Chicken Breeds
A List Of Popular Chicken Breeds
Knowledge of the different chicken breeds is good to know if you're considering raising chickens for food or meat, showing them at the county fair, or are just interested in learning more about the most abundant of fowls. The number of chickens in the world is in the billions, and the number of different domestic breeds is in the hundreds. Let's take a quick look at ten of the favorite breeds in the United States.
Before going into a breed-by-breed discussion, let's take a look first at why some of these breeds were developed. The origin of many of these chicken breeds is not completely known. There has been a great deal of cross-breeding over the years, to come up with breeds that excel in one way or another. One class of breeds, layers, are chickens who's main purpose in life is egg production, so the more desirable breeds lay larger eggs and many of them. Meat producers, also called fryers or broilers, are as the name implies, bred for meat production. These days the Cornish Game Hen dominates this breed type. Dual purpose chickens are those raised for both meat and eggs, and are the breeds usually found in backyards and on small farms.
There are the fancy breeds, often bred for show, and almost all of which have interesting or beautiful features. Some of the fancy breeds also are used for meat or eggs. Dual purpose breeds are used for both meat and eggs. The bantam breeds, small birds mainly used for ornament or pets, are also good for eating, and can be raised as egg producers, though their eggs are quite small.
In the United States, one of the more popular and better known breeds is the Plymouth Rock. The Plymouth Rock, an attractive banded bird, has been a provider of meat and eggs since the early days of American independence. Dominiques are dual-purpose fowl, believed to have originated in New England. They are medium sized birds and lay brown eggs. Another medium weight fowl which also lays brown eggs is the Wyandotte. Still another brown egg-layer, and one of the earliest chickens to be domesticated in the United States is the Java, which as the name implies, is not native, but was imported from the then East Indies.
The Rhode Island Red is one of the better known chicken breeds in this country. It originated in its namesake state, and is a cross between the Red Malay Game hen and the Leghorn. It is a general purpose fowl, laying brown eggs. A very popular breed, derived from the Rhode Island Red, is the New Hampshire. This breed came into existence in the early 1900's, and is a general purpose fowl used for both meat and egg production. The Buckeye, originating in Ohio, is a rather muscular chicken with stout thighs and a well rounded breast. It is a dual purpose breed, derived from the Plymouth Rock and the Cornish Game Hen.
The Leghorn originated in Italy, coming to the United States by way of Denmark and England. Leghorns are prolific producers of white eggs, known as a very hardy breed, and as a very attractive breed as well. The Sussex, though found mainly in the United Kingdom, and a favorite English breed, has made inroads in the United States. It is very cold hardy and adapts well to either confinement or free ranging conditions. The Sussex is noted for its curiosity, friendliness, and ease of handling.
Finally the Bantam, of which there are a number of Bantam breeds. Bantams are long-time favorites as ornamental birds, coming in many different colors and patterns, and are a backyard favorite. As noted above, they can be grown for meat and (small) eggs, but for many, are just fun to have and to watch.
If you have the room, and the time to care for a small brood of chickens, your rewards can be manifold. Meat on the table, eggs in the refrigerator, and the enjoyment of caring for your own little flock.