Cinnamon Queen Chicken (Everything You Need To Know)
The Cinnamon Queen chicken will lay a TON of large brown eggs annually — up to 300! But this is not actually a breed technically speaking. Rather it is a hybrid mix of breeds and a marketing term applied by hatcheries to their red sex-link chickens. However, that doesn’t mean the Cinnamon Queen is not a fantastic choice for your flock as her egg production is exceptionally high and amongst the best of all the layer breeds.
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Cinnamon Queen Quick Facts
- Primary use: Dual-Purpose (Meat & Egg-laying although rarely utilized or recommended for meat)
- Size (Roosters): 8 lbs
- Size (Hens): 6.5 lbs
- Egg production (Annual): 300
- Egg size: Large to Jumbo
- Egg colour: Brown
- Origin: USA
Top Reasons To Choose The Cinnamon Queen For Your Flock
- Medium-large sized, hardy, stocky bird
- Autosexing at hatching, meaning you won’t get a bunch of roosters in your order!
- Excellent egg producers, up to 300 large brown annually
- Dual-purpose; they can be utilized for their meat (although this is not their best use)
- Resilient birds
- Friendly and docile
- A hybrid chicken with a fast growth rate
Overall, Cinnamon Queen chickens are a good breed and make a great addition
to most flocks. However, it’s important to note that they are a hybrid, high-production breed.
In fact, the “Cinnamon Queen” is just a marketing term that some hatcheries have applied to their red sex-link chickens.
And although they are classified as dual-purpose, very few people will raise them for anything but eggs as it’s not really a top breed choice for meat.
Egg production of high-producers like this breed also tends to drop dramatically off of a cliff after the first two years, or even sooner if I’m being honest.
We’ll get into that later as it’s a very important consideration when you’re deciding on a chicken breed (or breeds) for your homestead or backyard flock.
See also my article on the best chicken egg layer breeds.
History & Origins
The Cinnamon Queen chicken originated in the United States pretty recently; they don’t have a particularly interesting or complicated history like the Dominique or Ameraucana. It was bred for a high egg laying capacity, something that hybrids tend to exhibit.
This is a commercial hybrid bird, bred from the Rhode Island Red Rooster and a Rhode Island White Hen.
This crossing makes them auto-sexing at hatching — the males will always be born red and the females will always be born white. No second guessing or complicated vent-sexing needed.
That being said – they will also not breed true. Meaning, that crossing two Cinnamon queen offspring will result in chickens of any color. The same is true of all hybrids like the Red Rangers I raise for meat.
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is named for its pretty color, which is a result of breeding genetics; its colors can, of course, vary, but typically these birds come in lovely shades of light orange, cinnamon, red coloring, hence their name.
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a relatively common breed that has never faced
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a hybrid breed and is not pedigreed, meaning it is not a recognized breed by the APA (American Poultry Association).
Appearance
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a medium-sized bird, with a broad breast and
round shape/stature. Typically Cinnamon Queen hens weigh, on average about 5.5
pounds, but they can be a bit larger. They are characterized by their stunning, bright
orange/brown plumage and elegant tail. They have yellow legs and red combs.
Personality & Temperament
The Cinnamon Queen chicken is known for being friendly and docile, making them
great with children. They have been known to be a bit more passive than other breeds but very sweet.
Many chickens enjoy roaming and foraging, and the Cinnamon Queen is no
exception. These birds are naturally curious and enjoy spending time outdoors
exploring their surroundings.
They tend to get along well with other chickens and animals too. They also do not mind being handled, so if you have children, or plan on handling your chickens often, the Cinnamon Queen may be the right breed for you.
Overall, they are happy, sweet birds!
Large Brown Eggs
The Cinnamon Queen chicken is particularly prized for her egg production. She will give you 250-300 large brown eggs annually which is amongst the highest of any breed.
They start egg laying earlier at about 4 months of age too.
The Cinnamon Queen hen is not a broody breed. She will not sit on their eggs to
hatch them, as is common in high production breeds.
Most people that have raised this breed will attest that the egg production decline is rather steep.
You will be lucky to get a full three years out of her.
See Also: 21 Best Egg Laying Chickens {With Pictures}
Meat
Although technically classed as a dual-purpose breed — they are rarely utilized in this fashion.
That’s just more marketing.
Most high-production commercial hens are not great at being meat birds.
And that’s okay.
That does not mean they will not make great soup at the end of their laying cycle.
If you want a TRUE dual-purpose breed of chicken to raise for meat and eggs, look to heritage breeds like the Orpington, Bresse, Salmon Faverolles, Wyandotte, Dominique, Plymouth Rock, Australorp, Rhode Island Red.
Cold Hardy
Most chickens are quite cold hardy and this one is no exception.
As always, ensure your flock has a wind-proof and at least partially covered run or other areas to rest and escape the wind and cold in the winter.
And remember that humidity is the bigger issue, not really the cold so much. Humidity is what causes frost bite and chills which is why it’s important to winterize your chicken coop.
I highly recommend the deep litter system too to make your life easier and to keep your chickens healthier and more comfortable.
See Also:
10 Steps To Winterize Your Chicken Coop
How Cold Is Too Cold For Chickens? Get Your Flock Ready For Winter
Feeding Free-Ranged Pastured Chickens During Winter
The Deep Litter Method {Why I’ll Never Do Anything Else}
Health
This is hit and miss. You’re likely getting this breed from a large hatchery, and although here is nothing wrong with that, the larger hatcheries are not always the procurers of the greatest or healthiest stock.
Watch out for some common chicken ailments like wry neck, sour crop, pasty butt, and others.
Most hatchery birds will come vaccinated against coccidiosis.
Free Range
The Cinnamon Queen is a breed that loves to free-range whenever possible. They
will accept food as it is provided, but will happily roam and discover their own food
sources as well.
See Also:
How To Free-Range Chickens {4 Methods}
Where To Find Chicks
All of the major (and smaller) hatcheries will sell this breed or some variation of it.
You will not be struggling to find day-old chicks
I’ve never heard of hatching eggs being available, or if they are, they are certainly not popular.
Final Thoughts
Today, the Cinnamon Queen chicken is a popular breed found in many parts of
The United States and Canada.
They are a great choice for egg production but are also chosen for their friendly and docile nature. They are a medium breed of chicken and lay up to 300 eggs annually although that number will likely decline drastically by the three-year mark, as is common with production layer breeds. In terms of meat production, they are technically classed as dual-purpose but this is not my recommendation.
The Cinnamon Queen is a sweet and happy bird. Overall, they could make a perfect
addition to your flock if you’re focussing on layers.
FAQ
Your Cinnamon Queen chicken will start laying early — around 18 to 20 weeks is when you should be expecting to see eggs. Make sure your chickens have clean and comfortable nesting boxes and are being fed the appropriate amount of high quality food. Egg production is a serious business and they need calories and nutrients to meet the demands.
Pretty much. Both the Cinnamon Queen and the Golden Comet chicken are the result of a breed from a Rhode Island Red Rooster and a Rhode Island White Hen. They come from different genetics and bloodlines, but that’s literally it.
The ISA Brown can lay up to 350 eggs annually. So can the Australorp although they generally will only lay up to 280. That being said, it is an Australorp that holds the world record when one laid the most amount of eggs ever produced by a single bird back in the 1920s — a crazy 364 eggs in 365 days!
All chickens molt but some molt harder than others. Your Cinnamon Queen chicken will molt, and when she does, she will stop laying eggs to focus on growing feathers. This is a good time to add more protein to her diet.
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