The Potch Koekoek chicken

The Potch Koekoek chicken is a South African must-have chicken for any sustainable farming operation or backyard.

The Potchefstroom Koekoek remains the South African favourite for over 70+ years.

The Potchefstroom Koekoek is a local hybrid chicken breed. The Potchefstroom Koekook was bred in the early 1950s at the Potchefstroom Agricultural College in South Africa. The Koekoek chicken is a genetic hybrid cross dual purpose bird. The Black Australorp and White Leghorn were bred to make this wonderful breed along with some Barred Plymouth Rock from the USA. The potch koekoek was bred by Chris Marais. The name Koekoek refers to the barred colour pattern of the birds.

The koekoek breed was intended as a dual-purpose, free-ranging chicken with early laying capabilities as well as a large physical structure for meat production. The koekoek starts laying within 130 days – 18.6 weeks(koekoek sexual maturity). This is one of the fastest sexually mature chickens. Pure Koekoeks have a black-and-white barred appearance. Potchefstroom Koekoeks maintain good egg production even with poor quality or insufficient feeding. Potch koekooks can be bred with White Leghorn chickens to improve egg production and with Black Australorp to improve the stature of their offspring.

The breed is popular amongst South African farmers and farmers in Southern Africa. The potch koekoek is renowned for consistent egg production, meat production, as well as its ability to hatch its own offspring. The koekoek is a great brooder. Put away the incubator and purchase some Koekoek chickens.

If you are living off-grid or are considering going off the grid then you definitely want to farm with the potch koekoek.

The simple facts and benefits:

• The potch koekoek chickens hatch their own eggs
• The potch koekoek chicken reaches sexual maturity and starts to lay eggs after 130 days – 18.57 weeks – 4.5 months
• The potch koekoek is a free ranging chicken and they are great foragers – they can feed themselves if you set them free on open pasture or into a forest
• The potch koekoek is a great meat bird – males weight 3kg on average and females weigh 2kg on average
• The potch koekoek is a great egg layer +-200 eggs per year or 2 eggs every 3 days

Potchefstroom Koekoek characteristics

• Free-ranging, dual-purpose breed adaptable to smallholder or homestead production
• Lays brown shelled eggs (+-200 eggs/bird/year) have an average weight of 55.7g
• Has sex-specific feather colour and pattern. males are lighter in colour and their combs grow swiftly
• Reaches early sexual maturity (130 days)
• Reaches an average mass of 3-4kg for males and 2.1kg for females.
• Hens get broody well, are good sitters and the eggs have a hatchability rate of 78%.