An ultra-exotic and beautiful bird uniquely adapted to the cold.

Of all the hundreds of chicken breeds in the world, the Hedemora represent what may be the most radical adaptation of the species to a specialized (and punishing) environment. Remember that modern chickens were bred from wild jungle fowl about 8,000 years ago. Jungle fowl are endemic to the tropical jungles of India, a very hot and humid environment. By contrast, Hedemora is a small town in northern Sweden that by latitude lies north of Anchorage, Alaska. As you might imagine, Hedemora is a cold, dry environment, both figuratively and literally the polar opposite of the jungles from which chickens emerged. But, along with 7,000 hardy souls, in defiance of the odds, there in Hedemora you will find a remarkable race of chickens.

Several hundred years ago chickens were introduced to Hedemora, and since that time the birds have adapted in remarkable ways to their frigid environment. Their bodies are relatively small (although not bantam size) to retain heat, their skin is often black to maximize solar gain, their combs and wattles are small to avoid frostbite, and most remarkably their feathers have evolved to have a fur-like texture that better insulates their bodies against the cruel winter winds. This group of chickens that emerged from Hedemora eventually became sufficiently uniform to qualify as a landrace and eventually were named after their city of origin.

Greenfire Farms is the first and only importer of the Hedemora chicken, and when we imported them we were immediately struck by the strange beauty of this rare breed. Their feathers had colors we had never seen; blends of salmon pinks and soft lavenders were common. The birds were docile but active and laid a cream-colored egg. We fell in love with the Hedemora and are confident you will as well.