Chicken Breeds

Since there are many “would be” or new chicken owners looking for guidance I’ve begun a series of articles summarizing what I’ve learned over 16 years of raising chickens.  Seems like the place to start is with chicken breeds.

Delaware (left), Australorp (back on left), Dominique (black and white) and Ameraucana Hens (multi colored)

Delaware (white, far left), Australorp (black, back left), Dominique (black and white) and Ameraucana Hens (multi colored) Anticipating Dinner

I feel it is important to support rare breeds as genetic diversity is very important to preserving chickens for the future.  Currently genetic diversity is rapidly being lost in livestock species as farming becomes larger in scale and utilizes single breeds.  In the poultry industry the white leghorn chicken is used pretty exclusively.  Should something happen to the leghorn without other breeds available, chickens as a species could be wiped out.

I’m a member of the Livestock Conservancy and they provide information for free on rare and heritage breeds.  These breeds are typically very thrifty, meaning they forage for themselves and are smart enough to recognize and try to elude predators.  In many cases they were developed by our colonial ancestors who needed chickens to fit on a small homestead as good producers with minimal supervision.

Take a look at the Livestock Conservancy resources on chickens for help selecting the best breed for you.  They have a great breed comparison chart (pdf) that will let you quickly scan for the features most important to you.  A few notes on the breeds I have raised are below.  Since I keep my hens until they die of old age (10+ years) and I focus on egg layers as I don’t sell my chickens for meat, my experience is different than those who only keep them a year or two.

Ameraucana or Easter Eggers:

Sienna (Angora Goat) with Ameraucana Chickens

Sienna (Angora Goat) with Ameraucana Chickens

Very prolific egg layer, with egg shell color in green shades.  They are variable in personality and color as they are typically hybrids.  Some are quite friendly, others are nearly wild (ie- flighty) but not aggressive.  They have small combs so do well in cold weather.  Roosters are pleasant and safe even with children.  They are prone to reproductive tract issues as cause of death.

Australorp:

Very prolific egg layers, calm and easy going temperament.  Large comb that is prone to frost bite even here in central NJ.  I have never had roosters of this breed.  Mine have all had crop issues (getting things stuck) but always (so far!) have recovered.  I’ve only had mine for 3 years so don’t have any long term experience with them as yet.

Chantecler:

Chantecler, Favorelle in Background

Chantecler, Favorelle in Background

Developed in Canada for cold weather tolerance (no comb), and good egg production in winter months.  Very active, quick, and flighty personalities.  I haven’t noticed better egg production than my other breeds during the slow season.  I have never had roosters of this breed.  They tend to be broodier than my other breeds.  I’ve only had mine for 3 years so don’t have any long term experience with them as yet.

Delaware:

Large, friendly, easy going and tolerant birds.  They are very good egg layers with a large comb that is  prone to frost bite even here in central NJ.  The roosters are wonderful, safe even for children.  They don’t tend to live as long as other breeds, presumably due to the small genetic diversity within these chickens as there are so few of this breed around.  Generally reproductive tract issues will do them in.  They are incredibly resilient though.  I have experienced them egg bound (with broken egg shells inside – you could hear and feel them) and they not only survived but recovered fully, at odds with what you can read in the veterinary literature.

Dominique:

Small, easy going, curious and friendly black and white birds.  Barred rocks were bred from these birds and they carry sex linked coloring so that the females can be distinguished from the males at birth by the white dot on their foreheads.  They have small rose combs which make them good in cold weather environments.  They are also good egg layers.  Roosters can be aggressive with strangers and I would not trust them with children but they never attacked me (they definitely recognized me as their caregiver).  Prone to leg mites in old age.

Favorelle:

Regina - Favorelle Hen

Regina – Favorelle Hen (was helping me paint the hen house green!)

Active, vocal birds with a few feathers on their feet.  They definitely have in your face personalities but are not aggressive, just talkative, curious and friendly.  They were bred in France for good egg laying in the winter season.  I haven’t noticed better egg production than my other breeds during the slow season.   I have never had roosters of this breed.  I have only had this breed for about 3 years so have no long term experience with them.

Next:  Buying chicks….

Jasper Welcomes This Year’s Chicks

Jasper Welcomes New Chicks

 

Always helpful, Jasper gave the baby chicks lots of attention.  Of course after above average March temperatures, April has been well below average.  Thus the chicks arrived on the coldest day (24 degrees F) since late January.  They are all fine although issues with the brooder light caused about an hour of worries trying to get the temperature correct.

You can tell when baby chicks are unhappy as they make a lot of noise.  Happy chicks are silent or talk to one another in very soft cheeps.  All the noise made them even more attractive to Jasper.

When baby chicks go into the brooder I give them water that is quite warm, about 98-100 degrees F as they will want to drink a lot and it’s important that the water doesn’t chill them.  After a few hours ambient water temperature water is fine.

They do a lot of sleeping the first day, but it is amazing how quickly they catch on to eating and drinking.  I start feeding them by sprinkling food on paper towels and by the end of the day have progressed to an open dish.

2015 Farm Highlights in Pictures

Gallery

Pond at Sunset with Geese and Mallard Ducks

Pond at Sunset with Geese and Mallard Ducks

Girls Going Out to Graze

Girls Going Out to Graze

Leaves on Creek at Sunset

Leaves on Creek at Sunset

Breakfast in Bed

Breakfast in Bed

Spring Wild Flowers

Spring Wild Flowers

Fritillaria on Milkweed

Fritillaria on Milkweed

Monarch on Butterfly Bush

Monarch on Butterfly Bush

Hoar Frost on Sage

Hoar Frost on Sage

Hoar Frost on Puddle

Hoar Frost on Puddle

Snapping Turtles Resting Between Battles

Snapping Turtles Resting Between Battles

Young Geese with Parents

Young Geese with Parents

Spring Wild Flowers

Spring Wild Flowers

Ms Cluck

Ms. Cluck – Ameraucana hen

TyDye (Shetland Sheep) in the snow

TyDye (Shetland Sheep) in the Snow

Foggy Sunrise

Foggy Sunrise

 

11 Inch Bear Print in March Snow

11 Inch Bear Print in March Snow

Spring Happenings

Spring is in full swing and I’ve been feverishly planting seeds before it turns hot and dry. Since it was a cold, wet Spring the plants are off “normal” schedules and bloom times are compressed. All the daffodils bloomed at the same time vs over a month as they usually do. The lilacs were only open during a torrential rainy period so their odor never perfumed the air. The iris have just opened and the peonies are poised to open any day, they just need a bit more moisture. Don’t think we’ll get it soon, and it has been nearly 90 degrees for a few days so all the plants are looking for a nice drink of water.  This is the new weather pattern – all or nothing, without moderation. We get no rain or 5 inches of rain and it is 15 degrees below “normal” or 15 degrees above “normal”.  Both extremes being tough for living things to handle.

Taking Over the Deck

Bleeding Hearts and Ferns Taking Over the Deck

Lavender and White Iris

Lavender and White Iris

My two surviving strawberry plants are blooming.  The only way to keep them alive it to completely enclose them with hardware cloth.  Otherwise the chipmunks destroy both the berries and the plants themselves.  I had not realized how much damage these cute little rascals cause until I caught them climbing the (deer prevention) cages around my roses to reach through and eat fully bloomed roses!  There is a pair roaming around on the back porch so it looks like a population increase is in the making.

Only Way to Grow Strawberries in the Wilds of Central NJ

Only Way to Grow Strawberries in the Wilds of Central NJ

There is a baby bunny running around in the chicken area, but much fewer rabbits overall then last year.  Surprising, since last year was the year the coyotes took out two of my adult goats and there was also a bumper crop of bunnies!  You would have thought the coyotes would have been eating bunnies versus a 100+ pound goat.  Coyote choices are fewer this year (fingers crossed!) since the goats and sheep are now locked into overnight corrals.  More work for me, but hopefully creating less domestic livestock options for coyote meals.

The new chicks are 4 weeks old as of Monday.  They are nearly fully feathered and really beautiful!  The transformation is always amazing.  Since I’m trying two new breeds this year I’ve been trying to pictorially document their change into adult plumage.   Not an easy task as they move around like bullets, trying out their wings and exploring.  Yesterday I got them outside in their permanent “teenage” area instead of in the smaller cage I’ve been using and moving around on the grass up near the house.

Australorp Hen Meets Salmon Favorelle Chick 4 Weeks Old

Australorp Hen Meets Salmon Favorelle Chick 4 Weeks Old

They are still too small (not fully feathered so unable to fully regulate their temperature) to stay out overnight or in cold, wet weather so they move back and forth to their cage in the basement in a cat carrier.  They are amazingly smart.  They learned to go into the carrier when I go out late in the day, all crowding in so I can take them inside.  It only took them a few days to figure this out!  It is their natural inclination to seek shelter when it starts to get dark which I’m sure helps, but often I’m moving them well before dusk due to the cool temperature or rainy weather.  Chicks feather out more quickly when the temperature is low versus when they are raised in warmer ambient temperatures.  They have a light in their cage that allows them to warm up if they get cold, but the basement ambient temperature is about 60-65 degrees.  That’s why they are almost fully feathered at 4 weeks instead of the more typical 6 weeks.

The difference in their personalities is obvious even at a very young age.  The Salmon Favorelles are much calmer and peaceful than the Chanteclers which are calmer than the Ameraucanas in general.  There is one Chantecler that gets upset about being handled as well as two of the Ameraucana chicks.  They are all getting better with the twice daily routine of being lifted in and out of their cage and being taken outside.  Nothing like a little treat of white bread once they are out to make it an overall positive experience!  I also try to pick them up slowly and respectfully, trying to get them to come to me so I can pick them up versus grabbing at them.

Baby Chicks 3 Weeks Old

Baby Chicks 3 Weeks Old

Above is a group picture at 3 weeks of age showing a Salmon Favorelle in the front, Ameraucanas on each side and a Chantecler in the far back.  They love to crowd into a box and peck at the box sides which makes an interesting noise (to a chicken!) .