When you raise a small flock of chicken on your backyard,
you could inject life there. At the same time, you will be able to get your
requirement of eggs and meat without spending a lot of money. However, you need
to know the breed of chicken to have as different breeds of chickens have
different characteristics. As such, it is a good idea to educate yourself on
various types of chickens in order to enable you to take an informed decision
on the choice of chickens for your backyard.
The following are the common breeds of chicken suitable for
rearing in your backyard.
Egg laying chickens
1- Ameraucana:
These medium sized breed of chickens grow up to a weight of
6 to 7 pounds. They are good layers that lay 3 eggs per week on the average.
Eggs are of light blue color. Chicken could be of blue, red, black brown or
even white in color.
2- Ancona:
Anconas are excellent layers that lay five eggs per week.
They are of Mediterranean origin and lay large eggs. Raised for their eggs,
these active chickens normally avoid human contact.
3- Andalusian:
Originated in Andalusia, Spain, this is also a medium sized
chicken. It lays 3 eggs per week and the eggs are white in color. It is raised
for its eggs. This rare breed could be identified when you compare it with a chart
that has chicken breeds with pictures.
4- Appenzeller Spitzhauben:
This active and alert chicken is Switzerland’s national
breed. They are good layers that lay 3 eggs per week. The medium sized eggs are
white in color. It is one of the better egg laying chicken breeds.
5- Hamburg:
These prolific layers are of northern European origin. They
lay 4 eggs per week and weigh between 4 and 5 pounds. Eggs are white and small.
They are good flyers and need open spaces to live.
Dual purpose chickens
6- Araucana:
Araucana is a breed of chicken bred for both eggs and for
their meat. However, they are not easy to breed. They are of South American
origin and lay blue colored eggs. Birds are of black, golden or white in color.
7- Australope:
These large birds that grow up to 7 to 8 pounds originated
from Australia. They yield five brown colored eggs per week. It is a black
colored chicken that is sweet and shy.
8- Rhode Island:
This is an American breed of dual purpose chickens. They
grow up to 7 to 8 pounds in weight and lay five eggs per week. Rhode Island Red
was a very popular breed until recently.
10- Dominique:
This is an ancient breed that has its origin in the Roman
Empire. They lay three eggs per week and the birds weigh 6 to 7 pounds. This is
a rare breed that faces extinction. They are calm and nurturing birds.
Meat breeds of chicken
11- Brahma:
This Indian breed of chicken is large and one of them weighs
8 pounds or more. They lay three medium sized eggs of brown color per week.
They are one of the better meat chicken breeds.
12- Cornish:
Cornish is an English breed of chicken reared for its meat.
This heavy bird grows up to over 8 pounds. It is dark, white laced red or white
in color. Lays only one small light brown egg per week.
13- Jersey Giant:
Though some people think this is a dual purpose breed they
are better as meat chicken. Called the poor man’s turkeys at one time they take
a long time to gain weight but for your backyard they are a good breed. They
are of American origin.
14- Orpington:
Orpington is another heavy bird that will grow up to 7 to 8
pounds. Though they are also good layers they are more popular as meat chicken.
They are of English origin.
15- Sussex:
Sussex is another breed of chickens that could be
categorized as meat chicken. They grow up to 7 to 8 pounds and lay 4 eggs per
week. They are better meat chickens than dual purpose chicken.
These are some of the chicken breeds that are suitable for your backyard but there are also some small chicken breeds. These are the best in case you love to have ornamental birds. Most of these breeds of chicken are found in popular hatcheries while there are some rare breeds that are difficult to be found.