What’s in a Chicken Breed? – Series Extra #2

Welcome back to the blog! This is yet another entry into my series on chickens, and this time around I will be focusing on different breeds of chicken in addition to how to choose a potential breed.

This is one topic that I have not yet touched on and honestly should have discussed earlier. Better late than never, though! Anyways, the breed(s) of chicken raised should reflect what is desired in the end. More specifically, consider whether or not something like meat is more of a priority, rather than egg production. Perhaps neither are important! There are a variety of different breeds to choose from; some are broody, others are exotic with fancy or expensive plumage, some provide efficiently robust-quality meat, and others offer efficient egg production. Even within the realm of egg production, there are factors such as size, color, intervals of egg laying, and much, much more. For example, if an assortment of eggs encompassing all colors in the white light spectrum are desired, go for the famously popular hybrid – the Easter Egger. Yes, the breed name is truly “Easter Egger”, and as the name suggests, it lays a variety of eggs with colors of the rainbow. One drawback of having this breed, however, is that – as a type of tradeoff – it seems like the level of egg production is lower than average. I am not completely sure as to what breed is used for commercial produce, but if you are looking for an aesthetically cute and interesting breed to show others, the native-to-China Silkie (shown in the bottommost image following the White Crested Black Polish image) is definitely the way to go and one of the most sought after “fancy breed”. I am not familiar with dogs, but they seem like the chicken version/equivalent of the Bearded Collie.

One common worry is whether or not having multiple breeds in a single flock together will be problematic and/or difficult to manage. I have not raised a flock with different breeds in it at one time, but I know people who have, and there did not seem to be any issues regarding the mixing and mingling of the chickens, and they get along quite well. Personally, out of my two “successful” flocks, I first raised black Australian Australorps and then…the “yellow kind” (likely the Buff Orpington). If buying chicks in person at a store like Tractor Supply, they likely have more common (stereotypical), cheaper breeds as opposed to exotic ones that are hard for people to get their hands on because the latter are generally not found suitable for practical use in farms. I highly recommend the Australorps. I had five, and every single one of them was so friendly with me (as most breeds of chicken are)! They have consistent pink/brown medium-sized egg production and have feathers that give off a jade-colored tint, or sheen. The other breed was not as friendly, but at least both were hardy which is what mattered the most to me when choosing. When I inevitably retire to the fields, I may choose to raise chickens once more, and I’m thinking about the Silkies!

This post was relatively light compared to some of my previous ones, but I hope that this cursory information will help to give a push, or guide, some in their breed-choosing endeavors. Thank you once again for reading my post! I am thinking about continuing this “extra” series for at least two more posts (possibly one about chicken behavior and another with a more biological approach to chickens), so this won’t be the last you’ll hear about chickens from me. Please leave any questions in the comments below and stay safe!