The Sweetgrass is a young variety with a precise birthday: in 1996 a few tri-coloured birds appeared in a Broad Breasted Bronze flock at Sweetgrass Farms in Big Timber, Montana, marked like a Royal Palm but with chestnut red running through the pattern. Breeders crossed them back to heritage stock, and the line now breeds true to colour and mates naturally. Mature toms reach around 33–36 lb and hens 18–20 lb. It is neither APA-recognised nor on The Livestock Conservancy's list, so its traits rest on breeder records rather than a standard.
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Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Egg colorCream Spotted
TemperamentDocile
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeMeat And Show
Weight
Hen18–20 lb
Tom33–36 lb
How to spot it
Plumage
A Royal Palm-type pattern shot through with chestnut red
Look for
A 'red Royal Palm'; poults hatch medium yellow with a faint to heavy black stripe down the back
