Facts About Rare Chicken Breeds
I’ll be honest, when I first started raising backyard chickens, I was in it for the eggs I really didn’t care what color or kind or anything of the sortuntil I got my hens! I fell in love with the idea of different breeds of chickens as well as the variety of egg colors It’s become such a fun hobby that now I have quite a large flock! At some point, I may have to thin my flock out a bit When you realize that your family
What is a Chicken Breed?
It’s easy to get confused when buying chicks for the first time Should a family buy a breed”, “hybrid” or “sex linked” chick? It’s helpful to know what these terms mean
It was once simpler Chicken husbandry started before the dawn of history when people in Southeast Asia caught and domesticated wild jungle fowl For thousands of years chickens were so useful for producing food that they spread to nearly everywhere people lived For most of history chickens were mongrels roaming around villages and towns and mating without human interference These were tough birds well adapted to their local climate
Choosing Chickens For Their Traits
In many ways chickens are like people Both species come in a dazzling array of sizes, body shapes and colors On top of easily seen features are less visible traits Chickens, like people, are individuals They have personalities Watch a flock and soon behavioral differences appear, and close observation makes keeping chickens fascinating Sometimes their antics are downright hilarious
Physical characteristics and behavioral traits are generally predictable by chicken breed Orpingtons, for example, are usually calm, quiet, and inquisitive, while leghorns excite easily and often make a racket They can also fly like a pheasant Yet