Chicken Keeping Secrets

“I am a suburbanite and although chickens are legal I have limited space for my coop. Therefore, I am curious about bantam breeds and wonder if any have been breed for egg production (quantity and/or size), or do we just assume that their production will mirror the larger breed for which they represent in miniature? Thanks,” ~ Dave w.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the question.

In general, a bantam’s egg production will indeed mirror their standard size counterpart. Depending on the breed, a bantam’s egg will be ¼ to ½ the size of a regular egg. In contrast, the ratio of yolk to albumen is larger in a bantam egg. No egg white omelets here.

In considering your question for this week’s issue, I realized that we have never discussed bantams in any detail so I thought this might be a good time to pass on some general information to those readers who are considering raising bantam chickens.

For those who are unfamiliar, bantams are small chickens ranging in size from 1 to 3 pounds when fully grown.

They originated in the Bantam region of Java but any small variety of fowl became known as “bantam” after they were introduced in Europe.

The term “bantam” includes both miniature versions of standard breeds as well as true bantams which are breeds that have no standard size counterpart. (more…)

“I have 12 brown egg layers, about a year old. I would like to get about 12 heavy’s soon. Can I keep them all together after about 4 weeks or so, and can I leave the big ones out to free range also or should I leave the heavy’s separate, and in the run only and away from the layers because of the different food?

Can they all eat the same food for a while? Hope to hear from you soon so I can figure out what to do. I look forward to your news letters. Keep it up, you got me this far, lets try something different.” ~ Ron from Lake Superior

Thanks for the question Ron.

I’m going to make an assumption here and assume that by “heavy’s” you mean dual-purpose breeds.

I’m also assuming that you want heavier breeds to butcher.

Forgive me if I’ve misunderstood your question.

For those that are unfamiliar, dual-purpose breeds are breeds that grow large and are therefore used for both eggs as well as meat.

Just a few of these breeds include; Australorp, Barnevelder, Brahma, Dominique, Faverolles, Jersey Giant, New Hampshire, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island, Sussex, Welsumer, and Wyandotte.

Again, this is not an exhaustive list and some make better meals than others but these are breeds that are commonly used as dual-purpose birds in my part of the world. (more…)

“I am hoping you will be able to give me some advice on which is the best type of chicken to keep as a novice. I have taken the advice you gave in a previous newsletter and have sought advice locally, but so far it has been conflicting, one supplier is telling me that I must have hybrids for a constant supply of eggs and another has told me to stay away from the hybrids and to keep to the more traditional breeds that tend to produce eggs at a lower rate then the hybrids, but have a longer productive life, also that they are a lot more hardy than the hybrids.

Both are quite adamant in their in recommendation, and I am not sure to what degree their advice is being commercial driven, but it has left me somewhat confused as to which is best. I have been taking your newsletter for quite some time now and am trying to take onboard all your advice, which I am finding invaluable in giving an insight into chicken keeping. Regards,” ~ Andrew Magilton

Andrew, it certainly can be confusing can’t it?

Just to clarify before we really dive into this thing, I’m going to assume that by “hybrid” you mean breeds that have had specific genetic traits that have been selected. Through the generations, these traits have been strengthened to produce the current breeds we have now of “super layers”. There is also genetic selection for show breeds as well as meat breeds.

Here’s the thing about breed selection; there is no one perfect breed. Your purpose in keeping chickens, your climate, the area you’re going to keep them, these are all factors to take into consideration when selecting your breed or breeds.

For the sake of understanding the benefits and drawbacks within any one breed, let’s look in detail at one particular breed. (more…)

“Hello, I’m VERY excited about your newsletter! My question is: when deciding what chickens to get for the first time, what should a person look for? There are SO many choices I’m a bit overwhelmed. I’ll be raising them for their eggs and as pets for our family to enjoy. I’d like the most friendly but also good layers. Please help. Thanks for coming to my rescue!” ~ Tami

Hi Tami.

I have to tell you that I’m so glad you are asking questions before you’ve committed to bringing home a flock.

All too often I find that people get excited about the prospect of keeping chickens and the next thing you know, they’re on their way home with the birds, having made no provisions for them. They’ve spent less time researching the animals they must to commit to caring for, than the research they did on their latest car purchase. (Tangent complete, thanks for listening.)

There are a few things to take into consideration when selecting the right breed for your particular situation:

As you mentioned, you must ask yourself if you want your chickens for eggs, meat or both.

For any readers who want meat birds, remember that the earlier you butcher the better. The point being, don’t expect to have dual purpose birds, let them lay for a few years and then to butcher them, the meat will be good only for the stew pot.

You might have other interests like exotic breeds or show breeds. Whatever reason you have for wanting chickens, determine that first. (more…)

We get so many questions about breeds for specific purposes, I thought we’d take a look at that this week. Remember that age, nutrition, living conditions and individual variances among breeds will affect egg production and meat quality but in general, the breeds below are highly recommended. (more…)