Founding Flocks, Part 7: The Delaware

7 Classic American Chicken Breeds to Raise for America’s 250th Birthday

FlockJourney America 250 Series, Part 7: The Delaware, the newest breed in the lineup, named for the first state of all

Top 3 Takeaways

  • The youngest breed on our list is named for the oldest state Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, which is why it is still called the First State The breed that carries its name arrived much later, developed in 1940 by George Ellis, and it is the newest bird in our All-American lineup
  • It lays more eggs than any other breed in this

Founding Flocks, Part 6: The New Hampshire

FlockJourney America 250 Series, Part 6: The New Hampshire, the breed from the state that made America official

Top 3 Takeaways

  • New Hampshire is the state that wanted its own chicken New Hampshire’s poultry breeders watched Rhode Island get a breed named for it and decided to create their own By the mid-1930s they had, by refining Rhode Island Red stock in the Granite State into a faster-growing, dependable bird all their own
  • It is a working bird, bred to do two jobs well The New Hampshire lays about 240 brown eggs a year and grows quickly enough that it

Founding Flocks, Part 5: The Jersey Giant

Some Founding Flocks breeds get by on their looks The Jersey Giant gets by on sheer size Developed in New Jersey in the late 1800s, it is exactly what the name promises: the biggest chicken most backyard Keepers will ever raise Part five of our Founding Flocks series belongs to the gentle giant of the American backyard

Top 3 Takeaways

  • Built to be the biggest Developed in New Jersey specifically to be one of the largest breeds in the country, and it still holds that reputation today
  • Slow and steady Jersey Giants take

Founding Flocks, Part 4: The Wyandotte

Some American breeds came over with the settlers The Wyandotte came from here Developed in New York and named for the Wyandot people, it is a true American original, a breed Americans created rather than imported Week four of our Founding Flocks series belongs to the bird that wears lace and shrugs off winter

Top 3 Takeaways

  • An American original The Wyandotte was developed in New York, which makes it one of the breeds that America can call its own creation rather than an import
  • Built for cold A low rose comb that resists frostbite and a dense, well-rounded body

Why is My Chicken Panting? What it Means and What to Do About it

It’s a hot summer afternoon You head out to check on your flock and notice something alarming Your hens are standing still with their beaks wide open, breathing fast Some are holding their wings away from their bodies Your first instinct might be to worry, and you should listen to that instinct!

Your chickens are panting, and

America 250 Series, Part 3: Barred Plymouth Rock

Close your eyes and picture a chicken Odds are you just pictured this one The black-and-white striped hen scratching around the barnyard is the Barred Plymouth Rock, and for the better part of a century it was the most common chicken in America Week three of our America 250 series belongs to the bird that became the picture of the American backyard

Top 3 Takeaways

  • It’s the chicken everyone pictures The barred black-and-white hen is the storybook American farm chicken, and it was one of the most popular breeds in the country for

Rhode Island Red: The All-American Hen Behind Half Your Favorite Layers

Top 3 Takeaways

  • The Rhode Island Red is America’s most-raised backyard hen In a recent Hoover’s survey of 253 backyard keepers, 66% had raised one That’s two of every three keepers, and no other brown egg layer comes close
  • You may already be raising its descendants The Red Star, Black Sex-Link, Cinnamon Queen, and ISA Brown all trace back to a Rhode Island Red parent, and the New Hampshire was refined straight from Rhode Island Red stock One breed from one small state is the genetic backbone of the modern hen house
  • It delivers exactly what keepers say they

Why is My Chick Sneezing? Common Causes and When to Worry

I think one of the most stressful parts of raising backyard chickens is the thought of one, or many, of them getting sick As chicken keepers, we do everything we can to keep our birds healthy and happy So when you hear a chick sneeze, it can definitely make your heart skip a beat

7 Classic American Chicken Breeds to Raise for America’s 250th Birthday

This summer, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, and there will be parades, fireworks, and bunting on every Main Street Meanwhile, the oldest American tradition on your block will be out back rather than on the parade route Backyard chicken keeping is older than the nation itself, and the good news for anyone carrying on that tradition today is that several of the very same classic American chicken breeds that helped settle the country are still scratching around farmyards right now In this guide we round up seven founding breeds and take a close look at the oldest


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