It has been a life long dream of mine to raise chickens. Early in our married life, we lived in an HOA community that didn’t allow these lovely creatures, so we started out with quail. Ha, those gremlins hadn’t thought about small fowl! We bought an incubator and started hatching out little quail chicks right in our bedroom. Seeing a chick hatch is such an amazing experience, the boys loved it! And… no one noticed!
Then, with the incubator we bought for the quail, we hatched out a couple chicken eggs we bought off of e-bay. The hatch didn’t go well, and I realize in hind sight that the eggs I purchased were not of good quality. But, oh well, we got two loveable roosters out of it. Once they were big enough we butchered them and they made delicious, gelatinous bone broth.
Now, we finally have our first-ever laying flock of chickens growing out in our backyard. So, without further ado, let’s talk about selecting a breed for your own flock.
Our ugly, loveable Turkens 😍
Which breed should you get?
There are over 300 breeds and variations of chickens out there. To say that the choice of breed can be overwhelming is a bit of an understatement. You know, analysis paralysis. So, how do you know what type of chicken will be right for you in your own unique circumstances?
Let’s trouble shoot this together.
First, what is your climate?
Some breeds are best suited to cold climates while others handle the heat much better. Where you live plays a huge role in what kind of breed will do best where you are. While you can certainly choose any breed you desire, you may have to baby them a little more if they aren’t well adapted to your environment.
Most chickens are very cold hardy, even breeds with large combs and wattles. As long as chickens are kept draft-free during the winter, they will be fine… From what I’ve read and heard. (Sorry! We’ve got no experience with the cold!) Chickens are more likely to struggle in a very hot climate versus a very cold one. Would you enjoy walking around in 100 degree weather with a thick coat on? Probably not.
Cold Hardy Characteristics
- Small comb, wattles, and earlobes
- Lots of feathers
- Feathered feet
Heat Tolerant Characteristics
- Large comb, wattles, and earlobes
- Less feathers
- Clean feet
Take these characteristics into consideration when choosing the breed you want to bring home. Now, like I said earlier, don’t feel limited by these traits either. If you really want a Brahma and you live in the deep south, go for it! Just keep in mind you may need to baby her a little more when the hot summers roll around. Give her plenty of shade, cold water and good ventilation, she’ll be alright.
What do you need your chickens to do for you?
Think of your chickens, not as pets, but as partners. What do you need them to do for you? You are taking care of them, what will they give in return? Your needs are just as unique as your chicken, choose a breed that will satisfy your need. Most chickens can be categorized into three groups.
Egg Layers
- These breeds have been selected for their crazy egg production. If you need eggs, a lot of them and fast, these guys are for you.
- They tend to be smaller bodied, so they don’t make a great table fowl. But they make a delicious bone broth once they’ve aged out of egg production.
- Tend to be flightier, or more nervous around people. Give them a clean environment with fresh food, water, and sunlight. With your daily interactions, they’ll warm up to you.
Dual Purpose
- These breeds tend to be what most people think of when they think back to their grandma’s homesteads. They are typically large bodied, and lay a decent amount of eggs a year.
- They are ready for butcher in about 4 months, though they won’t produce a carcass as plump as the supermarket chicken.
- They lay well, but not as aggressively as egg laying breeds.
- Tend to be more docile, and are great foragers. Some retain the broody trait and make great mothers.
Meat
- These breeds have been created for their good meat-to-bone ratio and fast grow-out rates. The most common among these is the Cornish X.
- Don’t make a good egg layer. In fact, the hybrid Cornish X’s should not be grown to maturity. Their muscle growth will out preform their bone growth leading to broken bones and heart problems.
- Easy to raise, ready to butcher in 8-12 weeks, tender meat we are all familiar with.
So, do you want as many eggs as possible, a bird with fast growth and tender meat, or a bird that will give you a little of both worlds, plus save you some money on feed? Whatever breed you choose, your chickens make great gardening partners. In an upcoming post, we’ll dive into how to put your chickens to work for you. And best of all, your chickens will love it!
Egg Layers
- White Leghorns
- ISA Browns
- Golden Comet
- Australorp
- Rhode Island Red
Dual Purpose
- Delaware
- Turkens
- Barred Plymouth Rock
- Buff Orpington
- Wyandottes
Meat
- Cornish Cross
- Red Rangers
The Breed For Us
For our laying flock we knew we wanted a dual purpose breed. But, holy cow! There’s so many, I stewed over which breed to get for months, if not years really. Our first criteria, a chicken who is a great forager.
What happens if the world shuts down again and we can’t buy bagged feed? A chicken who wants to go find bugs and seeds to eat will save you money and be more resilient long term.
Many breeds have lost the broody trait (hatching and raising baby chicks), but we needed one that still retained that trait. We wanted our chickens to be self replacing. How are we going to continue our flock if the world shuts down again? Plus, the more chickens they raise, the more we get to put on the table 😋
Then, we also wanted chickens that were easy going. We have lots of little kids so it is absolutely critical that any animal we bring home is patient with the babes.
And finally we needed a bird that would take the heat. Our long, hot, humid summers are brutal. While many chicken tenders lose egg production in the winter, here it’s the middle of summer where egg production drops. The effort it takes the chickens to keep cool reduces the hens capacity for egg laying.
So, we ended up choosing the Transylvania Naked Necks . These ugly guys have half the feathers of a typical chicken making them the best breed for hot climates, and they have every other trait we were looking for. We have been loving them so far and look forward to our first eggs this fall!
If you keep chickens, what breed is your favorite so far? I’d love to hear all the chicken stories down in the comments below.
Happy chicken tending! 😊
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