About Chicken Breeds

About 60 unique breeds of chickens exist in the world. Chickens are easy to care for and inexpensive to raise; they are ideal for anyone wishing to raise their own food. Before you build a coop, check your town's regulations to confirm chickens are allowed. Otherwise, you could spend a lot of time building your enclosure only to find out chickens aren't permitted where you live. Determining which breed is best for you depends on what you hope to gain from your chickens.

  1. Eggs

    • All hens lay eggs, but some breeds produce more eggs or larger eggs than other breeds. Leghorn hens, which are used throughout the U.S. for commercial egg laying, can produce 300 eggs each year. This breed is quite noisy; keep this in mind when considering raising Leghorns. The Rhode Island Red is another good egg-laying breed of chicken, although their eggs are brown as opposed to the Leghorns' white eggs. If you want chickens that will sit on a clutch of eggs and rear the young, consider adding Rhode Island Reds, Cuckoo Marans or Light Sussex hens to your pen. Eggs laid by other breeds can be slipped into these hens' nests; they will care for them along with their own.

    Meat

    • If you plan to raise chickens solely for their meat, the Cornish Cross is the best breed. These chickens can be as large as 10 pounds in as little as 10 weeks. The Cornish Cross is a cross between two different breeds: a White Cornish and a White Plymouth Rock. If you choose to raise Cornish Cross chickens, keep an eye on their weight. Because they put on weight so quickly, they can grow to a weight so heavy their legs are unable to support them. Butcher them before they weigh more than 10 pounds to avoid this problem.

    Meat and Eggs

    • The majority of backyard farmers will use their chickens for both eggs and meat. For this, choose breeds that are fairly good for both eggs and meat, such as Plymouth Rocks or Sussex. Leghorns, while great egg layers, they are typically not too large and, therefore, are not great for meat. Another way to get the best eggs and meat from your chickens is by raising several breeds together.

    Exhibition

    • Some people raise chickens to show them at exhibitions. This project is suitable for children involved in 4-H because chickens don't take up much space and require minimal care. Much like dogs being shown at a dog show, the chickens are judged based on the ideals for each breed. All chicken breeds can participate in exhibitions. Decide whether you want large or small chickens and if you want your chickens to also provide meat or eggs before selecting the best breed for showing.