Can you all hear that glorious sound in the distance? It’s that of a quirky rooster sounding his alarm for you to start the day! It is the quintessential sound of a farm. Two years ago we became chicken owners and it has been a fun experience for our entire family.
At The Vettel Farm we not only have chickens outside, but I love to incorporate them into our decor for the summer months, especially in the form of jadeite! Most jadeite chickens are reproduction in nature, meaning they were not made by the big three vintage jadeite production companies; McKee, Jeanette, & Anchor Hocking Fireking.
“Vintage” Jadeite Chickens
Most antique dealers define vintage as an item that is at least 40 years old. There are no true vintage jadeite chickens, but a few that are close! The jadeite chickens that are “vintage” include chickens made by Westmorland, Fenton from the Martha Stewart, or L.E. Smith collection. These jadeite chickens were produced in the 1980’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s.
Roosting Hens
Most jadeite chickens are a hen on a nest and they open with a bottom dish and lid on top. Many are used as candy dishes. One of the most eccentric roosting hens is that of the tiniest little hen on a nest, perfect for a small set of jewelry. Many of these newer jadeite chickens are produced by the Mosser Glass company, which you can find here. Fenton produced a jadeite hen and nest chicken for the Martha Stewart collection and it clearly identifiable as it is marked Fenton. A true fenton hen on a next has 20 scalloped rims on the edge of the nest and a smooth curve to the tail feathers. Westmoreland is another US glass company that produced hens on a nest as well.
Hen & Egg Platter
One of my all time favorite pieces is my deviled egg platter with a roosting hen. These can be hard to find and more expensive with most ranging in the $100-$150 range. Fenton produced a hen and egg platter for the Martha Stewart collection using an older Fenton mold and this too is marked with a Fenton identifier. Gibson also made an almost identical piece, almost so identical that is can be hard to tell the difference. Subtle differences are seen in the hen on these; Gibson hens are a smaller size, have rows of feathers, and have a longer tail.
L.E. Smith also has an hen and egg platter and this is identifiable by the absence of the scallop edge that the hen sits on. See below to see this version.
Roosters
Fenton produced a rooster on a nest. The roosters are easy to identify as they are taller in nature. L.E. Smith also curated a rooster candy dish. This rooster has also been reproduced and the easiest identifier is that L.E. Smith’s rooster has a solid, curved tail. You can see in the photo below, my rooster has a scalloped tail, meaning it was probably made in China.
There are also some fun newer jadeite chicken pieces that include jadeite chickens with coloring, a hen pulling a cart to name a few. The Martha by Mail series also had a chick on a next in jadeite too. So many options!
Much of my source information here came from Trista @ottercreekbottoms on Instagram, she is a wealth of knowledge about jadeite, give her a follow! There are many jadeite chickens still in production and I have linked up a few at the bottom of the post if you want to add to your flock. Chicken math is real, chickens multiply easily, as do jadeite chickens when you get started!
