Although the Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a relatively new breed, they are taking the poultry world by storm.
This breed is best known for their egg laying, docile personality and gorgeous cinnamon brown feathers. If you love eggs, then the Cinnamon Queen may be the perfect chicken for you! These gentle giants also love to be around people and are great with children.
Do you want to see what all the fuss is about?
Keep reading to learn more about the Cinnamon Queen and find out if she should have a spot in your backyard flock…
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Cinnamon Queen Chicken Overview
Cinnamon Queen Chickens are a cross between the Rhode Island Red and the Rhode Island White.
The combination of the Rhode Island Red’s egg production, and the fast growth of Rhode Island Whites, makes the Cinnamon Queen a hard-working hen who will prove her worth on any homestead.
Cinnamon Queens do well with children and enjoy the presence of people. They are sweet chickens that will handle other poultry well. Because they are so docile they will be lower on the pecking order so you will need to watch your flock carefully for any signs of bullying.
It is hard to find a more versatile chicken.
They are very hardy and can handle both the winter cold and summer heat well. Cinnamon Queens are content in confinement too but enjoy free ranging when given the option. Although they are not the most adventurous hens, your Cinnamon Queens will enjoy following either you or the rest of their flock around.
You will find they will happily spend their day chatting with the rest of the flock or checking in on you in the garden.
Overall they are a delight in any backyard.
| Cinnamon Queen | |
|---|---|
| Beginner Friendly: | Yes |
| Lifespan: | 5-10 years |
| Weight: | Hen (5.5lb) and Rooster (7.5lb) |
| Color: | Cinnamon |
| Egg Production: | 5-6 per week |
| Egg Color: | Brown |
| Known For Broodiness: | No. |
| Good With Children: | Yes. |
| Cost of Chicken: | $4.50-$6 per chick. |
Why We Love This Breed
- Fantastic egg layers
- Docile and good around children
- Heat and cold hardy
- Compatible with other breeds
- Can be autosexed at hatch
Appearance
The Cinnamon Queen is a beautiful breed.
As their name suggests, these lovely chickens have cinnamon-colored plumage all over their bodies. You may find that some of them can have white tips at the ends of their feathers though.
Roosters are a slightly different color from the hens and are mainly white with cinnamon colored saddle feathers. This difference in color is because they were bred to be autosexing. Male chicks are white when they hatch and female chicks hatch as a brownish cinnamon color.
Only true Cinnamon Queen chicks can be autosexed at hatch. If you are buying chicks hatched from a cross of two Cinnamon Queens, then they cannot be autosexed because they do not breed true. This means that any chicks a Cinnamon Queen has might not even be cinnamon color.
Their body shape and size take after their Rhode Island Red and White heritage. They will have a wide breast and a more rounded shape.
This breed has a yellow beak and legs, with a red comb, wattle, and earlobes.
Size and Weight
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a medium to large breed.
Hens weigh approximately 5.5lbs and roosters weigh closer to 7.5lbs. The exact size of your chickens will depend on the specific hatchery you get them from.
What Is It Like To Own A Cinnamon Queen?
The Cinnamon Queen Chicken is a very well rounded breed.
These chickens are sweet and docile, produce lots of eggs, and love to socialize.
They are very calm and keep to themselves. The Cinnamon Queen would much rather spend time seeing what you are doing than hanging with the rest of the flock.
While trying to figure out if the Cinnamon Queen is right for your backyard you need to consider their personality, egg production, and noise levels.
Personality
The Cinnamon Queen is not known to be aggressive. They are quite docile and their calm personality makes them great at interacting with children. These chickens are very sociable and enjoy the presence of people, especially when treats are involved.
As for flock dynamics they tend to keep to themselves.
They are not known for disrupting flock hierarchies and tend to mind their own business most of the time.
If you are introducing them to an existing flock then they will need to establish their own place in the hierarchy. It is normal to see some pecking occur at this stage as they find their order and roles in the flock.
Egg Production and Color
Cinnamon Queen Chickens lay beautiful large brown colored eggs.
You can expect them to lay 5-6 eggs each week. Because they lay so many eggs they even made our list of the best chickens that lay lots of eggs.
Keep in mind that they are very similar to the ISA Brown and can only keep up intense egg laying for the first two years or so. While they will still lay after two years, it will not be as often as when they are young. They were originally created to lay as many eggs as possible, as fast as possible, without any concern about longevity.
If you are looking for a breed that lays regularly for a longer period of time, this breed may not suit your needs. Instead you should look for a heritage breed like the Wyandotte Chicken.
| Egg Production | |
|---|---|
| Eggs Per Week: | 5-6 Eggs |
| Color: | Brown |
| Size: | Large |
Noise
Being related to the Rhode Island Red makes this breed loud and proud!
Cinnamon Queens are talkative and will always have a lot to say to you and everyone else. They also have a noisy egg song.
Because of this they are not best suited for urban environments.
Breed History
The history of the Cinnamon Queen is as short and sweet as the breed itself.
Cinnamon Queen Chickens were first bred in the early 1990s.
Rhode Island Reds and Rhode Island Whites were crossed to create an autosexing, industry quality laying breed.
There is no one single person credited as being the creator of this new hybrid, but they have been taking the poultry world by storm since their recent creation. They have inherited some wonderful traits from their parent breeds including fast growth, prolific egg laying, and hardiness.
All these traits make the Cinnamon Queen an excellent beginner breed.
Just note that because this hybrid is so new, there is no established standard for the breed or heritage genes that accompany it. They are not recognized by the American Poultry Association. You should consider this if you want to use your Cinnamon Queen chickens for breeding as well as when you are purchasing your chicks from hatcheries.
Cinnamon Queen Chicken Care Guide
Health Issues
Cinnamon Queen Chickens need similar care to their Rhode Island parents.
The main health concern with this breed is around egg laying.
Because they are egg laying superstars they have a higher risk of egg binding, egg yolk peritonitis, vent prolapse, or reproductive cancer. They are also susceptible to calcium deficiencies which can cause soft shelled eggs. All of these issues are common risks for any hens that lay as often as the Cinnamon Queen, as their reproductive system has more stress on it than the average chicken.
Apart from these risks, the Cinnamon Queen comes from two very hardy breeds.
They are hardy chickens that are very healthy and tend to do well.
Just keep an eye out for the usual illnesses such as bumblefoot, lice, mites, and worms. You can keep your hens safe by keeping their high traffic areas clean and making sure they have high quality feed and clean water.
Feeding
Hens that lay a lot of eggs need to eat a lot too.
Free access feed is important for Cinnamon Queens. This means leaving a feeder in their run that they can access whenever they want.
You can give your Cinnamon Queen hens one of two different feeds. They do well on either layer hen feed, as these chickens lay very often, or mixed flock feeds thanks to their dual purpose status. The main differences in these feeds are their protein and calcium content. Adults will need 17 grams of protein per day and 5 grams of calcium per day.
In addition to their feed they will need some form of calcium supplement. For this leave a bowl of oyster shells next to their feed.
Cinnamon Queens love to free range and they will happily devour garden pests and spend the day foraging. This will help to reduce your feed bill as well.
Coop Setup and Free Ranging
When setting up your coop you will need to give each Cinnamon Queen at least 4 square feet.
This will make sure that there is no crowding in your coop and will reduce bullying and disease spread amongst your flock. For perching space make sure to give them 8 inches each. This will keep them comfortable no matter the season.
For nesting boxes make sure they are at least 12×12 inches.
You will need one nesting box per every four hens.
For outside space Cinnamon Queens will each need 15 square feet of run. However, this breed loves to free range so if possible you should let them explore.
Should You Keep This Breed? (Summary)
The Cinnamon Queen breed might be new to the poultry world, but their incredible egg laying ability and friendly personality have stirred up lots of interest.
This breed is beginner friendly and keeping them in your flock will definitely increase your egg supply!
They are a sweet and easy breed to keep. As long as you have a properly sized coop and run and provide feed (with oyster shells) and free access water, your chickens will be just fine.
Just remember though that they are not the best suited for urban areas. These gentle and talkative chickens are better suited for homesteads where they can free range.
Do you keep any Cinnamon Queen Chickens in your flock?
Let us know in the comments section below…
Very informative and helpful reading
How and where can I buy cinnamon queen pullets in New Brunswick Canada
Hi Brenda,
You will be able to find someone in our hatcheries list here:
https://www.chickensandmore.com/best-chicken-hatcheries/
Chris
Hi I’m in SA were can I find this cinnamon breed chicken
I have two of these hens and they are one of the best breeds I have in my flock. I will be purchasing more when the time comes. They were sent to me as a part of 10 chickens in a white and brown layer pack, late in the season. They have been great birds and they lay beautiful eggs.
Great info. Very helpful.
In Feb 2023 received 4 beautiful Cinammon chicks of which 3 are laying already and believe the 4th one is a rooster, but time will tell.
They are sweet, curious and a pleasure to see running around our yard. 😉