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Breeds, Amounts, And Varieties

One of the first things to become clear when you are trying to select the perfect poultry for your family is that there is an abundant selection to choose from. The most appropriate bird for you will depend on a number of factors such as your needs and available space. Here are some things to keep in mind while you are searching...

  • Are you keeping birds for; Eggs? Meat? Pets?

  • Here is a good formula for flock building. For one person, begin with three hens as the absolute minimum. Birds need social contact. Add a rooster if you wish. Then for each additional family member add an extra hen. Add a pair more if you keep a fair to poor laying breed to keep you in eggs.

  • I highly recommend a NON-standard breed. Hybrid Leghorn layers and Cornish-Rock Cross broilers have low immunity to disease, are prone to many types of stress and are all around boring birds lacking the personality and charm of most other poultry breeds.

  • Rare and endangered breeds are often the most in need of being raised. They are also often the most beautiful in the world of poultry. Please refer to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancies flyer in your course for further information.

  • If your purpose for keeping poultry is as pets first and foremost, consider bantam varieties of chickens, they are normally 1/4 to 1/3 the size of normal chickens and cost less respectively in space and food.

  • Pick a variety of poultry that will suit your needs, but is also pleasing for you to look at, whatever your taste may be, there is a bird for every henhouse.

  • If chickens are a poor fit for your situation, consider keeping ducks for eggs. Cambell and Indian Runner ducks are better egg layers than chickens. Duck eggs taste identical to hen eggs and are in fact superior to hen eggs for baking. Chinese geese are great layers as well.

Peter J. Willcütt
peat@urbanagrarian.com
612.719.1988