Types Of Chickens

There are three types of chickens. Those that are bred for meat, those that are bred to lay lots of eggs and those that are useful for both meat and eggs. It’s important to make sure that you get the right breed for the job.

Types Of Chickens – Egg Layers

All breeds of chicken will lay eggs, but some breeds lay more frequently and produce bigger eggs.

You can get pure breed chickens or hybrid chickens.

The hybrids are bred for maximum egg production, laying roughly 300 eggs per year.

Their productivity falls quite dramatically after that – as much as a 20% reduction in the second year.

Hybrids have been bred for commercial egg production, where the birds are disposed of after the first year, so the fall in egg supply is not a concern. But for the the backyard chicken keeper or homesteader, a pure breed that offers a steadier supply of eggs might be a better option.

Good to know – “The Star” hybrids are one of many types of chickens that are classed as sex links, bred that so that males and females are different colors when they hatch and are therefore easily identifiable. Females are good layers, producing eggs well into the cold weather when other chickens are slowing down. The males are good for eating.

Pros And Cons Of Hybrid Chickens

Pros	Cons
Lay lots of eggs – at first	Decrease in laying after the first year
Calm nature and easy to look after	Can be aggressive with the other birds
Seldom go broody	Not usually as tame as the pure breeds

Black Star

Black Stars are a hybrid that will often produce 250 eggs during the year.

They start to lay at about 5 months old. Adult hens will lay five to six large brown eggs each week.

Black Stars are bred from Rhode Island Red and Barred Plymouth Rock chickens.

They are very attractivebirds, mainly black with varying amounts of chestnut coloring around the neck.

Adult birds weigh 5 – 6 pounds and are good foragers. So make ideal free range chickens.

Red Star

Red Stars begin laying when they are around 22 weeks old.

They are a pleasant, docile breed weighing 5 – 6 pounds at maturity.

Red Stars are a cross between aRhode Island Red male and a Delaware female.

These birds will continue to lay during winter producing approximately 300 eggs per year.

Pros And Cons Of Pure Breed Chickens

Pros	Cons
Will Lay for more seasons than a hybrid	Can be expensive to buy
Will sometimes become broody (good if you want to hatch some chicks)	More risk of getting a rooster by mistake
Will breed pure

Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Reds produce large brown eggs most days of the laying cycle. The birds are calm and hardy, making them perfect for the novice keeper.

Weighing 6.5 pounds a hen will produce around 200 eggs during the year.

Classed as a dual purpose chicken, these birds can also be used for meat.

White Leghorn

Leghorns produce a large white egg just about every day of the laying cycle. The breed is quick to mature and weighs around 4 pounds at maturity.

Expect in the region of 200 eggs per year.

Leghorns are good foragers so make ideal free rangers.

The leghorn chicken is one of the most popular commercial laying breeds but is a panicky bird, so caring for them can be a bit of a chore. They make a lot of noise, squawking at the slightest sound so they might upset close neighbors.

Source chickens from ads in your local paper, your feed store, farmers market or from an on-line Hatchery.

Purely Poultry.com and McMurray Hatchery are hatcheries that ship nationwide.

Types Of Chickens – Meat Birds

The commercial strains of meat birds are nothing like there quick footed, free ranging cousins.

They are bred to gain weight fast and as a result can have problems with legs breaking and suffering heart attacks.

The following types of chickens are suited to meat production.

Jumbo Cornish Cross

The Cornish/Rock Cross is the standard broiler chicken.

A very fast grower, with good feed / growth rate efficiency.

Males will dress from 3 to 4 pounds in six to eight weeks. Females take about one and one-half weeks longer to reach the same weight.

Easy to process due to light feathering at slaughter age. They need adequate shelter in cold weather due to their sparse feathers.

These birds will not scratch for food unless you encourage them to be out and about from an early age.

Flocks can sustain heavy losses especially in hot weather. The birds have been known to sit in one place and dehydrate to death rather than move a few feet and get a drink of water.
Free Range Broilers

Better suited to homestead poultry rearing than commercial operations.

Slower growing and very active foraging birds, they will reach 5 to 6 pounds live weight in a minimum of 9 weeks and a maximum of 11 weeks.

Available from Purely Poultry

Types Of Chickens – Dual Purpose Chickens

Dual purpose birds are the perfect backyard chicken. They lay a good number of eggs and after a few years when their productivity has dropped, they can be served up for dinner. The meat will be tough though, so they are better suited to slow cooking in a casserole or curry

Barred Plymouth Rock

Very attractive birds and a good all rounder having plenty of meat on its bones and also laying dozens of large brown eggs. Long lived at up to five years and still producing lots of eggs.

Males reach 9.5 pounds and the hens reach 7.5 pounds.

Docile and easy to tame these birds are easy to care for.

New Hampshires

The New Hampshire matures early reaching a weight of 7 – 8 pounds and producing about 3 large brown eggs per week.

These birds are hardy in winter and have a docile temperament, so are easy to care for.

Wyandottes

These birds make a beautiful and productive addition to your flock.

Fast to mature to a weight of between 6 and 8 pounds.

They will lay up to 220 large brown eggs per year.

Wyandottes are cold hardy, which combined with their friendly nature, makes them easy to care for.

The chickens featured above are just a small sample of the types of chickens available.

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