They have been kept in Britain for at least the last 300 years but could have originated in Eastern Europe. They are a small, active, graceful bird with a smart rose comb and upright tail. They come in a range of colours: black, white, gold pencilled, silver pencilled, gold spangled, and silver spangled.
Hamburghs tolerate confinement fairly well, however they much prefer to free range. They are excellent foragers to the point that allowing them to forage will result in a noticeably reduced feed cost. With good rain, heat and cold tolerance (rose combs are much less prone to frostbite), intelligence and predator awareness, this hardy breed will thrive in most conditions.
Hamburghs are good fliers and can fly high enough to roost in trees (or on your roof). If you don’t have a covered run, you may need to spend some time training them to roost in the coop overnight. If you’re trying to confine them to a backyard, we would recommend a tall fence and even consider clipping their wing(flight) feathers. However, be aware that if you do clip their wings, they will have a much more challenging time escaping from predators.
Hamburghs are great layers and much like Leghorns, they lay surprisingly large white eggs from a relatively small hen. Maturing between 16-20 weeks and producing approximately 200 to 220+ eggs each year, the Hamburgh was once the golden standard of egg production in Northern Europe – In England and the Netherlands they were often called the “Dutch every-day layer”, or “Everlasting Layers”. Although there are breeds that will produce a greater number of eggs in a year, there are few breeds which can hold a candle the Hamburgh in terms of their tendency to continue laying for several years. Hamburghs are not typically good brooders, so you would need an incubator or a broody hen to hatch out eggs.
As one of the only breeds in the world with the Silver Spangled plumage colouring, the Hamburgh is sure to be a delight for those able to keep such a special and rare breed.
The Livingseeds Hatchery is proud to breed the Silver Spangled Hamburgh and look forward to making them available to the public. (Not yet released)