The California gray hen is an American breed developed by James Dryden in the 1930s. The name comes from the state of California, United States. It is a dual purpose breed of chicken that is suitable for meat production as well as laying large white eggs.
The California Gray chicken breed was developed by crossing white Leghorns with Plymouth Rock chickens. The Plymouth Striped Chicken is a very popular, heavy duty dual purpose breed with alternating black and white stripes.
On the other hand, White Leghorn hens are white in color, small in size and excellent white laying hens. A naturally autosexual breed with gray-barred plumage was created by crossing a white Leghorn hen with a Plymouth rooster.
And California Gray chicks are not as big as Plymouth chicks, but heavier than White Leghorn chicks. California Gray chicken has never been included in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence. And that’s a rare breed in the 21st century.
Characteristics of California Gray Chicken
California Gray chickens are much lighter than Barred Rocks and much heavier than White Leghorns. The chicks are mostly black with a white patch on the top of the head.
And the chest, abdomen and wingtips are white. Young pullets (females) are darker in color than young males.
Thus, the sex of the chicks is easy to determine by color. The feathers of adult birds are gridded, black and white, while hens are darker than roosters.
They are similar in color to Lattice Rock, but their physique is more reminiscent of Leghorn Chickens.
The drumsticks and toes of a California Gray chicken are yellow. They have a red comb. They have small white earlobes and red earrings.
On average, California gray roosters weigh about 2.5 kg, and hens – about 2 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Behaviour/Temperament
The California Gray hen is considered a commercial hybrid that can outperform the White Leghorn in egg production and longevity. They are very frost-resistant and winter well.
They are quieter and less eccentric than Leghorns. It is a friendly chicken breed that is very easy to handle.
They are suitable for both course and guard conditions. California Gray chicken is often available from commercial hatcheries.
And they breed this breed for its brood, obedience, hardiness, and reliable meat and egg production. They eat less and have a good egg to food ratio. See the complete California Gray chicken breed profile below.
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| Breed name | california gray |
| another name | everything |
| Purpose of the breed | dual purpose |
| Broad temperament | Hardy, friendly, tolerates lock well, less capricious |
| Breed size | big |
| sullen instinct | Rarely |
| comb | A |
| climatic tolerance | All climates / Very cold endurance |
| egg color | White |
| Egg size | big |
| Egg performance | high |
| feathered feet | Not |
| scarcity | Ordinary parts |
| Varieties | Not |
