A few days ago Kayla added to our “Meet the Menagerie” section with a post about our chickens. It may not feel like it yet, but we are on our way towards spring, so we’re thinking about adding to our flock. We have five girls currently, but our coop is sized for about a dozen, so we’ll be getting another 5-7 chicks in the next couple months. We found a possible breeder here in Michigan, and after going through his list, narrowed it down to 6 breeds we’re interested in. The numbers line up, 5-7 new chickens and 6 breeds, but it’s unrealistic to expect the breeder to have chicks from all the breeds available at the same time. So, we’re hoping you all could help us narrow down our list a little bit. I’ll give you a picture and brief description of each breed, then you send us a comment or vote for the ones you like best on our Facebook page. We’ll tally up the results, and try to get those birds. Sound good? Good.
Different breeds of chickens have different qualities relating to the intended purpose of the breed and how well they achieve those goals. Chickens are bred for characteristics like egg production, size, temperament, health, and appearance. The chickens we want have to have some key qualities, and the six breeds we’re looking at reflect this. First, they are all considered dual purpose birds, meaning they make good eggs and good meat. Because we can have so few birds we like that versatility, even if it means the egg production isn’t quite as good as a pure laying breed, or they’re not quite as good as a pure meat breed. Second, because Michigan has such variable temperatures between summer and winter we wanted a bird that can handle both extremes, so these six breeds are both cold and heat tolerant. Next, we have to look at these chickens every day, and Kayla and I have pretty different aesthetic preferences, so we tried to find breeds we both think are good looking. After that it came down to price. Fortunately, most breeds that have the first two qualities we were looking for are quite popular, so they’re easier to find and not as costly. Some of the birds we both thought were beautiful or interesting looking are more rare, making the cost through the roof, so we decided against those. So, those are the qualities all these chickens have in common. What sets them apart?
I think these are some the most aesthetically interesting chickens easily available. Their patterns have various degrees and shades of mottling within the breed, so you never quite know what you’re going to get. It’s a fun surprise. Their eggs come in a variety of colors as well, hence the name Easter Egger. Supposedly they can range from light brown to off-white and include shades of blue, green, and pink! One thing I also like about them is that the comb (the red fleshy bit on top of the head) and wattles (red fleshy bit that hangs under the beak) are smaller. In the winter the comb and wattle are susceptible to frost bite, so the smaller they are the less likely that is. Like most of the other breeds in our list, Easter Eggers are considered to be active and friendly, and are expected to lay 3-4 medium sized eggs per week.
Kayla and I both like the black and white mottling on these kids. The appearance is more consistent between individuals than the Easter Eggers, and the egg color is a more consistent brown. They also are expected to lay 3-4 medium eggs every week. They are supposed to be calm and friendly, but don’t come with the “active” tag (which may be good or bad, we’re not sure yet). They tend to be a little meatier than some of the other breeds on our list, which lends itself to being a bit more cold hardy as well.
Kayla likes the dark, slightly iridescent coloration on these chickens, though the roosters (which we can’t keep) are more iridescent than the hens. They are quiet, calm, and supposed to be affectionate, which Kayla also appreciates. This is one of the two breeds on our list that wasn’t developed in the good ol’ USA, being originally bred in England, which sets me slightly biased against it. This one also produces 3-4 eggs weekly, but they’re more on the large size, rather than medium.
This one is probably my favorite. I love the deep, dark coloration, but the main thing is the size. These beasts grow to over 10 lbs! That may not seem like a lot, consider that an average meat chicken, which are bred and raised for size, are 5-7 lbs, Jersey Giants are twice that. Their eggs are proportionately sized, being large or extra large, without any drop in production rates from the rest of this list. You may be thinking, “Ah, being so big they must be bullies, otherwise they would be the only chickens anyone has.” Wrong. These are what you call gentle giants, considered by many to be docile and affectionate.
These ones have black and white mottling like Barred Plymouth Rock, but I think it’s a bit more dynamic in appearance. They lay medium eggs like most of our other choices, but they lay 4-5 per week instead of 3-4. The other big selling point is that they are purported to be calm, gentle, and good with kids. While we don’t have kids, it is nice to know that the chickens will be chill af with our other animals and when our friends’ kids come over.
Kayla really likes these ones, but I’m not sold. First, they’re a French breed, making them a bit less common and therefore a bit more pricey (though not by much). She really loves the way they look, but I guess this is where our aesthetic appreciation differs. Unlike the rest of our list, these chickens sometimes have feathered feet, which I think is funny looking, but Kayla likes it. They lay 3-4 large eggs each week, which is a bit better than the medium sized layers on this list. They’re also supposed to be more quiet, which is good since we have neighbors, and are calm and gentle.
Those are the six breeds we’re looking at. Comment below or vote on our Facebook page to tell us which ones you like and which ones you hate, and we’ll update you all when we bring the new peepers home.
All of the photos are courtesy Meyer Hatchery, and clicking the name of any chicken will take you to their page for that specific breed. Meyer Hatchery is based out of Polk, OH.
Great content! Keep up the good work!