Sagitta Chicken: Complete Breed Guide

Excellent egg layers, and a quality meat bird, that’s what the Sagitta chicken is all about. On top of that, they have great personalities and are a very docile breed, making them a fantastic addition to any backyard.

Let’s address all there is to know about this unknown breed. And we’ll start with a few key takeaways:

• Sagitta hens up to 200 eggs per year
• Hybrid breed, mix of Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, and Cornish Cross
• Docile and family-friendly chickens
• Dual purpose breed

Characteristics

The Sagitta chicken is a cross of three chicken breeds: Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, and Cornish Cross.

Both Rhode Island Red and New Hamshire are large breeds of very good egg layers, and the Cornish Cross is a well-known meat bird. Combining these three breeds, you’ll produce a large, egg-laying machine, suitable as a table bird.

As the Sagitta is a cross-breed, it’s hard to tell what they’ll look like, but you can be sure you’ll have a hardy and multi-talented chicken on your hands. Most Sagitta chickens look like Aquila chickens; they’re closely related.

They’re pretty broad chickens, as they are a dual-purpose breed, but not extremely heavy. Roosters weigh around 6.5 pounds (3 kg), and hens will be 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).

Adult Sagitta chickens are red in color, looking very much like the Rhode Island Red and the New Hampshire Red. Some have white or black feathering between their red plumage.

Egg production

Sagitta chickens are very good egg layers, laying up to 200 eggs yearly, up to four per week. All eggs are large to extra large in size and light brown. The breed is not known to go broody often, but it can happen occasionally.

They were bred to produce many eggs, and broodiness temporarily stops egg production. If you’re planning on hatching eggs, this is something to keep in mind.

The breed is very hardy, so they’ll probably keep on laying during winter; however, egg production may slow down when days shorten and get colder. So, keeping Sagitta hens will ensure a year-round egg supply, except during molting.

A Sagitta chicken matures quickly; they’ll start laying at 18-20 weeks. You’ll notice hens squatting before you as they’re almost ready to start laying.

Meat production

Sagitta chickens are excellent meat birds, but the fact they are a dual-purpose breed makes them wanted. They’re great chickens for self-sufficient families and small farms, as they’re great birds to keep when planning on living a sustainable life.

They mature fast, and roosters are ready to harvest after 12 to 13 weeks. That’s longer than other broiler breeds, like the Cornish Cross, but shorter than most egg-laying chickens. After 13 weeks, they’ll weigh around 5 pounds, making them suitable as table birds to feed a family of four.

If you’re looking to keep Sagitta chickens for meat, make sure to choose suitable feed, as meat chickens need a diet higher in protein. Provide them with quality feed to ensure they get all the necessary nutrients to start strong and grow strong.

Personality

The Sagitta chicken was bred by using the Rhode Island Red and New Hamshire. These breeds are both friendly but assertive, and the roosters can be feisty.

But Sagitta chickens are known to be calm and friendly birds, making them excellent family-friendly backyard pets. They’ll get along with most other breeds in the flock but are likelier to be on top of the pecking order.

They’re an extremely hardy breed that can be kept in most environments and withstand heat and cold temperatures. But remember that all chickens need extra care during extreme weather conditions like heat waves.

They don’t need much extra care besides water, food, and shelter. Sagitta chickens also have excellent feed efficiency. They don’t require much food but still bring plenty of eggs and meat to the table.

Sagitta chickens are fine kept in confinement, but they’ll need plenty of space to roam around and scratch their feet in the dirt. If you want to ensure how much space to provide, check out our ‘Coop Size and Run Calculator‘.

The Sagitta Breed

Sagitta chickens are hybrid birds, meaning they were bred to create an outstanding chicken, combining multiple talents from various chicken breeds. They’re not a real breed recognized by the American Poultry Association, which means there are no listed general breed characteristics.

Henry Saglio, an American chicken breeder known as the ‘father of poultry’ that also produced the Aquilo chicken, developed the breed.

Saglio created many broiler chicken breeds in the second half of the 20th century and stayed active in the poultry world until he died in 2003. He was the first chicken breeder to create commercially interesting meat chickens, making chicken meat available for the large public.

Saglio is best known for stopping using antibiotics in chickens and founded a breeding company for antibiotic-free chickens.

At this moment, Sagitta chickens aren’t the most famous breed, but their hardiness, egg-laying skills, and quality meat make them an excellent addition to your backyard flock.

Summary

The Sagitta chicken is an excellent dual-purpose breed for those planning to keep chickens for meat and eggs. Sagitta hens lay up to 200 brown eggs annually, all large to extra large in size. Roosters are ready for harvesting after 12 – 13 weeks and can feed a family of four.

They’re a mix of Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire and Cornish Cross, to create a red-colored backyard chicken that’s low in maintenance and family-friendly.

If you want to learn more about chicken breeds, please visit our ‘Breed‘ page.

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