Marsh Daisy

Marsh Daisy History

Marsh Daisy chickens were developed in Lancashire from a number of breeds such as Hamburg, Leghorn, Malay, Old English Game and Sicillian Buttercups. They thrived on marsh lands which is why it ended up with the name. It is very rare and the colours are now not as exact as they were in the breed’s heyday. It fell out of favour at one stage but a pocket of dedicated followers have revived its fate.

Breed Description

This breed is a small to medium-sized but slender bird which is most often seen in the Wheaten colour. There is also a brown, white and black version but they are even rarer and many think they are now extinct. The wheaten is a soft cream colour on the breast with a slightly darker brown wings and back. The legs are willow green and the earlobes are white. A Marsh Daisy has a rosecomb. It is considered a fault if the Marsh Daisy has any ginger colouring, but with so few examples it is tricky to get a bird that conforms to the standard required by the Poultry Club of Great Britain.

The Marsh Daisy hens we have are bred by a dedicated breeder who supplies his surplus hens to us for re-homing. They have not quite made the grade of the breed standard as he strives to improve the quality of his lines. Nevertheless they are still good examples.

Marsh Daisy Temperament

They are a very active bird which makes them undesirable to some people. They can fly well so are likely to need wing clipping to keep them out of harm’s way. If they are well handled when young they can be positively velcro-like and totally trusting. They are non-aggressive. Marsh Daisy cockerels can be very over amorous to the hens if you keep more than one boy at a time.

Breed Size

The Marsh Daisy is classified as large fowl – light.

Eggs

A small tinted egg is produced by the Marsh Daisy. They are really good layers despite the small size of the egg