The Wyandotte chicken is popular among poultry breeders and backyard chicken keepers.
These dual-purpose chickens have excellent meat and egg production and come in various beautiful plumage colors.
If you have Wyandotte chicks, you may be wondering when you will be able to get meat and eggs from them.
At what age do Wyandotte chickens reach maturity?
Wyandotte chickens reach their mature size when they are around 20 weeks old. At this age, the hens will begin egg production, and the roosters will be at an acceptable weight for butchering. Wyandottes are a heritage breed, so they take longer to grow but tend to be healthier and easier to raise.
Heritage chickens tend to have less breast meat and longer legs, but they are more flavorful because they take longer to mature.
The eggs from heritage breeds like the Wyandotte have dark orange yolks, which are larger and richer in flavor than the average chicken.
Keep reading to learn more about the growth rate of Wyandotte chickens and how large they get.
Are Wyandottes Slow Growers?
As a heritage breed, Wyandottes taking longer to reach a good weight for laying eggs or being butchered for meat.
A broiler chicken will reach a weight of 4-5 pounds in as little as five weeks.
Typical broiler or fryer chickens are slaughtered at 7-9 weeks.
Whereas Wyandottes do not reach their processing weight until they are 20 weeks old.
This is also the age when Wyandotte hens will begin laying eggs.
Since it takes so long for Wyandottes to reach their market weight, the meat has more time to develop a richer flavor than other breeds of chickens.
Other factors, such as the hatching time, diet, and weather conditions, will also affect a chicken’s growth rate.
The following table shows the growth rate for a Wyandotte hen until it is 40 weeks old.
Rate of Growth Chart for Wyandotte Chickens
| Age in Weeks | Pounds Gained Per Week |
|---|---|
| 0-4 | 0.35 |
| 5-8 | 0.75 |
| 9-12 | 0.96 |
| 13-16 | 0.84 |
| 17-20 | 0.51 |
| 21-24 | 0.59 |
| 25-28 | 0.66 |
| 29-32 | 0.36 |
| 33-36 | 0.17 |
| 37-40 | -0.28 |
The table shows that the Wyandotte hens had the most gains between 9-16 weeks before tapering down at the 18-20 week mark.
Once the Wyandottes are 33-40 weeks old, they will gain or lose minimal amounts of weight.
How Big Do Wyandotte Chickens Get?
Wyandottes are classified as medium breed chickens.
Roosters weigh an average of 8-9 pounds, and hens weigh between 5.5-6 pounds.
Bantam varieties of Wyandottes are much smaller.
Hens average 24-26 ounces, and roosters weigh 26-30 ounces.
The body of a Wyandotte chicken is wide, and its broad back forms a “U’ shape, ending with perky tail feathers.
A Wyandotte’s head is generally small and has a rose comb.
The bird is not a pure breed if the Wyandotte has a single comb.
These birds have a bright-red comb, wattles, earlobes, and yellow skin.
The plumage on a Wyandotte is usually loose and fluffy, and the legs are short and sturdy.
Chicks will be fully molted into their adult plumage once they are 6-7 months old.
The table below shows the average weight of a Wyandotte hen from hatching until 40 weeks of age.
Chicken Growth Chart for a Wyandotte Hen
| Age | Weight |
|---|---|
| 0 weeks | 0.092 pounds |
| 4 weeks | 0.44 pounds |
| 8 weeks | 1.14 pounds |
| 12 weeks | 2.10 pounds |
| 16 weeks | 2.94 pounds |
| 20 weeks | 3.45 pounds |
| 24 weeks | 4.03 pounds |
| 28 weeks | 4.69 pounds |
| 32 weeks | 5.06 pounds |
| 36 weeks | 5.22 pounds |
| 40 weeks | 5.0 pounds |
What Is the Average Lifespan of a Wyandotte Chicken?
A Wyandotte chicken has an average lifespan of six years, but it may live up to 12 years with proper care.
Wyandottes are an American heritage breed, and they were first created in the 1860s.
The Wyandotte has evolved into a bird with good resistance to common chicken diseases and no known inherited health issues.
These birds also have docile temperaments but are sometimes aggressive toward other chickens.
Keep your Wyandottes separate from other aggressive breeds.
This reduces their risk of being severely injured in a fight.
Wyandottes are winter-hardy birds because of their large body size and dense feathers, but they do not fare well in hot temperatures.
Wyandotte chickens exposed to extreme summer temps may die from heat-related illness.
Since heritage breeds like the Wyandotte take longer to grow to maturity, they tend to live longer than standard chicken breeds.
With advances in the nutritional value of chicken feeds, our chickens’ food today contains more vitamins and minerals.
Current poultry feeds improve chicken health and help to contribute to a longer lifespan.
Increase your Wyandottes’ lifespan by providing them a secure chicken coop to protect them from predators.
Commonly Asked Questions
How many years do Wyandottes lay for?
Wyandotte hens begin egg laying at around 20 weeks of age.
You will get reliable egg production from a Wyandotte hen from when she is nine months old until she is three years old.
After three years, your Wyandotte hen may still produce an occasional egg, but she is more likely to stop laying.
These birds are adequate egg layers, and during peak egg production, a Wyandotte hen will lay between 200 and 250 large brown eggs per year.
Wyandotte chickens are a cold-hardy breed.
The hen will usually keep laying lots of eggs during cold winter conditions when other breeds have a decreased egg production.
How long do Wyandotte eggs take to hatch?
With ideal temperatures and humidity levels, Wyandotte baby chicks will hatch around 21 days after the eggs are laid.
Wyandotte hens are typically very broody and reliably sit on their eggs.
The tendency toward broodiness may not be good news if you want eggs and not chicks.
Of course, this broodiness depends on the individual chicken.
Related Post: Do Wyandotte Chickens Go Broody?
And occasionally Wyandottes want nothing to do with their eggs.
These beautiful birds are also excellent mothers and will take great care of their baby chicks.
Do Wyandottes get along with other chickens?
In general, Wyandottes have a docile, friendly temperament, but this does not mean they will get along with other breeds of chicken.
Wyandottes tend to be more dominant than other breeds, and they will place themselves high in the pecking order.
These docile chickens may not be aggressive toward other chicken breeds, but they are not likely to socialize or be friendly with them.
Keeping Wyandottes in a mixed flock is generally not advised to avoid behavior issues.
Read next: Are Wyandotte chickens loud?
