How to Choose a Chicken or Hen Breed

A guide to different breeds and what may be best for you and your family.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A hen coop
• Patience
• Some cash

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   TYPE ONE: Best dual purpose chicken. If you want a chicken that will provide delicious tender meat for the table and lay great eggs, I recommend the Buff Orphingtons. They have a docile and sometimes affectionate disposition that makes them great around children. In addition, these birds are a beautiful gold color hence their name that will make you proud to show them off to friends and family.

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   TYPE TWO: Best chicken for show. By "show" I mean a chicken that will provide you with hours of entertainment because they are so darn cute. I recommend Bantam Silkies because they are hilariously funny looking yet will provide your family with delicious eggs. They are not recommended for meat eating.

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   TYPE THREE: Unusual eggs. Yes, there are chickens that will lay different colored eggs. There is one breed called Araucana that will lay green-blue eggs that are very appealing to people. They have a cousin bread called Araucana/Americana that will breed many different colors ranging from green to pink to brown thus dubbing them the "easter egg" chickens.

4. TYPE FOUR: Best meat production. This really depends on what you are looking for. Some great breeds are: Cornish X Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, White Rocks and Black Australorps. I will mention again the Buff Orphingtons that I listed above.

5. One last bit of advice. Be sure to ask yourself what you need in a chicken. I really recommend checking out Murray McMurray's online catalog or visiting your local feed store. Your local feed store will sell chickens, feed and anything else you may need. They can give you advice on anything important you might be overlooking.

Resources

• Living on a small farm

[gahazeleyes]

on 5/7/2009 Nice article. Enjoyed reading.