Breeds of Chickens - m

Malay chickens can stand over three feet tall. Bred originally for cockfighting, owners today keep them primarily for exhibition. They lay one egg a week. At best an older hen may lay fifty eggs a year. Malays have a lean, tough carcass that usually requires special cooking preparation. Although a rangy, aggressive fowl, they lack hardiness. Malays do poorly in confinement. Breeders have used them quite effectively for regenerating and impr ...

Malaysian Serama Bantams are the smallest breed of chicken in the world, weighing less than 500g. They are only 15-25 cm tall (a standard can of soda is 11.5 cm tall) and are the result of crossing Japanese bantams with Malaysian bantams.

They originated in Malaysia and the birds we see today were developed from crosses of Ayam Kapans and Japanese Bantams in the 1970's and 80's by Wee Yean Een. They are supposedly named after the ...

Marans lay three eggs a week. Marans are prized for dark brown or chocolate colored eggs. Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond novels helped popularize the eggs and the breed by making their eggs the favorite of 007. Raised in a damp region of France, Marans tolerate wet conditions well. However, they run the risk of frostbite as do all breeds with large comb or wattles. The poultry world often overlooks the meat producing capabilitie ...

Marsh Daisys are a rare breed of chicken originating in Lancashire, England. Their name may be related to its origin in a marsh-like area, or that its large rose comb resembles the flower of the Marsh Daisy.

Beginning in the 1880s in Southport, Lancashire, Old English Game, roosters were crossed with Malay hens to create the foundation for the breed. Black Hamburgs, White Leghorns, and Sicilian Buttercups were also added to compl ...

Mericanel della Brianza Chickens are a Bantam breed which originally came from Lombardia, Italy. They are the only Bantam breed officially recognized in Italy. They are good brooding hens and are able to brood eggs of games or from other breeds.

Millefiori di Lonigo chickens were shown for the first time in 1934 at the Sixteenth Padua Trade Fair by the Itinerant Lonigo Centre for Agricultural Research.

Some Millefiori di Lonigo chickens have been found in a traditional farm in South-Veneto, Italy, and they have been studied for two years in order to understand their real nature. Afterwards, the ri-selection of an ancient breed started: the Millefiori di Lonigo.

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The Millefiori Piemontese is currently extinct, however, according to local experts, it seems to have still existed in the beginning of the 1990’s although genetically altered by out-crossing. According to the available description, it seems to have been quite similar to the Ancona breed (exchequer), heavily built and with red earlobes but still quite similar to the typical homosomic Mediterranean chickens.

The possibility of surviv ...

Minorca Chickens were developed to be an egg laying bird. While their egg-laying has slowed since there original conception, they're still exceptional layers. While not specifically bred to be dinner birds, you can still get a decent meal out of them. There is also a small version of the Minorcas that tends to be more popular within the show circuit.

Minorcas are known to be flighty birds that don't generally make great pets. In addi ...

The Modenese has been described as a local breed by some authors. According to some others, the Modenese should be the result of crossbreeding among Padovana Comune (Improved Magiarola), White Livorno, and Black Red Livorno.

Because of the predominant black red variety wheaten, it was called Buff of Modena. The Modenese chicken appears in some paintings by Gaetano Chierici, an artist from Emilia-Romagna. A breeding of Modenese ha ...

Modern Games are a bantam breed prized almost entirely for their abilities as show chickens. They are very easy to tame and make for a simple but elegant breed, popular with most fanciers. They aren't very well-suited for laying eggs though. They are also not the best meat birds as they are so small to begin with and skinny.

  Modern Games are known to be extremely aggressive, so extra care should be taken when interacting w ...

Mugellese, also known as Mugginese, are a rustic dual-purpose bantam from Tuscany, in central Italy. They get their name from the Mugello, an area to the north-east of Florence. They were common until the 1950’s, but became rare in the second half of the 20th century. They are now in a phase of recovery, selection, and improvement.  

Mugellese hens are broody. The capons are used to raise the chicks immediately after the birth ...