The Marsh Daisy is a rare breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of chicken

Chicken

The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

 originating in Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Its name may be related to its origin in a marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

-like area, or that its large rose comb

Comb (anatomy)

Anatomically, a comb is a fleshy growth, caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens...

 resembles the flower of the Marsh Daisy (Armeria maritima).

The Marsh Daisy is a hardy, economical barnyard chicken, but is slow to mature. It is a light weight breed of standard fowl, with males at a maximum of 2.95 kilos (6.5 pounds) and females 2.5 kilos (5.5 pounds). A good forager, it prefers being kept free range

Free range

thumb|250px|Free-range chickens being fed outdoors.Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and...

. Though generally calm, it is active and can fly. Hens are layers of a fair number of tinted eggs. Distinguishing characteristics are the 'Rose comb', 'white earlobes' and 'willow green legs'. Known for being flighty, and slow to mature, the hardiness of the breed is the primary feature that allows them to develop, and breeders take pleasure in raising such a rare breed.

There are currently no Bantam variations on the Marsh Daisy.

History

Beginning in the 1880's in Southport, Lancashire, Old English Game

Old English Game

The Old English Game Fowl is a breed of chicken. Pure English Game Fowls are prized among Poultry breeders and thus fetch a high sale price. One of the types called standard Old Englishes are larger than the bantams and were originally bred for cockfighting...

, roosters were crossed with Malay

Malay (chicken)

The Malay is a breed of chicken originating in Asia, most likely in northern Pakistan . These birds are cousins of Asil. It is unknown why they were called Malay, but perhaps because of a mistake by the former East India Company, when they introduced that exotic new breed around 1570. In Asia, the...

 hens to create the foundation for the breed. Black Hamburgs

Hamburg (chicken)

The Hamburg or Hamburgh in Britain, is a type of chicken developed in Germany and Holland prior to 1700. It is comparatively rare, with less than 1000 registered in North America each year.-Appearance and behavior:...

, White Leghorns, and Sicilian Buttercups were also added to cement its characteristics. The Marsh Daisy would become a proper, defined breed in England as of 1913.

The Marsh Daisy has never had any populations of consequence abroad, and has never been recognized for showing

Livestock show

A livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standard. Species of livestock that may be shown include pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, llamas and alpacas. Poultry such as chickens, geese, ducks,...

 by organizations such as the American Poultry Association

American Poultry Association

The American Poultry Association is the oldest poultry organization in the North America. Founded in 1873, and incorporated in Indiana in 1932 The first American poultry show was held in 1849, and the APA was later formed in response to the burgeoning need for an overseeing body to set standards...

. Extremely rare even in its homeland, it is listed as an endangered breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust

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 United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources...

 of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It was once found in Black, Brown, Buff, Wheaten and White color varieties, the Wheaten and Brown are the most common, the Buff and White have been reintroduced by dedicated breeders. It has no bantam

Bantam (chicken)

A bantam is a small variety of poultry, especially chickens. Etymologically, the name bantam is derived from the city of Bantam - currently known as "Banten Province" or previously "Banten Residency" - once a major seaport, in Indonesia...

version.

External links

• http://www.marshdaisy.com including photos and breed standard
• Marsh Daisy at feathersite, including photos