I bought my first Lincolnshire Buffs in November 1997 and hatched my first chicks in March 1998. The old hen in the photo on the left hatched from that first sitting of eggs and was one of my favourite ever hens. She won best Lincolnshire Buff Hen at the National Poultry Show in her second year.

Lincolnshire buffs were developed in the 1850’s mainly to supply the London market with meat, although they were noted to be good layers of winter eggs, quite a rarity in those days. Similar birds were also known to be reared around the southern homesteads, but the Lincolnshire variety was the best known around that time. The breed was lost in the 1920’s due to the promotion of the Buff Orpington, but that breed gradually lost it’s productive qualities and became the rounded fluffy show variety it is today. In the 1980’s the Lincolnshire variety was re-introduced after a breeding program at Riseholme College, near Lincoln, and a club was formed in the 1990’s with a mission to bring back its productive qualities so it could be used as a general purpose smallholder’s fowl.

Hatching eggs are now for sale at £2 each.