CHICKENS: WHAT BREED TO CHOOSE?

Selecting a breed of chicken for either laying hens or meat deserves more than a momentary selection of what's cute.

What will you use your chickens for? Do you want egg production, meat production, or both? Remember that specialists rarely do many things well, and generalists rarely do anything great.

What type of weather will your chickens be exposed to? Are you selecting a jungle breed for tundra weather, or a cold weather chicken in super-hot conditions?

How long do you want to wait before your chickens become marketable, either for eggs or meat?

How much do you want to feed your chickens?

Each of these questions needs to be addressed when choosing your chickens.

Listed below are lists of which chickens excel in each of the areas above. When you are ready to dive in deeper, visit these two sites for more detail, and then do a goodle for broader descriptions of a few breeds you are leaning towards. Selecting the right breed for your needs will help ensure a productive experience and fewer tragedies as you go.

Henderson's Handy-Dandy Chicken Chart is the most comprehensive list on the net and the quickest read. It is also loaded with links to help you learn more. Start here once you have identified what qualities you need in your chickens.

Feathersite is loaded with photos and first-hand experience with all the different breeds. A good place to finish selling yourself on one breed or figuring out which one to go with.

From the Henderson's site, here is a quick run-down of breeds that meet certain qualities.

BEST EGG PRODUCERS-produce 160 eggs or more a year.
Ameraucana, Ancona, Australorps, Catalana, Deleware, Faverolles, Fayoumi, Hamburg, LEGHORN, Minorca, New Hampshire, Penedesenca, RHODE ISLAND, Sussex

BEST MEAT PRODUCERS-Will dress out to 4-6 pounds
Australorp, Barnevelder, Brahma, Buckeye, Catalana, Chantecler, Cochin, CORNISH, Delaware, Dorking, Faverolles, Holland, Houdan, Java, Jersey Giant, Lamona, Langshan, Malay, Minorca, New Hampshire, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island, Sumatra, Sussex, Wyandotte

BEST DUAL PURPOSE
Australorps, Catalana, Chantecler, Deleware, Faverolles, Minorca, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Sussex

BEST COLD WEATHER-upper case also lay well in winter.
Ameraucana, Ancona (combs can freeze), Appenzeller, Araucana, Aseel, Australorp, Buckeye, CHANTECLER, Cochin, Cornish, Deleware, Dominique, FAVEROLLES, Hamburg, Holland, Java, Jersey Giant, Langshan, New Hampshire, ORPINGTON, PLYMOUTH ROCK, RHODE ISLAND, Rosecomb, Sumatra, SUSSEX, Welsumer, WYANDOTTE

BEST HOT WEATHER
Andalusian, Aseel, Buttercup, Catalana, Cubalaya, Deleware, Fayoumi, Leghorn, Malay, Minorca, Penedesenca, Rhode Island, Rosecomb

FASTEST MATURERS
Ameraucana, Ancona, Andalusian, Appenzeller, Araucana, Australorp, Buttercup, Catalana, Chantecler, Cornish, Delaware, Dominique, Faverolles, Fayoumi, Hamburg, Houdan, La Fleche, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Minorca, New Hampshire, Old English, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Redcap, Rhode Island, Sumatra, Sussex, Welsumer, Wyandotte

MOST EFFICIENT CONVERTING FOOD TO PRODUCT
Leghorn, Cornish