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BREED: Sicilian Buttercup chickens, also known as Flowerbirds or simply Buttercups, are a heritage chicken breed renowned for its unusual crown-shaped crest and unique coloring.

ORIGIN: Farmyard chickens with cup-like combs have been known in Sicily for centuries. Their plumage varied as farmers were more interested in their laying ability. Similar combs had been noted in northern Africa, particularly in the Berbera and Tripolitana landraces. Around 1600, Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi described similar birds, which also featured in European paintings of that era. It is believed that the Sicilian breed evolved from local chickens interbreeding with those brought from northern Africa.

Whereas the Italians standardized the Siciliana chicken early in the twentieth century, the Sicilian Buttercup chicken was developed in America from Sicilian chickens shipped to Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century. This has resulted in the two breeds diverging in traits such as size and coloring.

History of the Sicilian Buttercup Chicken

Sicilian immigrants may have brought some birds from Sicily to America during the 1830s. However, the first well-documented import was around 1863 by Captain Cephas Dawes, of Dedham (MA). He regularly shipped fruit from Sicily to Boston. On one trip he purchased a “coop” of chickens from the local market to provide fresh meat for the journey. Shortly after setting sail, the hens laid, and so consistently, that it made sense to keep them for a regular egg supply. Fresh eggs were as much a luxury as fresh meat on a sea voyage.

After landing in Massachusetts, he took the birds to his father’s farm in Dedham, where a local breeder, C. Carroll Loring, took great interest in them. He was impressed by the cup-like comb and golden color, coining the name Buttercup. Having secured a flock, Loring bred them pure, including subsequent imports, for about 50 years. Some imports did not yield birds with the desired comb shape, leg color, or plumage pattern, so it was difficult to raise interest in the new breed. Finally, an import of birds of desirable traits was bred with Loring’s best stock to form the foundation of the American breed.

After 1908, popularity grew as the breed found new champions who formed the American Buttercup Club in 1912. Within the first year, there were 200 members, and 500 by 1914.

Standardization and Conservation

The American Poultry Association recognized the breed in 1918. However, the Standard was difficult to meet concerning markings, earlobe color, and good combs, while preserving utility. Apart from differing opinions on plumage, earlobe color tended to both red and white, although the standard was set at red, as it still is in Britain. Finally, the standard was revised in 1928 for mainly white earlobes (which is common among Mediterranean breeds) and a pattern agreed for plumage. Still, over-enthusiastic promotion had left some keepers disappointed with rather average egg production. Consequently, the breed’s fame was brief and it soon became extremely rare.

Breeders in Britain imported from America in the early 1910s, forming a breed club which also enjoyed a brief spell of popularity. Nevertheless, numbers declined sharply in both countries in the 1920s. British breeders also imported from Sicily, and then again from America in the 1970s. Bantams were developed in the mid twentieth century and are recognized by the American Bantam Association.

CONSERVATION STATUS: In 2022, The Livestock Conservancy changed the status of Sicilian Buttercups on their Priority Conservation List from “Watch” to “Critical”, as their numbers had dropped from over 1000 registered breeding birds to fewer than 500 in the U.S. There are also very few worldwide. Similarly, the Siciliana in Italy has declined sharply in recent years. The American Buttercup Club reports that “The Buttercup fell into near obscurity, and was saved by a handful of committed breeders. Today, Buttercups remain rare in both large fowl and bantam forms.”

BIODIVERSITY: The unusual buttercup comb is a rare genetic variation and the thrifty foraging skills are of value to free-range poultry. A totally unique plumage color has been developed through selective breeding in America.

Characteristics of Sicilian Buttercup Chickens

DESCRIPTION: The medium-sized, long body curves gently from head to tail. The hen’s tail is wide spread and her abdomen is full. These traits endow the hen with healthy laying qualities. However, it is the hen’s color that is most prized: a golden neck with few or, preferably, no markings; the body feathers are buff bearing parallel rows of oval black spangles. The male is orange-red with bright neck and saddle and a black tail. Black markings have an iridescent green sheen. The eyes are reddish-bay and the beak light horn-colored. Earlobes are white, normally with some red (red is preferred in Britain). The plumage markings, comb shape, and earlobe color are the main challenges for exhibitors to perfect, and it is difficult to gauge final coloring until 6–7 months old. Hens may grow spurs.

VARIETIES: In America, only the original Golden is recognized, while the Silver variety has been developed in Britain.

SKIN COLOR: Yellow, giving the shanks a willow-green color, as the yellow skin covers a dark blue-gray underlayer.

COMB: A distinctive cup-shaped crown of regular medium-sized points. The crown is the result of two single combs being joined at front and back.

POPULAR USE: Exhibition or layers.

EGG COLOR: White.

EGG SIZE: Small to medium.

PRODUCTIVITY: 140–180 eggs per year. Hens are normally non-sitters.

WEIGHT: Hens average 5 lb. (2.3 kg); roosters 6.5 lb. (3 kg). Bantam hens average 22 oz. (620g); roosters 26 oz. (735g).

TEMPERAMENT: Very active and lively, they love to explore and do not tolerate confinement. Although not loud, they are very chatty with flock members. Some Sicilian Buttercup strains are flighty, while others are calm and friendly, especially if handled when chicks.

ADAPTABILITY: They are excellent foragers, scratching and digging more than most breeds. Consequently, they are useful for turning over compost, and can support themselves when free range. They tolerate heat well, but dislike cold weather. Large combs are susceptible to frost bite.

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Sources:

• The Livestock Conservancy
• American Buttercup Club
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1905. Twenty-first Annual Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry for the Year 1904. 439.
• Siciliana chicken: Istruzione Agraria online and Zanon, A., Il Pollaio del Re.
• Lewer, S. H., c.1915. Wright’s Book of Poultry. Cassell.

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Originally published in the June/July 2023 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.