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Top 20 Black And White Chicken Breeds For Backyard

Black and white chicken breeds are very striking in their appearance. Their solid white or solid black feathers, or combination of black and white, make for a stunning display in your backyard.

Interestingly, some chicken breeds with black feathers have white meat while certain breeds with white feathers have black meat. The blackest of the black have black bone and almost black blood.

Some of these stunning chicken breeds are raised for show purposes only, while others are raised for egg production or dual purpose both egg and meat production.

If you’re looking for attractive chickens to raise in your backyard for show, meat and/or egg production, consider some of these 20 black and white chicken breeds from out list.

Pure Black Chicken Breeds

Australorp

The first one we are going to discuss is Australorp Originating in Australia. Australorps have black feathers that have a green and purple sheen to them. This breed is prized for both egg production and meat. Hens produce around 250 light brown egg per year. They will go broody a couple times each year. Living to around 8-10 years of age, one Australorp hen can provide you with 2,500 eggs in her life time. This breed holds the record for most eggs produced in one year. The record holding hen laid 364 eggs in one year.

Adults weigh between 7-8 pounds and will adapt to living in either confined spaces or free range. Australorps are shy until they get to know their owner, then they will happily follow their owner around like a puppy.

Australorp Chicken Breeds, produce around 250 light brown egg per year, live around 8 to 10 years

Ayam Cemani

Native to Indonesia, the Ayam Cemani chicken is the blackest of all breeds. A genetic condition of hyperpigmentation causes this breed to have black feathers, skin, beaks, claws, and meat. Even the blood from this chicken is almost black. The perfect black ones have a very high value in Indonesia, because it is believed that they possess mystical powers.

The eggs of the Ayam Cemani are white, however, they are not big egg producers and will have times when they stop laying eggs. Expect about 80 eggs per year from this black chicken breed.

Adult hens are small and weigh about 4-6 pounds. They have long, featherless legs and sharp spurs.

Originated in Indonesia,weigh about 4-6 pounds, lay 80 eggs per year

Black Shuman

Black Shumans originated in Bulgaria and are rare chicken breed, with only 350 accounted for worldwide. The deep black feathers have a green sheen and the head is topped off with a very prominent red comb. The meat of this chicken is white.

Adult Black Shumens will weigh between 3-4 pounds. Hens are good layers and will produce around 150 large white eggs per year. They rarely go broody.

Hens mature early and begin laying large, grayish eggs at the rate of 170 per year. Black Shumans weigh between 4-6 pounds when mature.

Black Shuman Chicken originated in Bulgaria,weigh between 3-4 pounds, lay 170 eggs per year.

4. Kadaknath

Here we have another black chicken breed that has black feathers, black comb, black eyes, black meat and even black bones. The appearance of the cooked meat from this black meat chicken might take some getting used too, but the nutritional value exceeds all other white meat chicken breeds.

This solid black chicken is highly prized for its nutritious meat. High in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, this black meat chicken is raised in backyards primarily for meat production.

Adult Kadaknath chicken will weigh 4-6 pounds. Hens will lay around 100 white eggs per year. They are poor setters and rarely hatch their own eggs.

Kadaknath Chicken Breed, weigh 4-6 pounds, 100 white eggs per year.

5. Minorca

Originating in Spain, the Minorca is a large chicken breed typically raised as an ornamental breed. However, they are good eggs producers. Minorca hens will lay around 120 large, white eggs per year. The hens start laying eggs at 26 weeks and rarely get broody. Some strains of the Minorca will produce more eggs, up to 230 per year.

Minorcas are a hardy breed that will adapt well to any climate, soil condition and to confinement.

Graceful and energetic, Minorcas are a great addition to a backyard farm for both appearance and egg production, Also known as Red Faced Black Chickens, they have light red faces and the comb of the hens fall forward.

Minorca Chicken Breed Originating in Spain, lay around 120 large eggs per year

Orpington

Originating in England in the 1800s, this black chicken breed has short, fluffy feathers that make the chickens look much large than they really are. The thick, soft, puffy layer of feathers allows this chicken breed to stay warm in cold climates. Underneath the black feathers is a layer of white skin.

Bred for both meat and eggs, Orpingtons lay around 150 large brown eggs per year. Adults weight between 8-10 pounds. Orpingtons do come in other colors, but black is the most striking.

Orpington Chicken Breed, Originating in England, 150 large brown eggs per year,weight between 8-10 pounds

Silkies

This black chicken breed is soft and fluffy, with a gentle nature that makes them excellent pets. Chatty and sweet, Silkies are an excellent pet choice for children or for first time breeders.

Silkies have some very unique characteristics: they are not water proof like other chicken breeds; they have black faces and black skin; they have five toes instead of the usual four and their meat is a dark gray-blue color.

Silkies will lay around 100 white eggs per year and try to hatch every one of them. They are not good layers, but they are excellent mothers and will set on any clutch of eggs and ‘mother’ any little chicks in the chicken coop. You may also like to check out heritage chicken breeds.

weight between 8-10 pounds,lay around 100 white eggs per year. We love this chicken breed.

Sumatra

Originating in Sumatra, this black chicken breed is known for its long flowing tail and fighting capability. This breed was once used only for fighting, but is now bred as a show chicken. While the breed has lost much of its fighting capability, it has retained its flying ability and a tall fence will be needed to keep this chicken breed in your backyard.

Sumatra chicken will weigh 3-4 pounds when mature. Hens lay around 100 small white eggs per year.

Sumatras are flighty and skiddish, not a good choice for pets or eggs. The long flowing tail feathers which touch the ground make them best raised as show chickens.

Sumatra Chickens, Originating in Sumatra, lay around 100 small white eggs per year. weigh 3-4 pounds. This is is of our most favorite chicken breed, we love their long tail.

Swedish Black

This chicken is cross between the Ayam Cemani and local Swedish chickens. It has all the same black pigmentation, including a black tongue, but it’s smaller than the Ayam Cemani. Adult hens will weigh between 5-7 pounds.

These chickens have a calm nature and are good laying hens. Swedish Black hens will produce about 150 cream colored eggs per year.

Swedish Black Chickens, weigh between 5-7 pounds, 150 cream colored eggs per year.

Valdarno

Originating in Italy in the early 1900s, this breed has deep black feathers that have a green sheen. Large bright red comb makes this breed highly noticeable among a flock of hens.

Hardy breed known for its high quality meat and egg production. Adults weigh between 4-5 pounds and hens will produce around 200 white eggs per year when they are five months old.

Valdarnos are strong, rustic chickens that were bred for life outdoors. Ideal breed for large, open backyards where chickens can forage on the free range.

Valdarno Chickens, weigh between 4-5 pounds, lay 200 white eggs per year

Black and White Chicken Breeds

Ancona

An attractive black and white chicken breed that has solid black feathers with white tips. Every fifth feather has a white tip which gives this breed a speckled appearance.

Originating in Italy, Anconas are very popular in the United States and England.

This hardy breed is an excellent egg producer, laying over 200 eggs per year even in cooler winter temperatures. Hens rarely go broody, are excellent foragers and can fly well also.

Ancona Chicken Breed,Originating in Italy, laying over 200 eggs per year

Black Cochin

Black feathered body with white head, the Black Cochin originated in China and is noted for its massive appearance. The fluffy underlayer of feathers make this black and white chicken breed look much bigger than it really is.

This breed is hardy and handles cold weather well. Calm and friendly nature, great for children’s pet.

Hens will produce around 200 eggs per year, continuing to lay even during winter. They will go broody a few times per year.

Black Cochin Chicken, lay 200 eggs per year

Barred Rock

Attractive black and white chicken that appears to have stripes. Originating in Massachusetts, the Barred Rock is a sweet, friendly highly productive egg layer that will produce around. This breed is a dual purpose breed, raised for both eggs and meat.

Calm and friendly nature, this hardy bird will adapt to 300 eggs per year most any situation. Cold hardy and ideal for raising in areas that have harsh winter weather.

Barred Rock Chicken Breed, Originating in Massachusetts, lay 300 eggs per year

White Crested Black Polish

Attractive show chickens, the White Crested Black Polish is an ornamental breed that originated in Poland.

This breed is gentle and meek, making it ideal for a pet. The attractive white crest on top of its head looks more like hair than feathers, but the crest also impairs its vision.

This unique chicken breed is not known for its egg production, although one hen will provide you with 200 eggs per year. For its safety and happiness, keep White Crested Black Polish chickens in a confined space. Keep this bird dry at all times, especially in winter, to prevent head feathers from freezing.

White Crested Black Polish originated in Poland, lay 200 eggs per year we love white crest on top of their head

Wyandotte

Originating in Wisconsin in the 1800s, the black and white Golden Wyandotte has black lace feathers and black tail, topped off with red comb, ear lobes and wattle.

This breed is calm and docile, excellent for backyard chicken breeding. Hens will lay around 120 brown eggs per year and will occasionally go broody. Golden Wyandottes are happy raised in confinement or free range.

Wyandotte Chicken Breed, lay around 120 brown eggs per year

White Chicken Breeds

White Leghorns

Originally from Italy, White Leghorns are a backyard must-have for egg production. This breed will begin laying eggs at 16 weeks old and provide you with almost 300 eggs per year.

The breed is nervous and flighty, but adapts to a life confined to a fenced area. Adults will weight between 5-7 pounds.

White Leghorns Chicken, lay 300 eggs per year,weight between 5-7 pounds

Chantecler

Originating in Canada in the 1900s, a monk named Wilfrid Châtelain, developed a practical chicken that would be suited to Canada’s climate, and be an excellent dual-purpose bird. A few years later, the Chantecler white chicken breed was born.

Large white chicken that will produce 200 eggs per year and has tasty meat. Calm and tame nature, but dislikes confinement. You will need a large roaming space to keep this bird happy.

Chantecler Chicken Originating in Canada, lay 200 eggs per year

Sultans

Native to Turkey, but arrived in England in the mid 1800s. This is a unique looking white chicken breed, with feathered shanks, a V-shaped comb, five toes and large nostrils.

They have a happy disposition, and despite their small size they lay large white eggs. Egg production is minimal, typically one egg per week. Sultans are also good meat birds.

Sultans prefer hot weather and confinement. They don’t fare well in cold climates or as free range birds.

White Sultans Chickens, 50+ small white eggs a year

Bresse

Native to France and must be raised within the historic region of Bresse, France. This white chicken breed is declared to be the best tasting chicken in the world.

The raising and selling of this chicken breed is strictly controlled by the French government so the high quality can be maintained.

The Bresse is the same color as the French flag – white body, red comb and blue legs. Very attractive, and very costly chicken, with a price tag of over $20 per pound. Birds are raised as free range and legs are banded to denote authenticity.

White Bresse Chicken Breed

Delaware

The last one in our list is a young American chicken breed that has only been around since the mid 1900s. A cross between New Hampshire Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks was made to develop a chicken breed that would be an excellent egg layer and be good for the table.

This relatively new breed is calm, friendly and large, weighing up to 8 pounds when mature. This breed starts laying eggs when only a few weeks old. Eggs will be large and brown.

Delaware chickens enjoy colder climates and do not like hot, tropical climates. Adjusts well to life in confined spaces.

Delaware Chicken Breed, a cross breed between New Hampshire Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, weighing up to 8 pounds

Ending Note

We all know that chicken breeds have different colors but some breeds are purely white or black in their appearance. Apart from this there are certain breeds that have black meat also but these are very rare. You can raise them if you find their meat delicious.

13 Famous Chickens Breeds That Lay Colored Eggs

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Chickens that lay colored eggs add another layer of fun and excitement to raising backyard chickens. The eggs have the same flavor as white eggs, but finding the colored eggs make it like hunting Easter eggs every time you go to the hen house.

Chicken egg colors vary from blue, green and brown can range from dark to light shades of the color. The reason behind the colored eggs is unclear, but most agree that chickens that lay colored eggs are doing so in a natural response to their surroundings. If the egg color is camouflaged within the nesting material it will have a better chance of being unseen by predators and reaching maturity.

Chickens That Lay Blue Eggs

Araucana Chickens

These chickens that lay colored eggs originated in Chile and are quite rare today. They have not only distinguished themselves from other chicken breeds by laying blue eggs, but they are also unique in the fact that they have no tail feathers and ear tufts.

Araucanas are hardy, active, curious and love to explore, making them an ideal free range chicken for a backyard. They can easily keep themselves fed and entertained by scratching for grubs, worms and insects. They also love people and enjoy being picked up, cuddled and handled by children.

Expect around 180 blue eggs each year from this active and fast maturing breed. Unfortunately the gene that sets Araucana chickens apart also causes them to die in the shell. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as white and black chicken breeds.

Araucana Chickens that lay color eggs

Ameraucana Chickens

The second chicken breed in our list that lay colored eggs is ameraucana. These chickens have blue legs and lay blue eggs, but their feather color varies greatly. Ameraucana chickens can be black, white, blue, wheaton or any color combination in-between. They all have piercing red eyes that give them the appearance of being fierce and mean. They are just the opposite of that. This breed of chicken that lays colored eggs has a sweet disposition and makes a good pet.

Ameraucana chickens have gray muffs and beards, making them look like an old bearded man or a chipmunk. This hardy breed will reach a mature weight of about 5 pounds and tolerates confinement. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as heritage chicken breeds.

Ameraucana Chickens

Cream Legbar Chicken

At number three we have chicken that lays blue eggs is a cross between three breeds: Barred Plymouth Rocks, Golden Leghorns and Araucanas. The results is a friendly chicken that forages for most of its food and is easily handled.

The Cream Legbar is a crested chicken that produces chickens which can easily be sexed by the color of their feathers as soon as they hatch. These chickens have firm, muscular bodies and long a long, flat tail.

The eggs are shades of blue that range from sky blue to bluish-green. Mature hens will weigh four pounds, mature rooster will weigh around seven pounds. You may like to see other types of chicken breeds such as rare chicken breeds.

Cream Legbar Chicken

Easter Egger Chicken

These chickens are friendly, hardy and lay extra large, colorful eggs. The Easter Egger is also an attractive chicken, with tan and white feather and a beard. However, since the Easter Egger is a mixed breed, there is no standard for appearance. It’s possible to a hen house full of Easter Eggers with no two looking alike.

This is a mixed breed chicken that does not fit into any specific breed. It’s often mistake for other blue egg laying chickens, which can be a problem if you’re looking for a show chicken.

The Easter Egger will lay blue eggs, plus rose, brown, green and cream colored eggs. This is an ideal way to create organic, free range colorful egg for Easter with the use of dye or any other type of chemical. Go green this Easter with true colored eggs produced by an Easter Egger hen.

Easter Egger Chicken

Chickens That Lay Green Eggs

Olive Eggers

Happy little chicken that was created by cross breeding a brown egg layer and a blue egg layer. Olive Eggers have a mild temperament and will produce around 200 large green eggs each year. These green egg layers make good pets and get along well with other breeds of chickens.

The temperament, size, skin color, feather color, etc. depends upon the two breeds that were combined to create an Olive Egger.

Olive Eggers are typically a hardy breed that will adjust to most any climate or environment. Create your own Olive Egger with the certain specifications by selecting your favorite breed of brown egg layers and blue egg layers and breeding them together. You’ll get a hen with desired traits that lays green eggs.

Olive Eggers

Isbars

Cold hardy chickens that originated in Sweden and lay moss green eggs. Ideal foragers for any free range farm, Isbars will lay around 200 green eggs each year.

This breed enjoys people and are naturally curious. They are always on high alert and on the look out for predators.

Isbars (pronounced ice-bar) are an attractive breed of hens and roosters that are relatively new, having only been a recognized breed since 1950.

Isbars Hen that lay color eggs

Favaucana

A cross between Faverolles and Amerucanas, this chicken that lays colored eggs will fill your basket with sage green eggs. Favaucanas are cold hardy beauties that have excellent egg laying abilities that produce five eggs a week.

This breed does not like heat, but will tolerate confinement in a well ventilate coop.

Favaucanas love to chat, are friendly and curious. Their sweet disposition makes them an ideal family pet that just happens to lay green eggs.

This is a large bird and will weight around eight pounds when full grown. You may like to see egg laying chicken breeds.

Chickens That Lay Brown Eggs

Marans

These small black chickens lay deep brown eggs that resemble an oval piece of chocolate. Easy going chicken breed that makes a great addition to a backyard flock of egg layers. Prized for both meat and egg production,

Originating in Marans, France, this breed was developed using the local feral chickens in the mid 1,800s. The breed has been refined over the years until it reached a pinnacle of fame in 2011 when Marans was named as the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.

Marans Hen

Wellsummer

These mild tempered chickens originated in the Dutch town of Wellsum. These are large, active chickens that lay brown eggs with darker brown speckles.

Roosters are coveted for the beautiful plumage that are various shades of red and black. The chestnut brown hackles and saddle feathers are free flowing and contrast perfectly with the beetle-green chest and bottom feathers.

Wellsummer chickens are very popular in the the UK and Australia, but have not garnered a faithful following in other countries yet.

Wellsummer Hen

Penedesencas Chickens

This breed originated in Spain and is ideal for raising in hot climates. Penedesencas produce the darkest brown eggs of all – all hens lay deep, reddish-brown eggs. They make great egg producers, but not good pets. This breed is wary and skiddish of humans and it will take time for them to get used to you and not run when approached.

Hens are small and weigh around four pounds when mature, males weigh slightly more at maturity. This breed is hardy and alert, and rooster make excellent flock protectors.

Penedesencas Chickens

Golden Comets

The Golden Comet is a new comer in the hybrid chicken breeds. It was bred primarily for abundant egg production, but they serve the dual purpose of meat and egg production.

These brown egg layers unlike other breeds in our list reach maturity fast and begin to lay extra large brown eggs at an early age, usually around 16 weeks old. Golden Comets will produce over 300 brown eggs per year.

These chicken have small bodies, typically weighing in at four pounds when mature. Their feathers are light-medium reddish brown with a few white feathers mixed in.

They have a mellow disposition and enjoy being picked up and held. They are naturally curious chickens and want to be involved in your outdoor activities. You may like to see small chicken breeds.

Golden Comets

Chickens That Lay Cream Eggs

Faverolle Chicken

Originating in France, this egg layer is a mix of the best characteristics of several different chicken breeds. Faverolles were developed with meat and egg production in mind, but their fluffy feathered appearance, calm disposition and cream eggs have made them a favorite show chicken and family chicken.

These are medium sized chickens when grown with compact bodies. They have five toes which are covered with feathers, as are their shanks. You can expect between 150-180 cream colored eggs each year from a laying Faverolle hen.

Faverolle Chicken

Dorking Chickens

Named for a Southern English town called Dorking, this short legged chickens has five toes and a rose-colored comb. This breed is best known for its tender meat, not colored egg production.

These chickens have a heavy body and will weight around eight pounds when grown. Originally raised for meat and eggs, Dorking chickens are a rare breed that are currently only raised for their green egg production.

Dorking chickens are excellent winter layers and gentle foragers. They don’t destroy garden plants and grass as they scratch like other chicken breeds often do.

Adult females will weight seven pounds, adult roosters will weigh nine pounds.

Dorking Chickens

Ending Note

So these are different chicken breeds that lay colored eggs such as green, blue, brown and cream. The average number of eggs laid per year is 180 to 300. You can select any of these breeds you like the most from our list.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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’.

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‘.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 Small Chicken Breeds Great For Mini Backyard Area

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Small chicken breeds are ideal for raising in small backyards. With many homeowners or renters only having a mini backyard area, scaling back on the size of the animals that live in the backyard will allow you more livestock in a smaller space.

Some small chicken breeds will produce eggs abundantly, some will only lay an occasional egg and some of these tiny fowls will not produce any eggs. Each breed has a unique personality and laying habits, so it’s best to become familiar with the different types before investing time and money into raising them.

Read on to discover the fun facts about 10 of the most popular small chicken breeds we have enlisted for you.

1- Ancona

This attractive chicken originated in Italy but is now popular breed in United States and United Kingdom. It has beetle green feathers tipped with white and will weigh around 3 pound when grown.

This miniature chicken does not make a good pet. They are skittish and have a tendency to fly, so the wings will need to be clipped to keep them from leaving your yard.

Expect around 200 white eggs from the Ancona per year.

2- Appenzeller

The Appenzeller Spitzhauben is the national breed of Switzerland. It has an unusual forward pointing crest, V-shaped comb and featherless legs. This small chicken breed tolerates both cold and heat, plus it loves to climb and roost in trees.

Appenzellers will provide you 200+ white eggs per year. they weight around 5 pound when grown.

This bantam chicken breed needs plenty of space to roam around in and trees for roosting. Related: Egg laying chicken breeds.

3- Barnevelder

Originally from Holland, the Barnevelder is a cross between the Dutch Landrace and Asian jungle fowl.

The glossy black feathers of the bantam breed makes it an attractive addition to the backyard. Non-destructive tendency makes it an ideal garden bird and it will provide you with around 200 medium sized speckled or brown eggs.

Barnevelders are quiet, hardy and don’t mind being in a confined space. Related: rare breeds of chicken.

4- Golden Comet

This breed is a hybrid miniature chicken that has been specifically bred to lay large quantities of eggs and only consume small amounts of food. These are the offspring of a White Rock hen and a New Hampshire rooster.

Golden Comets are cheap to keep and will provide you with hundreds of eggs each year.

Laying almost 300 medium-sized brown eggs per year, these hens are perfect for a small outdoor space.

Golden brown feathers with soft white tail feathers makes this an attractive small chicken.

Golden Comets are a hardy breed that are easy to care for and they adapt to most any environment. They are happy chickens and rarely go broody.

5- Hamburg

Originating in Germany, this miniature chicken shares the same coloration as a Dalmatian dog. The black and white feathers are sometimes tipped with gold color, making it an one of the most attractive breeds. They will provide you with around 200 eggs per year.

This bantam breed does not like to be confined and will become aggressive if not given plenty of space to roam. This small chicken breed is very alert and active and will need a large backyard to move around in. Related: heritage breeds of chickens.

6- Leghorn

Bright white chickens with a thick red comb. This small chicken breed originated in Italy and was brought to the United States in the 1800s.

If you’re looking for a backyard chicken that will grace your landscape with beauty and table with eggs, this is a good choice. Leghorns will produce around 250 white, medium sized eggs per year.

Leghorns are mild mannered chickens, but will not make good pets. They are shy and hard to tame, typically running away when a human approaches them.

7- Marans

These miniature chickens originated in France and are known for their shiny, dark brown eggs and exceptional meat flavor.

Adult hens will reach 7-8 pounds and will tolerate cold well, but they don’t fare well in the heat. They also do well in a small confined space and will provide around 150 eggs per year. When selecting Maran eggs to hatch you should only select the darkest brown eggs to hatch.

Typically gray with white flutters, but can be dark colored. Marans are gentle, but don’t make good pets.

These attractive hens have a thick layer of golden yellow feathers that make them appear very plump, but they will only weigh 3 pounds when grown.

8- Brabanter

Brabanter breed originated in the historic region of Brabant in the Netherlands and is an attractive miniature chicken with cream colored feathers tipped with black.

This small chicken breed is somewhat shy, but friendly, settles in well to a confined space and will attempt to fly when roaming. It will tolerate all climates and produce 150+ large white eggs per year.

9- Sussex

This is another dual purpose breed that provides both eggs and meat. Originating in England, the Sussex chicken made its way to the United States in the 1930s and has been a mainstay among breeders ever since.

This small chicken breed will provide around 250 eggs per years, ranging in color from white to brown. The chicken has eight different feather colors, but most often it will have a white body with black neck and tail feathers.

This bantam breed is non-destructive to gardens and flower bed and will make ideal pets.

10- Plymouth Rock

These gray and whited striped bantam chicken breed is ideal for the beginning chicken keeper. Friendly, easy to tame and well suited to a free range life, Plymouth Rock (also called Barred Rock) hens will lay around 200 medium sized brown eggs per year.

These small chickens are also raised for meat and can withstand cold and hot outdoor temperatures. An adult will weigh 7-8 pounds.

Originally from Holland, the Barnevelder is a cross between the Dutch Landrace and Asian jungle fowl.

Golden Comets are a hardy breed that are easy to care for and they adapt to most any environment. They are happy chickens and rarely go broody. This small chicken breed that provides both eggs and meat. Originating in England, the Sussex chicken made its way to the United States in the 1930s and has been a mainstay among breeders ever since.

Poultry feathers-how many ways they can be used for?

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When we hear the word poultry, the very first thing which flashes in front of our eyes is the chicken. And the next thing we understand we hear the word poultry is the farming of eggs and chickens on large scale. People are engaged in the poultry business for the purpose of producing eggs and chicken on mass level but there are few people who are engaged in this business for the poultry by products only. You would be amazed to hear this but this is true. Now the question is how these by products could be of use to anyone. Well for this, a special thanks goes to science and hard working scientists who made various researches and came up with useful methods to use these by products such as poultry feathers in an effective manner. The most important and highly consumable or use-able by product is the chicken feathers. After many years of research, scientists came up with various uses of chicken feathers that could help in cutting down the production cost and will help the people in getting some products on much cheaper price within which chicken feathers have been used. As the chicken feathers don’t have much weight, around 2 to 3 billion pounds of chicken feathers are produced in Unites States as a result of production of 8 billion broilers on annual basis. According to the research made, the element found in chicken feathers which is named as keratin can be utilized in various products. Below are some of its uses.

Making planting pots from feathers

Researchers who have been performing their duties in USDA/ARS research project have used the chicken feathers in a unique way. They have been using this waste by product for planting pots formulation that has the ability to degrade over various time periods that ranges from 1 to 5 years. These pots have the same structure like any other plastic pots which you may have encountered within a local nursery near your home. The reason for making these pots from feathers is this that these pots can disintegrate all by their self, naturally. In this how, there will be no harm to the environment. But beside that, these pots which are free from any petroleum components, will slowly release beneficial nitrogen into the soil.

Recycling the feather

As mentioned earlier, feathers are made by an element known as keratin that is a protein from which fingernails, wool, hair and hooves are made. This protein has same characteristics as of cellulose which the starch from which paper and wood is made. The chicken feathers contains keratin which is like wool but the only difference is, the surface area of the feather is longer due to the diameter of the fiber as it is smaller. In this way, the fiber is able to absorb more as compared to the wool or as compared to the cellulose fibers. The structure of the feather fiber that is crystal in nature also helps them making durable and stable naturally. In this how, the structure of keratin assists in balancing the plastic structure that helps make the plastic stronger.

For used in Diapers

Around more than 16 billion diapers are made, from the pulp of wood, that are discarded every year. Around 25% of the wood pulp that is used for diapers yearly could be replaced by feathers of worth a year.

Animal feed and Fertilization

Another important use of this agricultural waste is the formation of feather meal. This meal is produced by a method that involves the processing of high pressure steam that is identical to autoclave that is later put into the drying process. Feathers are hydrolyzed by the help of steam and heat into a high protein and cysteine-rich product that is estimated to be 60% digestible.This chicken feather meal is used for fertilization and animal feed.

Bio-diesel from feathers

Another effective use of poultry feathers was discovered by a group of scientists that was being leaded by Professor Manoranjan ‘Mano’ Misra who was rendering his services at the University of Nevada. He came up with the research of creating biodiesel fuel by the help of feather meal. It was found that this meal contains innards, feathers and blood of chicken that is processed with high steam and temperature and contained protein, nitrogen and around 12% of fat in which the researchers were more interested. Researchers extracted fat from this feather meal via boiling water and were able to get bio-diesel from it.

So these are the top most uses of chicken feathers that have been adopted so as to get more out of this poultry industry.

There are other uses also such as

Pillow stuffying
Insulation
Upholstery padding
Paper
Plastics

10 Tips for Raising Chickens Economically

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How to start raising chickens? How much do chicken cost? Well, in order to get an answer to these questions, you should ponder the tips which I would be sharing below. Poultry is surely one of the most profitable businesses if it is done using the right sets of tools and techniques. Moreover, raising the chickens in any setting can also be considered as a pastime. So, if you plan to start a chicken flock, then there are some initial costs you would be required to pay in order to get things going. This initial investment includes all the startup as well as maintenance costs. But here it is also a fact that chickens and egg laying are less expensive in comparison to the other domesticated animals. Thus it is clear that chickens can be raised pretty economically, but it all depends on the type of breed you wish to select. In other words, if you plan to have some expensive and rare breeds at your farm, then things might get pretty costly for you. Most of the people can begin by keeping 4 to 20 chickens at the farm, the cost of which would be around US$ 50 or may be less. So, in order to keep the costs to the minimal, below are some useful tips that might come in handy about raising chickens cheaply. The same applies when you plan to raise chickens for eggs or raising backyard chicken.

1. If you plan to get the chicken through the mailing order, but the numbers of chickens you want are less than the minimum limit, then it is best to share your order with some person. So, from the very start you would be able to save some money in cost of keeping chickens.

2. Before you plan to drop some large sums of cash on those cocky and fancy tractors you come to see in newspapers and magazines, you should think about having an inexpensive coop for getting the job done with the minimum levels of investment. When building or purchasing a coop, try to go for the simplest one that would come to fulfill your requirements. In other words, it should be efficient enough in offering some protection and space to the animals, nothing more than that.

3. If you want to have some egg laying hens, try to add an order of a few pullet chicks and after that fill the remaining sections in the box with the meat type chicken in order to have a minimum quantity. Then it is best if you raise all of the birds together in order to free some space.

4. For those who plan to have meat birds, most of them would come to order cockerels, as they grow rapidly and also come to be larger in size in comparison to the other chickens. In some of the breeds, the cockerels are also cheaper in comparison to the pullets.

5. There are some people who love to butcher the chicken one at a time, but in terms of making an economic sense it is better if you go for the butchering process in the form of batches. It is because you would be using quite a lower amount of electricity and you would also not need to buy some more feeding ingredients and nutrients.

6. Day old chicks should be purchases, as they are quite economical in comparison to the eggs. Moreover, you would also need not to pay some extra costs on the purchase of the incubators and on the electricity on which the incubator runs.

7. Try to place an order from the hatchery that is quite near to you, as the farther the hatchery, the more the money they charge for the transport.

8. Try to get the chicks vaccinated at the hatchery as it is quite cheaper from them due to which you would also not need to purchase vaccinations for yourself.

9. Always prefer to buy the adult birds in the fall season, as at this time more and more people are trying to sale their young birds due to their excess. The adult birds would also come to be less expensive in the winter season in comparison to the months of the spring season. In the spring season the demand for the adult birds get very high due to which it is always savvy to go for the adult birds in the winter season.

10. At the time of purchasing egg laying chickens, always be wary of the hens that are older, as some people might try to sale those hens to you all because they have stopped laying eggs.

With all these tips in mind, you are sure to lower down the cost of raising chickens.

Brooding And Raising Of Ducks

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Brooding (0 to 4 Weeks)

The ducklings can be brooded on wire floor, litter or batteries with brooding period upto 3 to 4 weeks. They require slightly low temperature of 31°C in first week. Further it is reduced by 3°C each week upto 24°C and kept constant. A usual method is to house ducklings on litter in long narrow house having pens on each side of central passage. Further they can be given access to run on both the sides of houses _during fattening period. The following special points should be kept in mind for successful brooding:

Provide hover space of 90 to 100 cm² per duckling under brooder.
Water in drinkers should be 5 to 7.5 cm deep, sufficient to drink but not to dip themselves.

Protect duckling from cold drafts and rodents

Growing (5 to 16 Weeks)

Ducks can be reared by intensive, semi-intensive or range systems. The run space after four weeks alloted is usually 3 to 4 m² per duck. Water depth is increased to 12.5 to 15 cm to allow immersion of heads to prevent scaly, crusty or in extreme cases blindness of eyes. Run fencing of 60 cm height is usually suffice purpose of confining ducklings.

Raising Layers (Above 17 Weeks)

The high egg producing strains starts laying at 16-18 weeks of age and about 96 per cent eggs laid upto 9 am. Because ducks are comparatively hardy birds, they do not need elaborate housing. They can be reared on intensive or range system. Range rearing can be comfortably adopted for small scale farming in which ducks can be kept in open areas of the farm and have access to ponds, lakes or small river. In range 100 ducks can be reared per 0.405 hectare (one acre) depending on availability of greens.

Housing pattern is same as that of chickens with addition of runs as ducks prefer to stay outside during day time. The house may have solid or wire floor with shed of gable or half-round roof. The runs should have gentle slope away from houses for facilitating drainage

Artificial Light

Brooders require continuous artificial light. Growers^. are reared on natural day length, whereas layers are provided 14 to 16 hours of day length for optimum production.

Feeding of Ducks

Pellets or combination of dry and wet mash is used for feeding. Wet mash feeding is preferred due to difficulty is swallowing of dry mash. Therefore, ducks should not have access to feed without water. They may be allowed continuous feeding for first eight weeks but afterwards feed may be offered only twice in a day, i.e. morning (8 am) and late afternoon (4-5 pm),ranges from 120-160 g per bird depending on egg production, age and availability of greens. They need an extra 500 mg of methionine per ton, while growing whereas during laying its requirement is lesser than chicken.

Water

Water for swimming is not as essential feature. But scarcity of water may result in more mortality, therefore, continuous water flow channel with dimensions of about 60 cm in width and 30 cm in depth should be constructed at one of the end of house to meet water thirst.

Nest Boxes

Ground level nest boxes, one for three birds of 30 x 30 x 45 cm size be provided for clean egg production. The litter in boxes should be changed 2-3 times in week.

Catching and Handling

While catching ducks they should be caught by neck and not on side of body as it may result in sudden death.

Health and Management

The duck diseases are to be prevented by proper vaccination and through adoption of effective sanitation and hygiene.

How To Raise Baby Chicks,A Beginners Guide To Backyard Chicken Farming

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Backyard chicken farming was widely observed up till the World War II. The people used to raise the chicken by themselves for eggs and meat. The backyard chicken farming had a variety of merits. It acted as the natural nitrogen fertilization process when chicken perched the food and also a natural controller for bugs and pests. With modernization and industrialization, the chicken farms and chicken breeding on a massive scale emerged. However, with inflation and rise in unemployment, the backyard farming has recently increased. Another reason can be the quality of eggs and meat that the chicken provides. They make excellent pets chicken and they might serve as a significant aspect to spend some good time with your kids while farming. As a result of this increase in the chicken farming concept, you might need handful tips. Let us have a look at the pointers for backyard chicken farming.

 1-Choosing the breed:

The rudimentary thing is the type of breed you choose for farming. The best way of selecting the best breeds is to consult someone who is into this business or browsing it on web. One might buy baby chicks like Jersey Giant, Buckeye, Silkies, Delaware, Polish and Leghorn as an ordinary hen type. Another important thing is going for a hen rather than a rooster. Hens are less aggressive, are easy to handle and also provide good quality eggs. Go for a rooster as a last option.

2-Chicken houses:

Another pointer is the place where the chicken might be kept. This is a time consuming process because the provision of best area of your house is really necessary for the proper chicken development. The basic thing is providing comfort level to chicken and providing space to them. The chicken in the backyard ought not to be like farms where chicken are hoarded up and lack the space for proper development. Next important thing is the suitable environment all over the year. Whether it is summer or winter, the chicken coops need to be suitable and comfortable to prevent sickness of chicken. The coops should be strong and solid in order to prevent from predators. Proper positioning, height and width of coops must be the prime importance.

 
4-Nutrition (food and water):

The proper food and nutrition is yet another pointer for chicken development. Providing diet is important because this assures the strong bones and good quality eggs of chicken. They need calcium as well which can be provided by mixing oyster shell in chicken feed

 5-Cleanliness:

The clean environment of the chicken area is another important thing in ensuring the best possible health of the backyard chicken. Keeping the area tidy and maintaining the cleanliness is essential. This can be done by cleaning it on a regular basis according to proper ways adopted by the best farmers

 6-Prevention from predators:

Preventing the backyard chicken from predators is yet another considerable phenomenon. This can be done by surrounding the area with strong wire mesh all over so that the predators might not penetrate the area. This results in minimum snatching by the predators and reduces the chance of losing the chicken.

 7- Prevention from diseases:

Preventing your chicken from getting sick or other diseases is also an important task. The hens and baby chicks might suffer from diseases due to damp and untidy habitat, improper diet, viral outbursts or contacting with other sick chickens. This can be avoided by proper cleanliness of the area and proper vaccination on and off.

8-Advantages of backyard farming with respect
 to cost,egg quality and meat:

The benefits of backyard farming have been discussed time and again. This provides the best quality of eggs and meat to the chicken raisers.Raising your chickens with good quality food, shelter and optimum life conditions help to get the best of the best. Due to inflation, backyard farming is a shrewd option for those who cannot afford costly meet and eggs. This enables them to get economical, cheap and good quality.

Ostrich Products, Characteristics and Breeding

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Surely, the ostrich can be classified to be the largest among all the living birds on the face of the earth. The adult males can reach to the height of about 2.4 m together with a weight of about 100 KG. Although they are categorized among the birds, they are unable to fly. The reason for this can be linked to their huge body size due to which they are unable to go for a flight. Other Ostrich Characteristics include a long neck, lengthy legs and their running speed. Their long legs are what that enable the ostrich to run at a speed of about 70 KMPH. Not to forget their strides which are extended up to 8m. Below are some more Ostrich Facts.

Sexual Features and Characteristics

At the age of 4 to 5 years, the wild ostriches are able to engage in the process of reproduction. On the other hand, the domesticated ostriches are able to do the same at the age of 3 to 4 years. The black and white plumage appears on the body of the male ostriches at the times of maturity. For the females, the plumage appears to be of a dull coloring. When the ostrich mating time arrives, the plumage attains a more bright color while the skin transforms its color to bright red.

Soon after the birth, the male and females appear to be quite the same, but can be distinguished through the examination of their sexual organs. It can be quite difficult at that time because the size of the penis in the males is quite small, thus it can be confused with the female’s clitoris. When the birds reach the age of about 7 to 8 months, the gender can be determined on the basis of their urination styles. A complete distinction among them is possible at the age of 2 years. The wing quills among the males turn out to be pure white, while for the females they are marked in terms of the grey and black colored rings. Moreover, the feathers on the tail happen to be white or yellowish brown for the males and mottled light and dark grey for the females.

Mating or Breeding of Ostrich

In terms of the breeding patterns for ostriches, the males are polygamous i.e. they are well able to mate with more than 1 females at the same time. This pattern also holds true for the domesticated Ostrich Farming settings where the ostriches are mated in pairs, duos and trios. At times of the breeding season, the male ostriches make stylized sounds and wing movements in order to attract the females towards them. At the same time, the females place their wings in the horizontal direction, thus signaling the male for the start of the Ostrich Mating process. In order to initiate the process, the female crouches so that the male might be able to allow his penis to enter into her cloaca. The process of consummation continues with the male’s groaning sound while the female shakes her head during the process.

There are special environmental settings in which the Ostrich Eggs are laid. The female is able to lay the eggs soon after the mating process is complete. The females which are highly fertile are able to lay around 80-100 eggs sequentially while the breeding season progresses. Now if the eggs might not be removed, the female will prefer to incubate the eggs during the day time, while the male would incubate them till dawn for facilitating the Hatching Eggs. So, for the commercial farming, it is imperative that the eggs are removed at least twice a day. Now here, if the female would be allowed to incubate the eggs, she is going to stop the egg laying process for a period until her chicks reach the age of about 4 to 5 weeks, thus leading to an increased financial loss for the farmers.

The Breeding Season

Ostriches are categorized to be seasonal breeders, as they are only able to mate at specific times of the year. On an average pace, the breeding season for the birds last for about 6 to 8 months on a yearly basis. This timing can indeed vary depending upon the factors of latitude and longitude at different locations. In the regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the breeding process starts during the month of March and ends in August/September. For the regions of the Southern Hemisphere, the season commences in Aug/July and lasts till March.

How to Breed Ostriches

Before you plan to invest in the ostrich business, it is better to have an overview of the market saturation and the profits that are linked with it. For the purpose of breeding ostriches successfully, below are some instructions which you would need to follow.

1. Properly allocate a breeding space to the ostriches and replant the paddocks so that the chances for the microbes to infect the eggs might be reduced. Bags.

2. Keep the males and females separately before the breeding season in order to notch up their moods for the mating process.

3. Allow the ostriches to select their partners freely and naturally by allowing to be the grouped with each other.

4. Try to be careful at times of collecting the eggs, as the males can turn out to be aggressive while protecting their eggs.

5. Use a good quality incubator for the process of incubation. Furthermore, the temperature should be maintained around 96 to 99.5 Degrees F.

6. Turn the eggs for 5 to 24 times on a daily basis.

7. 3 to 5 days before the hatching time, you should transfer all the eggs to some separate incubators.

Ostrich Products

A large variety and classes of ostrich products are now being produced for the Ostrich Markets, due to which they are now being referred to as the Farms of the Future. The reason for which they are preferred these days is due to their meat, feathers, eggs and the hide. The feathers are used for cleaning of machines, equipments and for decoration as well as in fashion industry. The ostrich leather is the most expensive among others and is used for making shoes, jackets and bags. The meat that is produced by them tastes similar to beef and related products. Moreover, the meat also contains lower levels of fat in comparison to other types of meat. The eggs that are laid by the ostriches are the largest in size among all the birds in the world. In addition to their usage for meat and leather, they are also being studied and explored for medical purposes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pure Black Chicken Breeds

Australorp

Ayam Cemani

Black Shuman

4. Kadaknath

5. Minorca

Orpington

Silkies

Sumatra

Swedish Black

Valdarno

Black and White Chicken Breeds

Ancona

Black Cochin

Barred Rock

White Crested Black Polish

Wyandotte

White Chicken Breeds

White Leghorns

Chantecler

Sultans

Bresse

Delaware

Ending Note

Chickens That Lay Blue Eggs

Araucana Chickens

Ameraucana Chickens

Cream Legbar Chicken

Easter Egger Chicken

Chickens That Lay Green Eggs

Olive Eggers

Isbars

Favaucana

Chickens That Lay Brown Eggs

Marans

Wellsummer

Penedesencas Chickens

Golden Comets

Chickens That Lay Cream Eggs

Faverolle Chicken

Dorking Chickens

Ending Note

Heritage Chicken breed:

Industrial Chicken breed:

Variation in heritage Chicken breeds:

List of Heritage Chicken Breeds:

1: Ancona:

2: Araucana:

3-Buff Orpington.

4-Barred Plymouth Rock.

5-Black Australorp.

6: Blue Andalusian:

7: Black Minorca:

8- Single comb brown leghorn:

9-RHODE ISLAND RED.

<img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3398" title="Rhode Island Red chicken breed" src="https://thepoultryguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rhode-Island-Red-chicken-breed.jpg" alt="Rhode Island Red chicken breed" width="480" height="360" />

10-SPECKLED SUSSEX.

11: Silver Campine:

12: New Hampshire:

13: White Langshan

14: White Crested black polish:

15: White laced red Cornish:

Final Thoughts!

1- Ancona

2- Appenzeller

3- Barnevelder

4- Golden Comet

5- Hamburg

6- Leghorn

7- Marans

8- Brabanter

9- Sussex

10- Plymouth Rock