Ostfriesische Mowen

The Ostfriesische Möwen, known in English as the East Frisian Gull, is an old north German farm chicken from East Frisia. Its name comes from the gull-like spangled pattern: hens commonly show fine dark markings scattered over a silver or gold ground color, while males carry the same bright, patterned style in a more showy form. The breed is a light to medium, single-combed country fowl, valued historically for white-shelled eggs, thriftiness, and the ability to find much of its own feed around farmyards and pasture edges.

For keepers, East Frisian Gulls are best treated as active landrace layers rather than ornamental birds that can be left in a small pen. They appreciate space, low-stress handling, and secure roosting because they are alert and may be good flyers. In breeding pens, the challenge is balancing egg-laying ability, vigor, and the crisp spangling that defines the breed; overemphasis on pattern alone can narrow a rare population quickly. They remain uncommon outside specialist European and rare-poultry circles, so sourcing unrelated stock may take planning.

Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Chamois, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White