There are four reasons people keep chickens...
- For the sheer joy of them as pets
- For eggs
- For the table
- To show
For the sheer joy of them as pets
Choose hens you like the look of and enjoy!
For egg layers
You have a number of options for choosing the right breeds for you.- Choose breeds you like the look of - Our first three were a Bovans Nera (black), a Sussex Light (white) and a Rhode Star (red), so my 3 kids would know which one was theirs!
- Choose a breed for egg colour - Marans lay beautiful choclate brown eggs
- Choose a hybrid breed "designed" for maximum egg laying like the Bovans Nera (who are beautiful and friendly too)
For the table
Choose breeds that are big, give them a lot of love and food and don't name them!
Show Birds
Show birds are beyond the scope of a site for beginners, but you will be looking for pure breeds and probably to breed yourself. Click here for a site about showing poultry
Try the breeds section on the left to find the right breed(s) for you
Most pundits say to start with 3 birds - just in case you loose one. But buy a bigger house than you need for 3 as you WILL get more!
Here's a breed chart with links to breeds on the site
- Araucana
- Australorp
- Barnevelder
- Black Rock
- Bovans Nera
- Brahma
- Bresse
- Faverolles
- Maran
- Pekin
- Poland
- Rhode Island Red
- Scots Dumpy
- Silkie
- Silver Partridge Dutch
- Sussex
©2004-2010 Andy Moyle
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