good egg layers.
The egg production for this breed averages 200 eggs annually.
NOTE
To make sure the Golden Wyandotte provides consistent egg laying, feed a well-balanced diet for egg layers. You can also supplement with oyster shell for chickens for added calcium to enhance each unique brown egg color.
Broodiness
Wyandottes are good protectors of their chicks and will make for a great mom to their brood. This also means that some hens tend to get broody, which is a problem when looking for consistent eggs.
You may be fortunate to have Wyandotte chickens that never get broody and continue to lay those beautiful brown eggs!
Experience with Broody Chicken
I remember my girl becoming broody for the first time, and it sent me into a total panic!
In the heat of summer, she stayed in the nest and didn’t come out of the coop to eat or drink. With some intervention to prevent her from dehydrating, she soon left the coop and egg color and production returned to normal.
If you suspect that your Golden Laced Wyandotte has become broody, we look at the best ways to handle a broody bird.
What Causes Broody Hens?
During the spring season, mature Wyandotte chickens will prepare to sit on their clutch of eggs and hatch a new brood.
Hens will remain in the coop and sit on her eggs for 20 to 21 days, after which new baby chicks will arrive.
Of course, if you don’t have a cockerel, baby chicks won’t be arriving, but your bird doesn’t know that.
Why?
She wants to hatch baby chicks to raise and will remain on her egg until they arrive.
Leaving a gold laced bird in her nest without regular food and water can create health problems.
Your chicken can become lethargic and dehydrated. She will also lack the nutrition to lay those stunning brown eggs.
How to Spot a Broody Hen
Your chicken will refuse to leave her nest or coop where her egg is laid.
She may puff up her feathers or peck at your hand when you try to collect the eggs she’s sitting on.
The golden laced hen may drink and eat infrequently only to return to the nest.
Signs
Look out for chickens that do not leave the nest for food and water, and intervene where necessary.
A brooding Wyandotte hen will flatten herself into the nest to cover her eggs.
She will also be reluctant to stand when moved off the nest.
How to Manage a Broody Hen
Broody hens will not produce eggs.
While the Golden laced Wyandotte is a docile chicken, she could be quite mean to her fellow coop mates if she becomes broody.
To manage broody Golden Laced Wyandottes, you should discourage nesting. You could place a cool pack under her or remove the material from the nest.
Consider closing the nest area in time, so she doesn’t return the brood.
TIP
If you are interested in hatching eggs, you can order fertilized eggs from your backyard chicken provider. These will allow her to hatch her clutch of baby chicks!
Age of Laying
The age of laying for Wyandotte chickens is around 18 – 20 weeks.
Ensure you get a well balanced feed with calcium and protein to prepare young Wyandotte chickens for laying.
Chicken Not Laying at 18 Weeks Old
If we look at the different breeds in the history of golden laced poultry, the time for egg laying can happen well after the 18 week mark.
When your Wyandotte chickens have the appropriate diet and supplements available, they should lay a brown egg with a strong shell.
TIP
If your chicken is not acting like itself and has not produced an egg well over 18 weeks, you may want to contact a vet or poultry expert.
Chicken Egg Color
The pure breed Gold Laced Wyandotte lays a brown egg color.
She is a good egg layer provided that she receives a well balanced feed.
Always pay attention to egg color for the best possible results.
FAQs
You probably have some questions in mind regarding their living conditions.
In this section we’ll go through a few questions regarding their personality, housing, and maintenance.
Here are some things you should know before you get a Golden Wyandotte…
How Much Space Does a Golden Laced Wyandotte Need?
For birds to maintain their beautiful condition, they need the appropriate coop size.
Wyandotte chickens are among the larger breeders of chickens, so making enough space available for their growth is a must.
The rule for the coop area should follow 4 square feet for every one standard size Wyandotte chicken.
Nest Box Size
Wyandotte chickens like to spend time inside the coop to lay an egg a day.
A nest box should be no smaller than 12 x 12 inches to accommodate their size.
They also enjoy things like sand baths, rummaging through scratch, and spending time outdoors.
To encourage good bird etiquette in the run, a fair amount of space is necessary for keeping these large chicken breeds happy.
What is the Best Climate for a Golden Laced Wyandotte?
The Golden Laced Wyandotte has a plump body and is densely feathered.
The breed was specifically developed for the purpose of withstanding the harsh North American winter.
Breeders selected a red rose comb over a single comb for the purpose of avoiding frostbite.
Wyandotte chickens are suited to colder climates.
Warm Weather
If you are going to raise Golden Laced Wyandotte chickens in warmer weather, provide adequate shelter against direct sunlight and make sure water is available throughout the day.
Most large chicken breed enthusiasts will design a spacious coop with sufficient airflow and shade to keep birds cool in the spring and summer.
TIP
You may want to add a misting system to the coop in hot summer temperatures to keep Wyandotte chickens comfortable.
How to Feed the Wyandotte Chicken
To encourage a beautiful brown egg color, Wyandotte chickens will do well on a 16% protein layer feed.
I like to encourage foraging among my poultry and add a quality scratch to the run twice a week.
Scratch helps issues like boredom and ensuring your chickens get along.
Feeding Time
It is a good idea to add grit during the day.
Chickens need grit to digest the food in the crop.
It can prevent many problems such as impacted crop and sour crop.
What is the Personality of the Wyandotte Chicken?
The Golden Laced Wyandotte generally does well with people and other chickens under the right conditions.
A Golden Laced Wyandotte is described as a friendly bird with a dapper character.
Wyandotte chickens are good with other chicken breeds when raised together.
They get on great with small and large poultry but may not tolerate being at the bottom of the pecking order well.
Strong Personality
They want to be the one boss, and their fairly strong personality will often place them well at the top of the pecking order.
Suppose a Wyandotte chicken is kept in a confined coop with little pace and poor socialization around people, poultry, and pets.
In that case, they may become nervous and flighty.
Nature
While the breed history of the Wyandotte chicken includes the soft-natured Brahma, who knows to rest on your lap, the Golden Laced Wyandotte is not your typical lap chicken.
They are great, well-built, and make an interesting addition with their color variety.
The Wyandotte is a great chicken for the backyard with the right care and a good feed.
Are Wyandotte Chickens Noisy?
Chatty is a good way to describe Wyandotte chickens.
These chickens are not considered noisy but will respond with squawking and chirping when you interact with one.
As they are good egg layers, you will often hear them on the nest or after they have laid an egg.
If you hear a chatty bird coming from your coop, there is a good chance it is your Golden Laced Wyandotte!
Are Golden Laced Wyandottes the Right Breed for You?
To describe the Golden Laced Wyandotte, we need to look at its personality and hardiness.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is strong, independent, and friendly in nature.
These chickens like to have plenty of coop mates but may not tolerate being at the bottom of the pecking order.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a striking addition to the backyard because of its deep black plumage and golden color across the wings, breast, and neck. It is a true show bird.
Considerations
If you live in a cold climate, the Golden Laced Wyandotte could be the right breed for you.
The hardy chicken has dense plumage, and a rose comb will serve the purpose of preventing susceptibility to frost.
Care
They are fairly easy to take care of, provided they have access to fresh water, feed, and dust baths throughout the day.
You will also want to invest in a well-built coop and adequate shelter to protect Wyandotte chickens against extremes in heat and cold.
Purpose
The purposes of the Golden Laced Wyandotte chicken are both meat and eggs.
If you want a layer with a good egg color and the potential to become a meat bird, the Golden Laced Wyandotte is the ideal chicken.
In case you process chickens, this chicken plucker review might be helpful.
Health
Now that you have an idea regarding their personality and ideal living conditions.
You might wanna know more about their lifespan and health in general
Let’s move on to final chapter…
Is the Gold Laced Wyandotte a Healthy Breed?
Wyandottes are generally healthy and independent birds…
Because they have such dense black feathers, it is good to provide dust bathing areas throughout the day.
This helps birds keep pests away.
The Wyandotte chicken is among the great poultry breeds.
With the right standard of care, they can provide many years of joy.
So, here’s how you can ensure that your bird enjoys a great, long life…
How to Maintain Chickens’ Health
The heavy plumage on a Wyandotte chicken can create some issues around the vent.
Fecal matter can easily become trapped in the fluff around the rear.
To prevent bacterial infections and matted feathers, simply cut the affected fluff and plumage away.
It is also good to frequently clean the coop to prevent mites and pests from irritating nesting poultry.
Dust Bath
You can easily make a poultry dust bath.
Use a large basin or pan and fill it with sand. Make sure that the sides of the dish are not too high so your birds can easily climb into the bath.
The Wyandotte chicken is not susceptible to genetic health problems.
Common Diseases
Wyandottes can suffer from general poultry health issues such as impacted or sour crop, respiratory illness, and environmental disease.
You can keep your Golden Laced Wyandotte healthy and happy by creating a spacious coop to accommodate their size.
One must ensure that feed and fresh water are available every day.
How Old Does a Golden Laced Wyandotte Get?
A Golden Laced Wyandotte can reach between 6 to 12 years of age.
The breed is fairly tough against many ailments; however, they need a well balanced diet, space to forage, and a great nesting box for comfort.
Conclusion
When you are looking for a stunning addition to your backyard flock, a good egg layer, or a bird to show in the poultry ring, then the Golden Laced Wyandotte is for you.
Wyandotte chickens are easily distinguished by their black and golden laced color.
They are an entertaining and assertive bird.
Wyandottes as Pets
Wyandottes are great with children and other chickens when raised in a social environment.
The Golden Laced Wyandotte is dapper with a good personality, intelligence, and purpose to match.
This breed will talk to you endlessly when you interact with them.
This breed also makes good 4H project hens and is well suited for exhibitions and competitions
Daily Interaction
Take some time to gently stroke and hand feed chickens to improve their friendliness.
For all the reasons above, the Golden Laced Wyandotte is one of the top breeds of 2023.
It continues to maintain its high breed standard for a show or domestic purpose.
If you want a pet chicken that is unique and striking in appearance, then the Golden Laced Wyandotte is perfect for you! Alternatively, you might be interested in the Blue Laced Wyandotte variety, a rare color variation of the Wyandotte.
Thanks for reading my article. And please take a look at my other articles, such as this guide about the unique and unusual-looking Frizzle chicken.
