BREED CHARACTERISTICS

Chickens are excellent gardeners, pets, entertainment, and produce eggs for a healthy breakfast.  We aren't ashamed of becoming chicken addicts.  Each breed has it's own qualities and picking out a favorite can be quite a challenge.  This article is intended to help guide you through deciding what breeds possess the characteristics that matter the most to you.  Our thought provoking questions and answers balance personal preferences, egg goals,  and flock future planning.   Our breed comparison chart at the end makes it easier to determine best breeds for egg production, egg color, personality, beautiful feathers, unique, price, or an auto sexing breed to easily sex offspring.

Is it best to have all the same breed or a variety?

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Pet Chickens: Having variety allows for a colorful egg basket, easier to tell apart for individual naming, and makes it easier to identify who is laying and who is not. Perfect for those having backyard chickens.

Breeders: When coming upon a favorite and wanting to continuously improve the breed, it makes sense to have all the same.  If you plan to have a rooster and reproduce your own chicks, it is good to have all the same breed to maintain breed purity.   Some breeders will choose to raise Marans (dark chocolate eggs) and an Amerucana or Cream Legbar (blue egg layers).  This allows them to raise 3 different breeds: Marans, Blue Egg Layer, and Olive Egger.  Another example is raising Silkies, Polish, and Frizzle Cochins which results in 6 different breed combinations.

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Self Sufficiency:  Breed rotation is a popular flock cycling technique.  This is done by starting with a flock of all one breed.  Then, every six months choose another breed.  This allows families to easily identify the age of their hens by breed.   For families planning to consume older hens around 2.5 years when feed cost versus egg production ratio is no longer economical.

4H, Exhibit, or APA Show Quality Chickens

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Verify the breed  you get meets the standards for the  specific competition you want to enter.  Several gorgeous rare breeds are not yet recognized by APA (American Poultry Association), however, can be shown in exhibits and 4H clubs.  Inspect the chicken to ensure it meets the standards for his/her breed.

As egg production slows, will you harvest or keep as a pet? 

If your plan is to harvest the chicken, you will want to ensure the breeds chosen are heavy breeds that are considered dual purpose.  Those choosing this life cycle usually skip the rare breeds and focus on more common dual purpose layers.   It is a very personal choice.  Those that decide to harvest  want to bypass the cruelty in factory farming.  Through harvesting their chickens locally it  helps ensure they are not contributing funding the factory farms by purchasing chicken at the grocery store.

It is easy to grow fond of chickens regardless how many you own, however, when you have a small flock a deeper bond often forms.  Often families would rather keep their beloved chicken as a pet rather than harvest.  City ordinates may not allow for additional hens which then limits egg production as the girls get older.  Thus, we offer the third option of rehoming retired hens.

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Better nutrition at a lower feed cost per egg

If you make the commitment to raise your own flock, it's logical to ensure their eggs nutrient quality is superior to supermarket eggs.  Diet directly impacts the nutrient quality of the eggs consumed and the frequency of laying.  From birth to 8 weeks chicks average 1 pound of  organic feed a week.  We choose to save money through sprouting our sprouting mix  once 8 weeks of age. Hens consume approximately 1/3 pound of feed a day and will need extra calcium in their diet (free choice oyster shells). By reducing feed cost, the ratio of feed cost versus egg production is extended.  Once hens on a commercial diet reach 2- 2.5 years of age the cost of their food is higher than the savings of the eggs they are capable of gifting.

Use our sprouting mix  to turn a 50lb bag into 150lbs of sprouts. Buy in bulk or grow to fodder stage to save even more. For those that choose to feed a mash or crumble instead, we've partnered with Scratch and Peck to offer their organic layer feed.

Learn more about flock nourishment and determine how much food you need for your flock based on their ages.