Choosing Chickens

Did you know there are more than 200 breeds of chickens? Between purebreds and hybrids, you can find over 400 different varieties of chickens. They all fall into two basic categories: Large or Bantam. Large chickens are regular, chicken-sized chickens and bantams are miniature versions of bigger chickens that only weigh a few pounds, or less; there are bantam varieties for almost every standard large breed. With all of these chickens to choose from, how can someone who wants to start a backyard flock pick the best birds?

I've been wrestling with that question for a few weeks now and have figured it out. It all comes down to personal preference. There is no best answer that fits everyone's chicken situation.

First, people who want to raise chickens have to answer the most basic question: "Why do I want chickens?" Chickens are good for three primary reasons: because they lay eggs; because they taste good for dinner; because you can win a ribbon at the county fair. You can add a fourth reason, that they can make good pets, but that is really a bonus after deciding which of the main three reasons suits your purpose.

As with any animal that has been bred by man for centuries, different breeds serve different purposes. There are chickens specifically engineered for laying eggs. There are chickens developed for fast growth and meaty breasts for the dinner table. There are chickens that don't taste very good, don't lay many eggs, but have very pretty and unusual feathers. And, of course, there are chickens that lay eggs and taste good -- dual-purpose birds.

For my wife and me, our primary reason for wanting chickens is the eggs. I do expect them to become members of the family, each with a clever name. As many farmers and ranchers know, it's hard to eat something that has a name, so we're not planning on inviting our birds to dinner, as the entree. I'm also sure we'll have a little chicken cemetery at the back of our property to remember them after they're gone.

Right away that decision cuts our bird choices in half. We only need egg layers, which means female chickens. Remember the riddle from elementary school: "If a rooster lays an egg at the very top of a steep roof, which side of the roof will the egg roll down?" Silly, roosters don't lay eggs. Coincidentally, our city doesn't allow roosters in a home flock.

When narrowing down the breeds for egg layers, there are some important factors to consider. What climate does the chicken prefer? What size and/or color of egg is important? Does the chicken produce a lot of eggs? What is the temperament of the chicken? Is it a standard or a bantam? Will the chicken go "broody"? (Broodiness is when a hen wants to just sit on a nest and raise chicks, not laying any more eggs).

We live in an area that can get very cold in winter; breeds that can endure cold temperatures are very important. I prefer large eggs and color doesn't matter much. Because we're going to all of this trouble for the eggs, getting a hen that lays a lot sounds like a good idea. We and our grandchildren will probably play with the chickens so a friendly, docile temperament is preferred. Bantams are great for people who don't have much space, but we do so regular-sized birds are good. If I'm making the effort to collect eggs, I want a bird that's earning her keep and not lounging around in the nest.

Both backyardchicken.com and mypetchicken.com have online guides to tell you which breeds are best after you identify your preferences from the questions above. I've purchased a number of chicken books and "Raising Chickens for Dummies" is good for identifying different breeds for different preferences, but the online resources are better.

Getting a lot of eggs is important and the best egg-layers are easily identified. However, a critical factor is our climate and some of the best layers don't do well in the cold. Some of the best white-egg laying birds can also be aggressive, nervous, or flighty. With a focus on selecting hens that can handle cold weather and are calm and friendly, it came down to a number of hens that lay brown or colored eggs.

Since I don't want broody hens and I want birds that lay a lot of eggs, the field was narrowed down further. Broodiness is good if you want to raise your own chicks; you want the hen to stay on the eggs until they hatch. Because we won't have a rooster to fertilize the eggs, choosing hens that have had broodiness bred out is a good thing.

When the selection process was complete, I identified three friendly chickens that handle cold very well, supply lots of big eggs, and seldom get broody: the Plymouth Rock, the Rhode Island Red and the Star. Three other friendly birds that do very well in the cold, lay lots of big brown eggs, but occasionally get broody are the Australorp, the Sussex, and the Wyandotte.

Those are my top six and the ones I plan to get as the beginning of my flock. I'm also considering an Easter Egger. They score as well as the top three, but supply medium-sized blue and green eggs. That can be fun.

I'd only planned on starting with four or five hens and am already thinking about getting seven. Almost everything I find online and in books says that raising chickens is very enjoyable. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and end up with a bigger flock than planned. I can attest to that. I'll place my order for chicks within the next few days so I can still take a little time and determine what the final selection will be. I'm comfortable knowing that whatever the final count is, the birds will be good ones because of the research that went into the decision.

Go to:
backyardchicken.com
mypetchicken.com

Did you know there are more than 200 breeds of chickens? Between purebreds and hybrids, you can find over 400 different varieties of chickens. They all fall into two basic categories: Large or Bantam. Large chickens are regular, chicken-sized chickens and bantams are miniature versions of bigger chickens that only weigh a few pounds, or less; there are bantam varieties for almost every standard large breed. With all of these chickens to choose from, how can someone who wants to start a backyard flock pick the best birds?

I've been wrestling with that question for a few weeks now and have figured it out. It all comes down to personal preference. There is no best answer that fits everyone's chicken situation.

First, people who want to raise chickens have to answer the most basic question: "Why do I want chickens?" Chickens are good for three primary reasons: because they lay eggs; because they taste good for dinner; because you can win a ribbon at the county fair. You can add a fourth reason, that they can make good pets, but that is really a bonus after deciding which of the main three reasons suits your purpose.

As with any animal that has been bred by man for centuries, different breeds serve different purposes. There are chickens specifically engineered for laying eggs. There are chickens developed for fast growth and meaty breasts for the dinner table. There are chickens that don't taste very good, don't lay many eggs, but have very pretty and unusual feathers. And, of course, there are chickens that lay eggs and taste good -- dual-purpose birds.

For my wife and me, our primary reason for wanting chickens is the eggs. I do expect them to become members of the family, each with a clever name. As many farmers and ranchers know, it's hard to eat something that has a name, so we're not planning on inviting our birds to dinner, as the entree. I'm also sure we'll have a little chicken cemetery at the back of our property to remember them after they're gone.

Right away that decision cuts our bird choices in half. We only need egg layers, which means female chickens. Remember the riddle from elementary school: "If a rooster lays an egg at the very top of a steep roof, which side of the roof will the egg roll down?" Silly, roosters don't lay eggs. Coincidentally, our city doesn't allow roosters in a home flock.

When narrowing down the breeds for egg layers, there are some important factors to consider. What climate does the chicken prefer? What size and/or color of egg is important? Does the chicken produce a lot of eggs? What is the temperament of the chicken? Is it a standard or a bantam? Will the chicken go "broody"? (Broodiness is when a hen wants to just sit on a nest and raise chicks, not laying any more eggs).

We live in an area that can get very cold in winter; breeds that can endure cold temperatures are very important. I prefer large eggs and color doesn't matter much. Because we're going to all of this trouble for the eggs, getting a hen that lays a lot sounds like a good idea. We and our grandchildren will probably play with the chickens so a friendly, docile temperament is preferred. Bantams are great for people who don't have much space, but we do so regular-sized birds are good. If I'm making the effort to collect eggs, I want a bird that's earning her keep and not lounging around in the nest.

Both backyardchicken.com and mypetchicken.com have online guides to tell you which breeds are best after you identify your preferences from the questions above. I've purchased a number of chicken books and "Raising Chickens for Dummies" is good for identifying different breeds for different preferences, but the online resources are better.

Getting a lot of eggs is important and the best egg-layers are easily identified. However, a critical factor is our climate and some of the best layers don't do well in the cold. Some of the best white-egg laying birds can also be aggressive, nervous, or flighty. With a focus on selecting hens that can handle cold weather and are calm and friendly, it came down to a number of hens that lay brown or colored eggs.

Since I don't want broody hens and I want birds that lay a lot of eggs, the field was narrowed down further. Broodiness is good if you want to raise your own chicks; you want the hen to stay on the eggs until they hatch. Because we won't have a rooster to fertilize the eggs, choosing hens that have had broodiness bred out is a good thing.

When the selection process was complete, I identified three friendly chickens that handle cold very well, supply lots of big eggs, and seldom get broody: the Plymouth Rock, the Rhode Island Red and the Star. Three other friendly birds that do very well in the cold, lay lots of big brown eggs, but occasionally get broody are the Australorp, the Sussex, and the Wyandotte.

Those are my top six and the ones I plan to get as the beginning of my flock. I'm also considering an Easter Egger. They score as well as the top three, but supply medium-sized blue and green eggs. That can be fun.

I'd only planned on starting with four or five hens and am already thinking about getting seven. Almost everything I find online and in books says that raising chickens is very enjoyable. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and end up with a bigger flock than planned. I can attest to that. I'll place my order for chicks within the next few days so I can still take a little time and determine what the final selection will be. I'm comfortable knowing that whatever the final count is, the birds will be good ones because of the research that went into the decision.

Go to:
backyardchicken.com
mypetchicken.com