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WHY CHICKENS AND WHAT BREED?

 

When starting out in the world of chicken keeping trying to have a clear idea as to what chickens is best for you and your family can be a daunting prospect with all the current information at ones disposal, books, magazines and of course the internet.

There are many wonderful breeds to choose from like black Rocks but these are not true breeds they are hybrid and will not breed true, but are wonderful egg layers and can be noise for a small Garden keeper.

Collecting a freshly laid egg to have for breakfast with your soldiers is surely a pleasure to be had and what breed it came from or the colours of the shell can't be that important as some think.

There is a breed of chicken that will suit every one whether it the size, colour, pure breed or hybrid, looking wonderful in the garden, showing and exhibiting chickens or the egg colour.

It can be wonderful to fill your garden coop and run with colourful chicken as some advocate as it is very easy to give names and see who is laying or not.

Care should be taken when choosing pure breeds to ensure that they are compatible and will live side by side Orpingtons, Brahma, are a good example being large gentle birds, but put with other breeds can be bullied relentlessly. Bantams are the Jack Russell's of the chicken world and happy dominate larger birds, unless they are of the same breed then will on all accounts live side by side apart from sorting the pecking order.

Hybrids make wonderful pets, these can be acquired as POL (point of lay approx 16 wks old) or as rescue hens from the British Hen Welfare Trust the national charity for re-homing ex battery Hens.

As you can see hybrids will make the most wonderful pets as our grandchildren Megan (6) and James (3) show helping daily with them.

Hybrids tend to be more resistant to disease, available all year round and a lot cheaper than pure breeds the only down side being that they are not so long lived as pure breeds, due to laying larger amounts of eggs in a few short years.

If you are at all proud of your garden take care chickens will no doubt destroy it in time if left to there own devices so send time in the garden with them you will be great company for each other and not to many treats it will make you both fat.