Cochins on the left, Polish on the right. This is just to give you an idea of body build and appearance. Both come in a variety of colors.
Posted on 09/10/2011 7:32:49 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
You’ve decided to take the plunge and raise your own chickens. What’s next? In addition to building a chicken coop and mulling over the egg-eating options — scrambled or over-easy? — you need to consider what kind of chicken breed is right for you.
There are 60 different breeds of chicken today, and each breed has unique qualities. Your decisions should be based on what you want (and don’t want) from a chicken. Are you hoping for steady egg production? Meat production? Both? Do you get a kick out of multi-colored eggs? Do you need a chicken guaranteed to thrive in your climate without overheating or getting frostbite? Or maybe you just want a friendly companion with gorgeous plumage?
Whatever your preference, there is a breed that will fit your needs and wants.
I’m eating a turkey egg/cheese & crab omlette as I type this.
You want good eggs? Make sure the bird has a good diet and plenty of water.
“Which breed of chicken should I get if I want a chicken that will beat the snot out of coyotes?”
Banty Rooter.
Here’s a video of a song I wrote. I think folks on this thread would appreciate it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYwzbafxshw
Aquila chrysaetos , although egg collection can be difficult.
This morning is Bacon and Eggs, Hash Browns and Toast, Coffee, and Juice. Maybe poached, on toast. Maybe scrambled. Decisions, decisions.
We crossed a hearty meat fowl from Asia (Cochins) with a good layer from Poland (Polish) and got a crested, medium weight chicken with feathers from head to toe and all of our desired characteristics. It was a decent, but not a ultra high production layer and a decent, but not a heavy meat producer.
The Polish are a better choice than leghorns for laying. They are gentle and do not have the high strung flighty tempers. They also have a crested hat of feathers rather than a large comb which is subject to freezing. Even the Polish rooster have a comb about the size and shape of barbs on a barbed wire fence.
Other posters have mentioned Orpingtons. They are also a wonderful, gentle breed which make great mothers if you want to raise little chicks the old fashioned way. Cochins share the same personality traits, but are harder to find. However, if you put out a little money for a breeding set (generally a rooster and 2-3 hens), you can be raising your own and selling them. Cochins are a little more winter hearty thanks to their stockier build and a little more body fat. Depending on your climate and whether you plan to raise them in a heated or unheated shed, they may be worth the extra money over Orpingtons.
One of my fondest boyhood memories was when my Polish rooster and my brother's Cochin rooster squared off to fight for harem rights. They went several rounds as neither was willing to give in. Mr. Cochin was like a heavyweight which could take the abuse. Mr. Polish was like a featherweight who was agile and could land punches all over the place, but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. They finally called it a draw. Both were exhausted, but nothing was hurt except their pride.
In the end, the Polish rooster preferred mating with the Polish hens and the Cochin rooster preferred mating with the Cochin hens. So I'm really not sure what they were fighting about.
My father and I got the idea of cross-breeding the two to see if we could get the best characteristics of each, but were unable to get the roosters to cooperate until we separated them into pens without any hens of their breed.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
‘Cause they were running away from my frying pan!
The feather on the feet definitely seemed to be dominant as all the offspring ended up with feathery feet only slightly less thick the foot feathers of a Cochin.
The crests were a blending characteristic; all the chicks had crests but about half the size of a Polish. I will try to find a post some pictures of these breeds. They are beautiful birds.
I especially like the part about the HOA!
Great song!
Give those roosters some tequila. I’m pretty sure that’s how Chris Matthews was made.
Having chickens certainly sounds interesting in so many ways! I have usually seen a person having one type of chicken and thought that perhaps different breeds didn’t “accept” each other or would fight? I laughed out loud with the two roosters fighting and they just sort of considered it a “draw”. LOL!
Six rhode island reds and one Sexling rooster. I want to get a few more, probably will go with loghorns, pictured in photo #2.
I have Buff Orppingtons, Araucanas (lay blue/green eggs), Barred Rock, and a few Wyandotte. I haven’t refreshed my flock in a few years (I have about 25 right now) but will add more Buffs next spring, I’m thinking.
You won’t find one but Longhorn roosters are BIG.
I had a few of those. They'd take nose dives at me whenever I went out to the coop. Nope, chickens are off my list of things to raise.
Different hen breeds get along just fine - except if you have roosters in the mix, they will fight each other, sometimes to the death. I have three accidental roosters...one was a mistake, and two were ‘gifts’ from unknowing City Folk. *Rolleyes* They’ve established their own pecking order, and ‘Cooper’, is definitely in charge of the flock now; the other two, a little Banty and a Partridge Wyandotte fell in line.
I usually avoid/eat the roosters...’useless feeders’, unless you’re breeding your own stock. These three were too handsome to kill. :)
*GROAN* :)
Having a chicken willing to be my best friend is something I've always wanted.......why, we could go for walks together and I could even take it to PetSmart shopping, they allow animals in there. And on tranquil, sunny days, I could take the top off my car and we could go on long, scenic drives together...........
What a great idea!
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