poultryOne Article Archive - Breeds 101 (part 1)

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Chicken Article - Breeds 101 (part 1) by Josh Duvy

Okay, so you're looking for that "perfect" chicken, the one that will fulfill you wildest dreams. Although the hundreds of different chicken breeds may confuse the beginner, in no time at all you can sort through them and choose the one the fits your needs "perfectly". However, let me assure you that it may be just a bit difficult to find that dream bird.

First of all, you need to know what you want a flock of chickens for (or maybe just one chicken). Do you want them for eggs, or maybe meat? How about as a tame little pet that is cheaper, easier, and quieter than even the smallest dog or cat? Or perhaps you want to get into showing-off exotic chickens at the local poultry show? Once you decide what you want chickens for, the sorting out of the breeds is a lot simpler and doesn't cause as serious of a headache (pop a Tylenol and read on).

Lets say you want chickens to give you some cheap, high-quality, fresh, tasty, and nutritious eggs. Do you want brown eggs or white? If you're planning on selling your eggs, brown ones usually sell for the highest price. If you want quantity instead of ease of care, your first choice should be a Mediterranean breed, especially the Leghorn. These nervous, flighty birds make exceptional layers of white eggs and have a great feed-to-eggs ratio. The only problem with the Leghorn and its "relatives" are that they become scared at the slightest sound and make a considerable amount of noise. If you have close neighbors you might want to ignore the Leghorn and look at calmer, gentler, and easier to care for breeds.

Heavier and not laying as many eggs as the Leghorn (yet still laying hundreds of tasty, exceptional quality eggs), the dual-purpose breeds make great choices for beginners. Not needing as much care as the high-strung Leghorn, much quieter, and a lot gentler, English and American breeds are classified as dual-purpose. They're fairly large bodies and mostly lay large brown eggs, and since they're so docile they make wonderful pets. Another plus is that, after they're finished laying, you can stew them and serve your family and friends a delightful meal! Sometime called the "classic backyard chicken", dual-purpose breeds seem to come the closest to the all-purpose chicken to meet everyone's personal needs.

Meat birds are a special strain of chickens that grow their feather quickly, grow extremely rapidly, and have white feathers.Someone once said that a meat bird rooster they knew grew so quickly that he was crowing at the age of 2 days. They are also known to become crippled when they're legs can no longer support their unnatural weight and size, which is why meat birds are usually killed at a young age.The best meat birds are crosses of an American breed with the Cornish breed. Some dual-purpose chickens are also used as meat birds, although they take a longer time to reach butchering size.

In our last discussion about chicken breeds, I left you with several breed generalizations (dual-purpose breeds, meat breeds, and layer breeds). It is time to look at these generalizations in detail, starting with dual-purpose breeds.
As I've said before, dual-purpose breeds seem to fit my idea of the "perfect chicken". Although they don't lay as well as some layers (but still do an excellent job at laying lots of tasty eggs), and might not have as much meat as meat birds (but still providing excellent, delicious meals that rival their faster growing cousins), dual-purpose chickens combine the best of both worlds. Better yet, many dual-purpose breeds are also known to make superb exhibition specimens. This is understandable since many dual purpose chickens have astounding feather colors. Take the Barred Plymouth Rock for an example. Not only does it have a lot of meat on its bones, but Barred Rocks also lay dozens of fine, brown eggs and have been known to live more than 5 years and still be laying clutches of yummy eggs! They also give an example of excellent feather coloring with their alternating bars of black and white feathers.
Another great example is the popular Rhode Island Red. Although its plain, red-brown feather coloring is not as pleasing to the eyes as the Barred Rock, the Rhode Island Red is an excellent layer, rivaling the professionally bred commercial layers (such as the Leghorn). Even though it doesn't have as much meat as the Barred Rock, Rhode Island Reds still make a fine dinner!
Other dual-purpose breeds exist, including (but not limited to) the Houdan, Dominique, Wyandotte, Sussex, Oprington, Plymouth Rock (all 6 are general purpose breeds), Australorp, Rhode Island Red (all 2 are better for eggs), Langshan and New Hampshire (all 2 are better for meat). There are many more, but I think you can find the "perfect chicken" among the ones listed.
Dual-purpose breeds are not only appealing for backyard flocks, but they also meet and supply many different demands such as eggs, meat, and both! They lay better than meat birds and have more meat than layers, making them some of the most ideal breeds among the hundreds available!

Barred Plymouth Rocks
  The Barred Plymouth Rock, or Barred Rock for short, is not only a historic breed but also an essential part of the backyard chicken farmer's flock. These dual-purpose birds (which means they can be used both for eggs and/or meat) are one of the perfect breeds of chicken available!
  In Part 2 of this article series I wrote that I would discuss meat birds next. Well, after the loads of emails that I've gotten about this site and our free e-zine (where the first two "Breeds 101" articles were published), I've decided to look at the dual-purpose breeds in detail.
   The standard weights for Barred Rocks are 9.5 pounds for the roosters and 7.5 pounds for the hens. Cockerels (young male chickens under one year) and pullets (young female chickens under one year) weigh slightly less. Also, different strains of Barred Rocks also vary in size and weight, so the above measurements are just a generalization.
  The main reasons that people raise Barred Rocks are for eggs and for meat. Barred Rocks lay large, brown eggs, making them a great candidate for someone looking to sell their surplus eggs (since large, brown, fresh eggs usually demand a higher price). Barred Rocks have the "perfect" skin color-yellow-which is the skin color preference for those raising chickens for meat because yellow-skinned chickens look more appetizing than white or black (yuck) skinned breeds.
  The origin of the Barred Rock has not exactly been determined. According to one source, Barred Rocks were developed in America in the middle of the 19th century. It was first labeled a "breed" in 1869. Several individuals claimed its invention using crosses of breeds such as Dominique, Java, Dorking, Malay and Cochin. This breed became very popular (quite rapidly) until WWII. Until this war no other breed was kept or bred as extensively. Why? The fact that it was hardy, self-sufficient, docile, sometimes became broody, and had an excellent rate of egg and meat production made the Barred Rock's popularity explode!
   Barred Rocks make excellent farm chickens. They are docile and become tame easily (especially if you've raised them from chicks), and excellent layers, make good mothers (when they become broody), make excellent meat birds, and are generally not aggressive. Taking everything into account, Barred Plymouth Rocks are wonderful chickens to raise, no matter if you are raising them for meat, eggs, showing, or just as a pet!

Rhode Island Reds
  In our last section of this issue we discussed the Barred Plymouth Rock, an especially great layer and meatbird (Get other great poultry articles FREE via email by subscribing to The Poultry Gazette. Don't forget that Amazon.com has a lot of great poultry books available! ). In this article we will look at the Rhode Island Red, another interesting dual-purpose breed.
   Rhode Island Red roosters usually weigh about 8.5 pounds, while the hens average 6.5 pounds. Cockerels and pullets weigh slightly less until they hit full maturity.
   With its yellowish skin, the Rhode Island Red makes a good meat bird, although it is slightly lighter than many other dual-purpose breeds. The Rhode Island Red also lays quite well (which it is known for), supplying a steady source of brown eggs. Because of this the Rhode Island Red is used for eggs more than for meat, often being thrown into the pot when it no longer lays constantly.
   Developed in New England, different Rhode Island Red strains have both the single and rose comb (with the single comb being more prevalent). The varieties of Rhode Island Red combs is because of its Malay blood influence, which also enforced its dark brownish-red color and relatively hard feathers. Today, the Rhode Island Red is a fairly common bird that can be found in many small flocks alongside Barred Plymouth Rocks, Leghorns, and Jersey Giants.
   Rhode Island Reds makes a great backyard chicken breed, probably being the best egg layer among its dual-purpose relatives. Although it has not played as much of a significant historic role as the Barred Plymouth Rock (and is not as hard) Rhode Island Reds can survive quite well in poor housing conditions, meager food rations, and unsanitary practices.
   How common is the Rhode Island Red? As an American breed it is quite common, although the Rhode Island White is rare. However, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has listed it as an endangered classic. Other "endangered" breeds are the Brown Leghorn, White Wyandotte, Barred Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, Black and white Jersey Giant, Delaware, Dominique, Ancona, Australorp, and Black Minorca. For more information about endangered chicken breeds, read the next issue of Poultrylinks for our "Endangered Classics" article!

Leghorns
In our last section of this issue we discussed the Rhode Island Red, a popular dual-purpose layer. In this article we will look at the Leghorn, a commercial hybrid developed to lay the most eggs.
In a past article (it is now available on our site for reference) we looked at some of the criteria that layers should meet. The Leghorn seems to fulfill all the requirements, which is one reason that the major egg corporations choose this breed as its main laying flock. Cocks weigh about 6 pounds while the hens weigh about 4.5 pounds. Pullets and cockerels weigh slightly less until they reach peak maturity. Please note that different strains of this hybrid are available.

The Leghorn is a Mediterranean breed. For the most part, Mediterraneans make exceptional layers, although specific breeds may be different. There are currently 12 varieties of the Leghorn. You shouldn't worry about this since overall they all lay quite well.
Is the Leghorn good for beginners? Well...if you are raising chickens to relieve stress or as a fun hobby then we suggest that you choose a more docile breed (a heavier breed would be suitable). The Leghorn tends to be high-strung, flighty, and will make a racket if it is frightened in any way. They have been known to cackle over the slightest matter, from the shadow of a passing bird to the wiggling of a worm. Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating a little, but I still think that the Leghorn is NOT for begginners.
However, if you want a breed with the best feed-to-egg ratio I suggest that you choose the Leghorn. It is a great layer and lays lots of white eggs. On the other hand, if you want to eat the hen after she's done laying I don't suggest that at all! You will find that, like most efficient layers, the Leghorn has hardly any meat on its bones. If you want a chicken that makes a good meat bird then purchase a hybrid developed especially for that purpose.
The Leghorn is economical because it needs only a little bit of food to produce a unit of eggs. This is very important because, in an egg operation, feed cost represents about two-thirds of the total production cost.
If you are looking into raising chickens for profit, then the Leghorn is for you!

Naked Necks
Have you heard of the Naked Neck? Although it may not be as well known as other popular breeds, the Naked Neck (also nicknamed the "Turken") has slowly been gaining supporters throughout the world. True, it is extremely ugly and would probably give a little child nightmares, but it wouldn't hurt to add this unusual breed to your chicken flock.
The Naked Neck doesn't really belong to any class. Leghorns are Mediterranean, Aseels are Oriental, Delawares are American, Cochins are Asiatic, Houdans are Continental, Old Englishes are Game and Australorps are English, but Naked Necks don't fit in any of those! Actually, this strange bird belongs alongside Frizzles, Sultans, Araucanas and Ameraucanas. We guess it really isn't that alone!
Used mostly for ornamental purposes (its odd appearance is a great conversation piece), the Naked Neck is also said to be an excellent egg layer. A family that we know of raises Naked Necks and say that they are the best layers in the world! Even though this claim is exaggerated, many do agree that Naked Necks rival the dual-purpose breeds for laying ability.
Since the Naked Neck is such an unusual, unknown breed, we would be glad to have your assistance in compiling a more accurate, detailed article on this breed. Please email us if you have any tidbits of info to be added to the Chicken Breeds 101 project.

This is NOT the end of our breed reviews! New reviews of chicken breeds coming soon! Also, duck and geese breeds will become available in the beginning of next year!