I remember starting with chickens thinking there were probably just a few different varieties to choose from I went completely basic with my chicken breeds until I got into it a little further Now I have over 25
Black Australorps
The story of the Black Australorp breed began first in England in the early 1900’s A man named William Cook from Kent, United Kingdom, created the Orpington chicken Orpingtons are large, heavy feathered, docile poultry Orpingtons then were shipped to Australian homesteads in the 1920’s to fill a need for laying birds The Orpingtins were crossed with other egg production breeds, such as the Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, and Minorca Thus, the Black Australorp was born, and its namesake is a combination of the words Australia and Orpington
Black Australorps still exhibit some of the characteristics of their Orpington cousins
The Delaware – A Hen Dressed for a Wedding
Of the hundreds of chicken breeds only one is dressed to attend a wedding She wears lace every day just in case a ceremony will soon start
Most backyard flocks feature Rhode Island Reds, Americaunas, Barred Rocks, Australorps, or Isa Browns Far too few include the wedding breed, the dainty yet meaty Delaware
The Delaware is a relative poultry newcomer, had a brief burst of popularity, lost favor as a meat breed and is only recently showing up in some backyard flocks The hens are easily managed good layers that, for anyone so inclined, are big enough to be transformed into
Breed Highlight: Prairie Bluebell Egger™
One special breed, unique to Hoover’s, is the Prairie Bluebell Egger™
As well as having a whimsical name, the hens of this breed produce LARGE, bright blue eggs It has been my pleasure to have owned several of these PBEs over the last few years They are always a staple on our farm, and help fill the egg basket with dependable color
According to Hoover’s Hatchery, the lineage of the Prairie Bluebell Egger™ comes from crossing White Leghorn and Araucanas The first reported blue egg layer came from South America in the early