Shut down happened here in the US on March 16th. Naturally, I spoke with the Bearded Claw, stating I wanted chickens. I was told no and here we are. Chickens.
There's more to chickens than just going and picking them up and hoping for the best. I went to friends that had them and asked advice. I looked up the local laws stating what I could and couldn't have. I had to apply for a permit and have a building inspector inspect my coop before I could have my chicken license...yes you read that correctly. My poor husband. Every night it was a discussion about chickens. I would tell him all of the research I did.
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DE under a microscope
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Here is some beginner advice before we even discuss breeds. Real talk here.
Stay off of the blogs that mention diatomaceous earth for dust baths or pest control. If I see that, I instantly know the blog is full of crap and there is nothing worthwhile to learn there. It's dangerous for chickens and you. There's no reason why you should be using sharp, lung piercing particles around your birds or yourself. You want to disagree? Ok fight me, I have science on my side. Check out what DE looks like under a microscope. You want that in your lungs? No? Then why do that to you animals? I digress.
So you want chickens. Here's what to consider:
- What are your local laws about chickens?
- How much space do you need per bird?
- How many can you have?
- Can you have a rooster? If not do you have place to rehome one?
- What purpose do you want the chickens for?
- Climate-what's your weather like?
- Do you have a vet that can see your chickens? Do you have the ability to do the medical care yourself?
- Management issues
What are your local laws?
Google will be your friend. Why do you need to know the laws? Well if you pick a breed that isn't auto sex or sex linked, you might not know you have a rooster until its too late. Your local ordinances might say no roosters. You also need to know what space you should have per bird and what's the maximum amount of birds you can have. Are you allowed to free range or do you need to keep them confined to a run? You should also know your local laws so if you need to fight for your right to have your birds, you can fluently speak the lingo. If your HOA (this is an American thing) says no chickens, but your state says you can, what can you do to change the rules?
Birds With A Purpose
Let's Talk About Sex
Ok. Now that you've answered those questions. Let's talk about sex. Yes. Sexing birds is an art. If you can't have roosters or if you know that you only want hens, what do you do? I personally cannot have a rooster. It's a hefty fine here and I can lose my poultry permit if I get one. So that eliminated a lot of breeds to begin with.
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My Blue is a Golden Comet, sex link
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Sex Links
Sex links are hybrids. When they are hatched, females are one color and males are another. It's possible to get a rooster, but its like 1%. Sex links are usually high production hens. They are hardy and can handle many different climates. They are friendly for the most part if handled. These will not breed true because they are hybrids. If they hatch chicks, they will not be sex linked.
Some breeds of sex links: Black Sex Links, Golden Comets, ISA Browns, Red Star, Black Star, Cinnamon Queen. Now if you live in another country, they might have another title.
Auto Sex:
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Artemis is a cream legbar. Females look like
chipmunks and males are light colored
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Auto Sex birds are like the sex links. However, they will breed true through the next generation. The male is one color or has one type of marking and the female has another color or different marking.
Some Auto Sex Breeds: Legbars, Barred Plymouth Rock, Ancobar, Cambar, Cobar, Rhodebar, Welbar, California Gray
Dual Purpose Breeds are breeds that can be used for both meat and eggs. Orpingtons are an example of a dual purpose breed.
Broody Breeds
If your purpose for owning chickens is eggs, you need to consider if the breed is a broody breed. Silkies, while probably some of the CUTEST chickens, are not prolific egg layers due to being broody. A broody hen will not lay while broody. Now not all "broody breeds" will be broody. For example, my Cream Legbar, a breed known not to be broody, went broody randomly. It depends on the hormones of the bird.
Common Broody Breeds: Silkies, Ameraucana, Araucana, Australorp, Brahama, Cochin, Delaware, Dominique, Marans, Old English Game, Orpington
Meat Birds
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be aware of the breed you are buying. This year I saw so many people who purchased Cornish Crosses (popular meat bird) and thought they would have a bird for a long period of time. Due to how fast these birds grow and the poor quality of life they will have due to that, they need to be slaughtered at around 8 weeks. How sad is it that your pet that you've been raising and dreaming of will need to be slaughtered to give it a humane ending? If you have children do you want to explain that to your kids if this wasn't in the plan?
Popular Meat Birds: Cornish Cross (called Broilers) These are NOT dual purpose birds. Freedom Rangers are another popular meat bird.
Climate and Chickens
Knowing how a chicken's comb is will help you determine what breed could be best for you. Small combs are good for cooler temperatures, while large combs are generally better for warmer temperatures. Combs are part of the chicken's cooling process. If you have a large combed bird in a cold climate, you are at risk for frost bite. If you are in a hot climate and have small combed bird, they will be at risk for heat stroke faster than your large comb birds.
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Hopefully this article has helped you in some way in your choice of chicken breed. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me!
Sources:
The Chicken Encyclopedia by Gail Damerow
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