Chickens With Afros: 13 Crested Chicken Breeds

Get ready to discover the fascinating world of chickens with afros! These remarkable chickens sport unique crests that resemble fluffy hairstyles, adding a touch of fun and charm to any chicken flock.

This article will take a look at 13 distinct varieties of beautiful crested chickens, highlighting their unique appearances, captivating colors, and charming personalities.

Whether you’re a poultry enthusiast, a backyard chicken keeper, or simply curious about these charming birds, read on and discover what makes each breed special.

13 Chickens With Afros

1. Polverara

The Polverara is an Italian breed that exhibits an elegant black or white crest reminiscent of an afro. This makes these chickens part of those fowls with crazy or funny hair.

Polveraras are dual-purpose chickens, traditionally kept for both meat and eggs. They lay a reasonable number of medium-sized white eggs and are known for their fine, flavorful meat.

These chickens come in various colors, complementing their feathered head and white earlobes, including white, black, and black-tailed white.

Moreover, they are active, hardy birds that adapt well to different environments. In addition to their distinctive appearance, their calm nature and ease of care make them a popular choice for backyard flocks.

However, their flashy crests sometimes block their vision, so providing them with a secure, predator-proof coop is essential.

With a balance of productivity and personality, the Polverara offers an intriguing blend of practicality and charm for those interested in chicken breeds with afros.

2. Silkie Chicken

The Silkie breed is a crested chicken that stands out thanks to its lovely afro-like crest, black skin, and thick feathers.

Their fluffy plumage can be seen in a wide range of colors, including black, white, blue, lavender, and buff.

In addition to being admired for their fluffy plumage, these adorable chickens are also loved for their friendly and gentle temperament.

Although Silkies are not widely known for their productivity, they are prized for their beautiful looks and make excellent pets and show birds.

Their gentle nature and friendly demeanor make them a popular choice among chicken enthusiasts of all ages.

Furthermore, Silkies are excellent brooders, displaying strong maternal instincts and often hatching and caring for eggs from other breeds.

Whether you’re looking for a delightful addition to your flock or a fantastic brooding hen, Silkies add beauty, companionship, and a touch of charm to any poultry setting.

3. Cream Legbar

A remarkable crested breed, the Cream Legbar chicken captivates with its exotic good looks and distinctive afro-like crest.

They have a medium-sized body with a sleek and elegant build. Their feathers are often a light cream color with contrasting patterns of barring or mottling.

They are considered an autosexing breed, which means that day-old chicks can be easily identified as male or female based on their distinctive color patterns.

The productivity of Cream Legbars is highly regarded, especially in terms of egg production. They produce a huge number of beautiful, colorful eggs in shades of blue and green.

Known for their active, inquisitive nature, Cream Legbars are excellent foragers and do well in free-range environments.

They are generally friendly, but hens can be a bit flighty. Despite their playful nature, they still manage to be relatively docile and handle confinement well.

4. Polish Chicken

The Polish chicken is a beautiful bird known for its tall, lean body and impressive afro-like crest.

These birds have large, distinctive crests that sit on top of their heads, giving them a majestic look, especially their frizzle chicken variant.

Polish chickens come in a rainbow of colors, including black, white, buff, silver, and gold. Their crests often match or contrast with the color of their plumage, creating a visually striking combination.

Their crests, combined with their diverse feather colors, add an element of beauty and elegance to any flock or poultry exhibition.

While Polish chickens are primarily kept for their ornamental value, they also make delightful additions to backyard flocks.

Although their egg production is lower than that of other chicken breeds, these birds make up for it with their endearing personalities.

These chickens are generally friendly and pleasant. However, some may be more timid than others, requiring gentle handling and socialization.

You can watch the following video to learn more about the breed:

5. Sultan Chicken

The Sultan chicken is a breed from Turkey known for its ornamental value. It is often considered a living work of art. Their large crests, which resemble a fluffy turban, are the most striking feature of their appearance.

These crests are often accompanied by thick, fluffy feathers that extend down their necks and bodies.

In addition to their striking crests, Sultan chickens have unique feathering patterns and colors. They typically exhibit primarily white plumage, sometimes accented with splashes of blue or black feathers.

Moreover, aside from their compact bodies, they are also known as one of the chickens that sport feathered legs that add to their overall charm and elegance.

Although Sultans are not known for being particularly productive, their sweet and gentle demeanor makes them great pets.

They are well-behaved, social, and outgoing, making them perfect for families and backyard poultry enthusiasts. They also adapt well to confinement and can thrive in smaller spaces.

6. Houdan Chicken

The Houdan Chicken, also known as the Normandy Fowl, is a beautiful crested breed that was developed in France and is highly regarded for its eye-catching appearance and its valuable traits in farming.

Their characteristic muffed, bearded appearance, unique leaf-shaped comb, and unusual feet with five toes set them apart from other chicken breeds. 

Their plumage is usually black-mottled in color, but they also come in white and lavender.

They are now mostly kept for exhibition, although they still provide high-quality meat and a substantial annual yield of large white eggs, making them attractive to small-scale farmers.

Known for their sweet and friendly nature, these chickens make great pets and adapt well to coop living.

7. Burmese Chicken

The Burmese chicken, also known as the Burmese Bantam, is another chicken with an afro-like head.

This small breed, primarily seen with white feathers but occasionally in black, is a result of selective breeding involving white Booted Bantams, which contributes to their unique appearance.

Burmese chickens aren’t just about looks; they’re valued for their productivity as well. They are known for their excellent egg-laying capabilities.

As bantam chickens, they lay a significant number of small white eggs, and their compact size makes them suitable for urban settings or small yards.

In addition to their productivity, Burmese chickens are recognized for their resilience and adaptability. They can thrive in various climates, including hot and humid environments.

These chickens have been selectively bred for traits that make them resilient and hardy, enabling them to thrive in the harsh conditions of their native habitat.

8. Padovana Chicken

The Padovana chicken is a rare ornamental breed that was developed in Italy.

Known for their large crest, similar to a feathery afro, Padovana chickens are visually striking and come in a variety of colors, such as white, black, and cuckoo. But it isn’t just their appearance that’s fascinating.

Padovana chickens, while not the most productive layers, do produce a moderate amount of medium to large white eggs. As a dual-purpose breed, they are also prized for their meat qualities.

In terms of behavior, Padovanas are known for their active and foraging nature, requiring ample space to roam. Moreover, they are extremely friendly and usually calm.

9. Brabanter Chicken

The Brabanter chicken is a sight to behold with its gorgeous crests and beards. They have medium-sized bodies with broad breasts and strong, sturdy legs.

They come in two recognized varieties: Golden and Silver. The Golden variety features beautiful golden-bay plumage, while the Silver variety has striking silver-white feathers with black lacing.

Beyond their striking appearance, Brabanter chickens are also known for their calm and docile temperament.

Originating in the Brabant region across Belgium and the Netherlands, these birds are an old breed with a reputation for toughness.

They are skilled at foraging and thrive well even in confined environments, showing great versatility. Their small combs and wattles make them more resistant to frostbite, allowing them to thrive in colder climates.

10. Sanjak Longcrower

The Sanjak Longcrower is a unique breed of chicken that originated in the Sanjak region of the former Yugoslavia. Although not unheard of in the United States, they are nonetheless extremely rare outside of their native region.

Apart from the afro-like crest on top of their head, their extraordinary crow sets them apart from other chicken breeds. They possess one of the longest crows among all chickens, lasting an astonishing 15 to 30 seconds.

In terms of appearance, they are typically medium-sized, with a full and round body. Their plumage varies, with black, white, and cuckoo being the most common colors. White spotting also often occurs as chickens age.

Sanjak Longcrowers are generally kept as ornamental birds due to their crowing ability rather than for their productivity.

These chickens are full of life and energy and thrive in free-ranging environments where they can exhibit their natural behavior.

11. Crevecoeur Chicken

The Crevecoeur Chicken, originally from France, is another fascinating addition to the group of chickens with afros, also known as crested chickens.

Crevecoeur Chickens are easily recognizable by their distinctive crest, comb, and solid black plumage, just like all the other black-colored chickens in this article.

They are a versatile breed that serves multiple purposes thanks to their high-quality meat and excellent egg-laying capabilities, producing around 200 eggs per year.

When it comes to temperament, Crevecoeur Chickens are known for being calm and friendly. Despite their laid-back nature, they enjoy exploring and are skilled foragers.

However, their large crest can make it hard for them to see, so they need to be kept in a secure environment.

12. Pavlovskaya Chicken

The Pavlovskaya Chicken, hailing from Russia, is one of the oldest crested chicken breeds.

This breed was nearly extinct in the 19th century but has been preserved through careful breeding and is now considered extremely rare.

They stand out thanks to their distinctive features, including a fluffy crest that stands atop their heads, feathered feet, and an array of colors that enhance their beautiful appearance.

Moreover, they’re characterized by their hardiness and ability to adapt to various climates, making them a good choice for those who want to raise chickens for the first time.

Pavlovskaya Chickens are sociable and easygoing, and these crested hens make excellent mothers.

They produce an average of 70 to 90 medium-sized eggs per year, and those eggs can range in color from white to cream to beige.

Their scarcity makes them unsuitable for commercial meat production, yet their unique appearance and rarity only add to their appeal.

13. Appenzeller Spitzhauben

The Appenzeller Spitzhauben is an energetic and charming breed of chicken that originated in the Appenzell region of Switzerland.

This breed is easily distinguished thanks to its slender build, V-shaped comb, and unique crest of feathers.

These chickens are lightweight, with hens and roosters averaging around 1 to 1.5 kilograms. They are most well-known for their silvery plumage, but black, gold, and chamois-spangled varieties also occur.

Moreover, they enjoy roaming freely and can easily adjust to various climates, withstanding both heat and cold.

Despite their somewhat flighty temperament, they can also be friendly and happy chickens with proper socialization. They can live from 5 to 8 years with proper care, sometimes even longer.

Now, which of these fabulous fowls is your favorite? Share your experiences and thoughts about chickens with afros in the comments below. Feel free to also ask your questions about any of these uniquely crested chickens!