This breed is intriguing in that the females are, in our humble opinion, far prettier than the males in body coloration, with their golden butter color covered generously with delicate black spangling. The combs of both sexes are a poultry wonder - in a good specimen, the comb should be upright, fully closed in an oval shape with the points completely circling. These types are not easy to find to work with, as most specimens we come across have open combs that end up laying flat against either side of the head - this is a serious fault in the breed and should not be used to perpetuate the Buttercup. These birds should also have willow legs, not yellow and not gray. We are working with several unrelated breeding groups, hatching hundreds of chicks per season to cull from, to produce the best quality bird possible. These are the large fowl version, with males weighing around 5 pounds and hens weighing around 4 pounds. The hens are reliable layers of mid-sized white eggs, generally not taking long breaks from laying during the year but rather short intermittent hiatus'.
What We Breed For in the Sicilian Buttercup
First and foremost we breed for the correct comb shape. Second and equal to that is proper leg color. Proper spangling on the female feathering is also a priority. We cull bad combs, bad attitudes, incorrect leg color, and poor layers.
