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15 Most Famous Heritage Chicken Breeds

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 Are you planning to have a nice and healthy chicken flock? If that is your plan then you must be having a fair idea about the different breeds. Have you heard about ‘Heritage breed’’? Do not worry if you lack information than this excerpt is more of a guiding light for you. Continue to read for better knowledge:

Heritage Chicken breed:

In simpler words, it is the old-time chicken; in modern terms, it is known as non-hybrid type. Similarly, traditional farmers call this breed as ‘Heirloom’. This breed when born looks exactly like the parents, which is a general natural phenomenon.

Industrial Chicken breed:

The normal chickens that we see in the market these days are known as industrial chicken. In other words, they are the modern breeds and mainly used for their meat and fresh eggs.

There are many things, which require common about heritage and industrial breed like:

  • They need proper ventilation
  • Dry and clean housing
  • Fresh water and food

If you talk about most popular industrial breeds you must be thinking of ‘white Leghorn’ and ‘Cornish’ – they are used for their eggs and meat normally. However, without their friends or outside their farm they are very annoying and wild. This makes them less popular among the humans and they are likely to be the serving of the guests. If not hunt, these hens have the ability to live up to two years easily. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as white and black chicken breeds.

Variation in heritage Chicken breeds:

Within the category of heritage breed, there are more than thousands types based on their color and traits. Many would be a good source of food like meat, while there may be some, which are ideal for both eggs and flesh. Similarly, you may find some breeds, which have potential to bear cold temperature while other may be good in warm weather. Therefore, with some research it is good to know what kind of breed you are looking for.

It has been seen that heritage breeds tend to exhibit a better behavior than industrial ones. Interestingly, this type of chicken would be many times used as ‘ornamental purpose’ because of its wonderful natural colors. In addition, these chickens have special traits including big feathers, long tails and crest. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as rare chicken breeds.

By now, you must be having good idea and differentiation knowledge of what makes heritage chicken different from hybrid ones. So, have a look at the popular types of heritage chicken breeds from the list we have prepared for you.

List of Heritage Chicken Breeds:

Top ten diversified types of chicken breeds include:

1: Ancona:

If you are looking for a ‘winter breed’, which is energetic, active and playful, you must go for Ancona. This chicken produces a good number and size of ‘white eggs’.

Ancona chicken breed

2: Araucana:

The second breed we have in our list lays blue color eggs. You may find great variation within the araucana types as some may lack long tails while some have weird tufts.

Araucana1

3-Buff Orpington.

It has always been’ favorable chicken breed‘ because of many attributes such as laying good number of eggs, go broody and hatch chicks better than other breeds, has good tasty meat and lays ‘creamy color eggs’. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as chicken breeds that lay colored eggs.

Buff orpington chicken breed

4-Barred Plymouth Rock.

Mostly called as simply ‘rocks or barred rocks’, It’s originated in United States, cold hardy, heavy than Rhode Island red ,dual purpose breed that produces ‘brown color eggs’ and also serves as a good roasted chicken.

Barred Plymouth Rock chicken breed

5-Black Australorp.

It’s originated in Australia, very calm, docile, have ‘black plumage’ with some shades of green and purple in sunlight. It lays ‘light brown eggs’ and has very famous among backyard chicken enthusiast.

BLACK AUSTRALORP chicken breed

6: Blue Andalusian:

As the name suggests, this breed has ‘blue feathers’ – also, ‘the large eggs may be white in color’ but the babies might be of white, blue or black color. You may even see some great combinations of hues too.

Blue Andalusian chicken breed

7: Black Minorca:

If you want to know who is the gangster when comes to chickens, have this breed in your flock. They are arrogant, moody and hardly blend up in the flocks. They lay over-sized eggs, which are ‘half-white in color’. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as egg laying chicken breeds.

Black Minorca chicken breed

8- Single comb brown leghorn:

You must have heard about ‘leghorn family’ a lot – defiantly, the breed belongs to the leghorn family so share almost every other feature of the cousins. They are big in size, lay ‘bright white eggs’ and remain unfriendly to all in the flock.

Single comb brown leghorn chicken breed

9-RHODE ISLAND RED.

No doubt it’s well popular among various heritage chicken breeds. It is a dual purpose breed that lays ‘brown color eggs‘ and famous as a fine broiler.

Rhode Island Red chicken breed

10-SPECKLED SUSSEX.

This breed originated from England about 100 years ago. The feather has a mix of ‘mahogany and black with white’ tips. It’s known as good laying breeds produces ‘light brown or tinted eggs’.

 Speckled sussex chicken breed

11: Silver Campine:

Highly adored for its ‘ornamental value’, this breed remains popular for those who want to have a small backyard farm but majorly for decor purpose. It’s lightweight, fully feathered, active and energetic chicken.  However, the biggest benefit of this breed is constant production of ‘white eggs’.

Silver Campine chicken breed

12: New Hampshire:

Looking for a breed which can be used for ‘both barbecue and egg production‘? Tame this breed as you can get quick desired results as you can see this type of chicken gains the weight and feathers quickly and produce ‘large brown eggs‘.

New Hampshire chicken breed

13: White Langshan

This breed is commonly considered polite, because it generally enjoys being with other. In addition, it can be called beautiful because of its big feathers, which cover almost toes too. This breed lays a good number of eggs, which has somewhat ‘dark brown in color’. They offer great nutritional value.

White Langshan chicken breed

14: White Crested black polish:

This breed has somewhat gorgeous color and a very different look than the other types. The sheen of this chicken is worth praising and the color is admirable. With all this, God has gifted the bred with the ability to produce a good amount of eggs, which are ‘white in color’. The fancy breed in every way is practical.

 White Crested black polish chicken breed

15: White laced red Cornish:

This breed would simply test your patience because this bird takes a lot of time to get fully mature. Normally people use this bird for flesh because egg production does not seem to be a very good option here. If you want to enjoy great chicken meal with close friends, or earn money, sell this breed in form of meat. This is the best breed if the goal is to have raising meat chickens. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as small chicken breeds.

White laced red Cornish chicken breed

Final Thoughts!

Other than the ones we mentioned above, there are many pure heritage and industrial breeds too. Based on your choice you simply choose between the best egg laying chicken breeds and the heritage meat chicken breeds. Yes, you even have the option of choosing chickens, which are highly adored for their ornament values too. You can have some exhibitions at your place and pet lovers would buy them for good value.

Types of Chicken Breeds

4 Basic Types of Chicken Breeds for Your Backyard

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There are limitless and infinite reasons for backyard chickens. In addition to making coop arrangements, you also need to consider the type of chicken breeds that will be most suited for you. Today, there are nearly 60 different chicken breeds that are distributed all over the planet. Moreover, the same applies to their variants that have been produced by using the different techniques and procedures of genetic engineering. For your ease, I have also included chicken breeds with pictures.

It is quite corroborated that your decision about selecting the backyard chicken breeds should be based on what you want to have out of them. There are numerous facets because of which people love to buy chicken breeds for themselves. Below I would be sharing with you all about the 4 dominant types of chicken breeds which are going to be helpful whether you plan to keep a chicken breeds for eggs or just some broiler chicken breeds . It is imperative for you to be clear in your head about the prime motive or purpose for keeping the chicken breeds. Without any further ado, here are the 4 basic types of chicken breeds.

You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as white and black chicken breeds, heritage chicken breeds, rare chicken breeds, egg laying chicken breeds and small chicken breeds.

Egg Laying Breeds

The egg laying chicken breeds can be linked to the Mediterranean class of chickens which lived hundreds of years back. In other words, these egg laying chicken breeds trace their ancestral origins to these specific classes of breeds. Moreover, these chicken breeds are selected in lines to their genetic makeup which makes them the most optimal for the purpose of egg production. At the same time, they have small bodies due to which they are undesirable for meat production purposes. It is also due to the size of their bodies that they are able to direct all the nutriments towards the egg production, which is another reason for their increased egg production. In addition, these breeds are also classified in terms of the color of their eggs. There are those which produce white shelled eggs and the ones which lay brown colored eggs. Now here, the White Leghorns are believed to be the most prolific layers for the white eggs.  The Black and White Minorcas  and the Anconas  also lay white colour eggs.

Egg laying chicken breeds

Meat Production Breeds

The meat chicken breeds are in reality cannot be termed as pure chicken breeds after all. It is due to their hybrid nature, all because they are produced from the combination of different breeds. At the times of pairing the breeds, the genetic engineers and poultry producers prefer to obtain certain meat characteristics. Some of these breeds grow much faster in comparison to others and also come to have a larger body size. For the sake of meat production, there is no other chicken breed that can match the fast and multifaceted growth of the Cornish Cross (Including the White Cornish and Plymouth Rock). Moreover, the breeds are named after the breeding company that processed them or paired them like Peterson, Hubbard or The Arbor Acres. The prime weakness of these breeds is that they are not capable to lay some large number of eggs in comparison to the other different breeds of chicken.

Meat Production Chicken Breeds

Dual Purpose Breeds

The dual purpose chicken breeds include a number of American and English breeds include the Plymouth Rock, Sussex, Wyandottes, New Hampshire etc. In addition to giving a reasonable number of eggs, they are also optimal in terms of their meatiness. Although their meat production capacity is quite low in comparison to the commercial hybrid breeds, still they happen to much better for egg production.

Dual Purpose Chicken Breeds

Cold Weather Breeds

For the areas that are marked for their extremely cold weather, there are certain chicken breeds which should be preferred over all others. Moreover, it is also better to utilize a standard size chicken than the bantam chicken breeds. The breeds that do quite well in the cold weathers include Plymouth Rock, Sussex, Rhode Island Reds and some others. At the same time, you can also consult with a number of local sources and farmers in order to have a better idea about the breeds. Choosing a chicken breed can become a tough job, especially for those who happen to be rookies or novices in the domain of poultry breeding.

Cold Weather Chicken Breeds

breed of chickens

Guide to Select a Right Breeds of Chickens For Backyard

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At the time of launching a poultry farm you do have a wide array of choices to choose from. Chickens have been kept by humans for thousands of years now for a number of different purposes. Due to this domestication, a number of breeds of chicken have been resulted. In a similar way to animals that come in different types, the chicken breeds differ from one another in terms of their characteristics, about which you should be well aware. In other words, you should know about the specific characteristics of each chicken breed in order to have an idea about which types of chicken breeds would be best suited for your farm.

It is all by doing some research that you would be able to have an idea about the best chicken breeds for eggs and meat. When it comes to selecting the right backyard chicken breeds, the following are the breeds about which you should know.Here are some of the most preferred chicken breeds with pictures.

Plymouth Rock

In terms of the top ten chicken breeds, the first in line is the Plymouth Rock. Many years ago, this chicken breed used to be the most common in America. You can select this breed from a number of different options. One of the most common of them all is the black and barred ones. Moreover, these birds are of a calm and friendly nature, due to which they are best suited to being kept in any setting.

plymouth-rock-chicken

Rhode Island Breed

Next in line we have the Rhode Island Breed which is also very common and preferred among the backyard chicken farmers. They are available in two different types including Rhode Island Red and The Rhode Island White. It is their docile demeanour, which makes them one of the most preferred to farmers. Furthermore, it is also able to adapt very well to all forms of free range as well as combined settings. On a yearly basis, it is also able to lay around 300 eggs which are brown in colour. That’s not all, as it is also known to be the best chicken for laying brown colored eggs. The Rhode Island Breed is indeed one of the most famous egg laying chicken breeds.

rhode island

Light Sussex

 Another top chicken breed is the one known as The Sussex Breed. In addition to being present in a number of different types and colors, they are also quite adaptable to any environment. Moreover, it’s also their unique nature which makes them one of the most preferred among all the farmers. Their capacity to lay eggs on a yearly basis falls around 250, which is indeed quite good in comparison to the other different breeds of chicken that are found all over the world. Many farmers, especially the hobbyists love to keep this chicken breed at their homes for quite obvious reasons.

light sussex

Ameraucana Breed

Now moving on, we have another popular breed which you should also consider at the time of selecting the right chicken breed for your farm house or any other setting. The breed is known by the name of Ameraucana. They have a standard size and are mostly kept being one of the dual purpose chicken breeds. Now here, by dual nature it is meant that they are kept for eggs as well as for meat usage, thus making them quite useful in terms of meat chicken breeds. The eggs laid by these birds get really expensive at the time of the Easter Holidays. The reason for this being the beautiful colour of the eggs these birds lay. They are also quite constant in terms of laying eggs on a set schedule. Mostly, this breed is easy to handle and friendly, but there are some that can get really aggressive at times. The colors in which this breed is found include black, blue or brown red.

Ameraucana breed

Ancient Breeds

For those who plan to keep the breeds that are being used since the ancient times, The Anconas and Hamburgs are the ones to be used. These chicken breeds typically lay white colored eggs, but some of the farmers are of the view that these breeds might not be suited for backyard farming, all because of their changing temperament. Other breeds which are also very famous for egg laying include The Minorca, Campine, Orloff, Penedesenca and other broiler chicken breeds. So, now you know how important is it to have some idea at the time of choosing a chicken breed.

anconas chicken breed

Selecting the most suitable breed of turkeys for your flock

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Raising some friendly breeds of turkey is really enjoyable. Moreover, if you bring them up at your home based settings, then you would be able to enjoy a number of flavored meats. At the same time, this strategy is also useful in saving some money. In this regard, you can make use of a number of old as well modern breeds.  Glenn Drowns, a specialist in the domain of heritage poultry, asserts that the White Holland and related breeds are best suited for flocks which are below 20 and that the Bourbon reds are really useful in terms of pest control as well as for foraging. Frank Reese, another specialist in the domain of breeding turkeys, also suggests that the White Holland poultry breeds are quite competitive in terms of meat production and consumption. How to breed turkeys? This is the core question here.

Preference for Broad Breasted Breeds

For those who plan to raise for sales, then the  breeds will come to be the most useful. However, these birds are available on a limited basis, all because of a respiratory disease outbreak that has effectuated thousands of flocks. The reason for which this bird is being recommended lies in the large amount of meat which is present in the areas of its breasts. In comparison to the wild turkey, the bird has 2 to 4 times more meat, due to which it is well suited for meat production purposes. These birds are able to achieve a weight of sixteen to twenty five pounds in a matter of 24 weeks. On the other hand, in order to reach the same weight, the heritage birds would demand nearly 2 years. The importance of this timing period is highly crucial in terms of poultry production, for which most of the poultry producers prefer to make use of this breed of turkeys.

broad-breasted-bronze

Tips for selecting the best breeds for you farms

In terms of selecting the most suited and appropriate breed, you need to be knowledgeable of the various facets including its capacity of natural reproduction, its ability to fly, its pace in terms of reaching the stage of maturity and many other related factors. The thumb rule here is that the most famous breeds might not be necessarily suited for the smaller farms and at the same time, the big size is also not an indicator in terms of the best breeds of domestic turkeys.

Classes of Production Type Turkeys

There are two basic types which will be discussed here including Broad Breasted Whites and The Broad Breasted Bronze. You can easily purchase them from a number of hatcheries in times of the spring season. In addition, the pace of their growth is also quite agile, due to which you would be able to have a massive turkey in the minimal time span. However, there is a single drawback in making use of these breeds of turkey i.e. they aren’t able to produce on a natural basis. The reason for this can be linked to the large sizes of their breasts, which limits their ability to reach out. So, for those who plan to breed some large flocks of turkeys, these two breeds might not be suitable. But if you have no sort of problem with their reproduction limitation, then you should go for them.

production type breed

Heritage Breed of Turkeys

There are a number of farmers and poultry producers who prefer to utilize the heritage turkeys, all because of their well-developed reproduction capabilities. Moreover, they also come in various colors and sizes and are also able to brood a number of eggs. Below are some of the breeds which you might want to consider at the time of selecting the best breeds of turkey for your farms and poultry houses.

heritage type turkeys

Auburn: This heritage breed is believed to be similar to the bronze breeds, but happens to be more reddish in color. The origins of this breed go a few centuries back.

Beltsville Small White: This rare preservation breed is marked for being smaller in size. The breed is also more active in comparison to the other breeds, primarily because of its small size.

Spanish Black: Now here we have another rare breed which was mainly utilized by early settlers. The breed is also medium in size in comparison to other breeds of the same class.

Bronze: This breed is quite large in size and is able to carry out the breeding process in a natural manner. Do remember to distinguish it from the broad breasted ones.

Midget White: The smallest breed of turkeys, Midget White, is really suited for small families. Furthermore, these birds are also quite active and are also able to fly.

Royal Palm Turkeys: Famous for being a show bird, Royal Palm is a small sized heritage turkey. The breed is marked for having black and white colors.

Narragansett Turkeys: Believed to be good foragers, natural calm, medium sized and excellent brooders, Narragansett is the breed which you might want for your small farms. In the past, the breed had come quite close to being extinct, but now it is believed to be more prevalent.

 

Breeding and Rearing of Geese

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Of all forms of the domestic birds, the geese are the ones that can be termed to be the fastest growers. They are quite hardy and can become disease free if kept under constant care. Although a small number of these animals are kept in the poultry settings, there is still a lot of scope for the raising geese industry all over the world. The geese can be grown and brought up successfully on the green pasture, due to which the cost for the production can be lowered down by substantial levels. Keeping in view the feeding and geese breeding, you can expect to start a successful poultry business. Below are some types of geese, which you should know about when planning to raise the waterfowl geese or the water geese.

Famous Breeds of Domestic Geese

Embden

Classified to be a large and an upright bird among the breeds of goose, the Embden is known for its glossy feathers. Its eyes happen to be light blue in color. Initially, the breed had originated from the regions of Germany, but is now well distributed all over the world. For the gander, the weight falls around 8 to 9 kg and for the goose, the weight usually falls around 8 kg.

Embden Geese

Chinese

The Chinese geese can be divided into two different classes i.e. the white and the brown. This bird is able to stand upright with its arching neck. It also has a very distinct knob on the areas of its bill. The eyes of this breed are brown in color. Moreover, this breed is considered to be the noisiest among all the breeds, due to which their sound can be heard to far of places.

chinese geese

Sebastopol and Toulouse

The Sebastopol breed is identified from its fuzzy and curling feathers due to which the birds that fall under the breed appear to be untidy. Furthermore, this breed is also known to be of having an ornamental nature. At the same time, the body of the breed is also more round in comparison to the other breeds. On the other hand, the Toulouse breed is believed to have originated in France and is quite similar to the Embden. But it is not so popular in relation to the other breeds mentioned here.

Sebastopol and Toulouse

Moreover, the breeds of wild geese include The Barnacle Geese, Bar-Headed Goose, The Red Breasted Geese and many more.

Brooding of Goslings

After the goslings hatching, a lot of care should be taken in terms of handling them. In other words, for the first few days the goslings are quite delicate due to which they should be kept warm. Now for the goslings which are brought up under the supervision of their parents, the occurrence of problems is less likely. You can provide some simple housing arrangements for them for the first few days in order to protect them from the changes in the weather. At the same time, you should also ensure that the floor litter is kept as dry as possible.

brooding of geese

On the other hand, for the goslings which are being brought up in an artificial manner, the need for a warm enclosure is highly crucial. For the purpose of providing the goslings with some heat, you can make use of infrared as well as the carbon heating globes. For example, a 250 watt globe will prove to be enough for nearly 30 goslings. In order to know the optimal temperature for the goslings, you can also observe their movement to get an idea.

Breeding and Mating of Geese

How to breed geese? Well, the geese enjoy their best breeding period from the age of 2 to 8 years. After the age of 10 years, the pace of egg production declines slowly at which you should introduce some new flocks of geese. The process of geese breeding can be run using the free range method. It is best to make use of the healthiest gander for 3 to 4 healthy females. You should also allow the birds to mate for one month at the beginning of the geese breeding season.

mating of geese

Feeding and Nutrition

In addition to the availability of the green pasture, you can use of a supplementary ration which can be in the form of geese food pellets or mashes. The feed should be given to the birds 3 to 4 weeks before the fertile eggs would be hatching. Moreover, also prepare vitamin and mineral based mixes in accordance with the guidelines and directions given by the manufacturers.

The goslings should be given a constant access to the water from the very first day. The water provided should be good in quality and should be subject to quality assurance from time to time. Now here you can make use of some specialized jars and troughs for the purpose.

feeding goslings

Shelter Needs

The need for having a spacious shelter for the geese is quite crucial, especially in times of the winter season. For the optimal levels of comfort for the birds, the shelter should be at least 8′ x 10′. Each bird should be given around 6 square feet. Moreover, the shelter should also be water and predator proof. It is also important not to confine the birds for a long time as they might get restless at times.

Gizzard Worming Issue and Solutions

At times when you find the presence of the gizzard worms on the body of the birds, then it is best to begin with contacting the specialists. Moreover, you should also ensure that a proper heat supply is available to the birds due to which the worms including, acuaria, tapeworm and at all others won’t be able to heavily influence the health of the birds. You can also administer the doses of the medications including Nilverm, Aviverm, Droncit and many more.

 
breeds of geese

10 Popular Domestic Geese Breeds And Their Predators

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When it comes to knowing the facts and information about geese, then surely a number of breeds stand out among all others. All of the ancestors of the domestic geese had been derived from the wild species of those times. The European breeds are believed to have originated from the graylag class while the Asian breeds had been obtained from the swan goose.

Although these two classes had quite separate origins, still they were able to inter breed from time to time. The breeds of domestic geese have been classified and stumbled into a number of different classes, the details of which would be shared below. Here are the 10 most popular breeds of domestic geese with pictures.

1. Toulouse

Known to be the largest and one of the most used standard geese breeds, the Toulouse breed is marked for having a weight of about 20 to 26 pounds. The back of this domesticated breed is seen to be dark gray in color. The color starts to transform to light gray color as we move towards the breast regions.

The feet are marked for their deep reddish and orange colors. The bill of the Toulouse breed is pale yellow. In terms of the predators, raccoons, owls, foxes and weasels are in the lead.

Toulouse geese

2. Embden

This geese breed comes from a German city that was famous for exporting them to the regions in England. In comparison to the Toulouse, the embden breed is a bit smaller and white in color. Moreover, it is also a better sitter in comparison to the different breeds of geese.

It is also the most popular and desired market goose in the United States markets. In addition to being a rapid grower, the breed is also quite agile in maturation. The adults can easily reach the weight of about 16 to 26 pounds. In order to wither off the predators, the breed is famous for making use of stylized sounds, hissing and movements.

 embden geese

3. African

Marked for having an ashy brown color and dark orange colored legs, The African geese breed had originated in India. But at the same time, it has been erroneously reported that Africa is the region where it had come from. It also has a kind of protuberance on the top regions of its head.

The male members of the breed are really famous for cross breeding into the other breeds. The adults in this breed are able to have a weight of about 14-20 pounds. Its dark beak together with some other features make it less desirable in comparison to the Toulouse and embden.

african geese

4. The American Buff

Being light buff in color and having a white shaded breast, The American Buff is considered to be latest addition into the American market standards. In a matter of no time, the breed has been able to bag a fame and popularity, which is all because of its amazing features and breeding characteristics. The adults in the class of American Geese breed can reach the weight of about 15-18 pounds.

 american buff geese

5. Chinese Geese

Presently, you can find the brown as well as white varieties of the Chinese geese. Being smaller and having a swanlike appearance, this breed of geese is well adopted and suited for consumption at the home based settings. The brown Chinese goose is known to have a brown colored plumage, while the white ones are known for their orange colored bill.

chinese geese

6. Sebastopol Geese

Marked for their twisted, curled and feathery upper regions of the body, the Sebastopol is classified to be an ornamental breed. The weights for the adults can top the 12 to 14 pounds limit, thus also making them suited for non-commercial purposes.

spastopol geese

7. Pilgrim

The pilgrim is more like a fast growing and sturdy geese breed which is desirable for varying reasons and features. It has always been raised for its feathers and for the purpose of its delicious meat. The breed is also different in terms of the plumage color with which the males are separated from the females.

The males happen to have blue colored eyes, while the females are marked for having hazel colored eyes. The optimal weight for the adults reaches to about 12 to 14 pounds.

Pilgrim geese

8. The Canada Goose

Mechanisms of close confinement are what that are used for the captivation of this geese breed. Mostly they are used in the public parts and by the hunters to serve the purpose of decoys. Their plumage varies from grey to black colors while the feathers on their breast happen to be light.

The ganders or male members do not breed before the age of 2 years. Moreover, they are famous for the mating process in pairs. But there is one drawback in making use of this breed for commercial reasons i.e. they are not efficient in terms of the reproduction.

Beautiful Canada Goose

9. Egyptian

Having long legs, but a small sized body appearance, the Egyptian is used for varying ornamental purposes. Surely, the breed is beautiful but has no potential for competing in the commercial markets all over the world.

The only ones who prefer to purchase them are the ones who are obsessed with their beauty. Their weight, which ranges from 4 to 6 pounds, is also what makes them the least desirable.

Egyptian geese

10. The Buff Back Geese

Europe is the place of origin for this geese breed, which can be differentiated in terms of its plumage size, color and a long bodied appearance. It is used for the purpose of meat and eggs together with its broody nature. They can be breed effectively in the form of pairs and trios.

The Buff Back Geese

Protecting Geese From Predators

For the purpose of protecting the breeds from the geese predators, you would need to provide them with some adequate levels of shelter. It is best to allow them to roam in the day time and keeping them confined in protected shelters at night.

Not to forget here that some predators are quite lethal in terms of attacking from under the ground due to which it is recommended to secure the base of the shelter with some strong and durable materials.  It is also preferable to make the use of low intensity electric fences. The common predators for all the breeds of geese include bobcats, dogs, coyotes,

geese predators

best egg laying chickens

10 Best Egg Laying Chickens To Keep In Your Backyard

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Poultry birds have been domesticated for thousands of years now. These birds have existed since times when the process of selective breeding was first initiated by man. The physical and physiological traits that are used for classifying and categorizing chicken breeds are size, skin color, levels and amounts of feathering, the color of the egg and plumage color. In the 21st century, the chickens are being breed by making use of several standardized patterns of breeding, due to which a number of breeds of poultry have come into existence. These standards have been brought into practice by various countries including USA, UK, Russia, China, India and many more, just for the production of different breeds of chicken.

You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as white and black chicken breeds, heritage chicken breeds, rare chicken breeds, and small chicken breeds.

Now here we have the 10 most famous and best egg laying chicken breeds.

Barnevelder

The reason, for which this best egg laying chickens breed has been named in this way, is due to its specific area of origin, which is situated in Holland. The city, after which it has been named, used to be a dominant and the primary center for egg production in the country. This chicken breed is able to lay nearly 200 caramel and brown colored eggs on an annual basis.

Barnevelder breed

Rhode Island Red

This is one of the best egg laying chickens breed that is known to be the most famous farmyard class. It lays around 260 per eggs on a yearly basis, thus taking it to the number 1 spot in terms of the best laying chicken by any pure breed. The origin of this backyard chicken breed is the Rhode Island area in The United States.

rhode island

Light Sussex

The eggs laid by this egg laying breed are light brown or cream colored being around 260 on annual basis. It is considered to be a well-known show bird and generally friendly in comparison to other common chicken breeds.

light-sussex-rooster

Buff Oprington

The egg laying capacity for this chicken is lower in comparison to the other breeds on the list but on the other hand are good mothers,as they often go broody.

buff orpington

Welsummer

The origins for this egg laying breed also traced in Holland, in the village named Welsum. They are able to lay nearly 200 eggs yearly and are in fact, a cross breed of Barnevlder and Rhode Island Breeds.

welsummer

Black Rock-Hybrid

This one of the best egg laying chickens breed which is more like a hybrid of the Rhode Island and the breed of Plymouth Rock. Their plumage and the high egg laying rate make this breed as one of the most desirable as well as affectionate.

black rock (hybrid)

Specklady Hen-Hybrid

In addition to laying nearly 260 eggs per year, this egg laying breed was formed using the French Maran Hen. The eggs laid by them are dark brown in color. But it is imperative to remember here, that this breed consumes more food and nutrients in comparison to others.

Speckledy Hen (Hybrid)

Japanese Bantam

Being a Bantum Breed, these chickens are one of the small chicken breeds and also come to lay smaller number of eggs on a yearly basis. Most of the times, they are used as pets.

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Polish Bantam

The reason, for which this breed is costly, is all because of its puffball crest. In addition to have a good egg laying capacity, this breed is also tamer than others.

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Araucana

The eggs laid by this hen range from pale blue to green colors. It is marked by having no tail and is also a bit difficult to find, but is still included in the most popular chicken breeds.

Araucana