Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Different Breeds of Chickens

Chickenauctions.com

The number of chickens in the world outnumbers the other birds by a vast majority, and can be found spread out around the entire world. Some of these chickens boast names from specific villages or towns such as the D'Uccle chicken, named after a town in Brussels, Belgium or the Pekin chicken named originating from China and named according to their culture. Because there are so many breeds, it is almost impossible to acknowledge all of them, but as to determining their worth or value, there are mainly three types of chickens, and their breeds are dependant on what they are good at.

If you are searching for good chickens to use as egg layers, these are referred to as laying hens. The breeds vary, but the top breeds that show above average success in egg production are the Leghorn breed which lay good white eggs or the Rhode Island Reds which are known for their spectacular brown eggs. Although there is no difference between white or brown eggs except the color, some people prefer white eggs over the brown ones. Choosing more than one from each category would give your hen houses' egg production some variety. A rooster is not necessary for your laying hens to complete their jobs. They will maintain excellent egg production with or without a rooster on site.

Chickens being raised mainly for consumption, or for meat are referred to as fryers or broilers and require a different type of diet as well. To ensure the best quality of meat from them, it is necessary to determine early on in the raising process, what type of feed is the best and what extra supplements they will need to produce the meat you prefer. The age of the broilers and fryers does affect the quality of the meat and whether it will be used as stew meat or otherwise. Knowing the market demand for different ages of chickens is necessary to figure out the best selling time for your chickens and when to purchase new ones. Some of the best breeds for production of meat are the Ross, Peterson, and the Arbor Acres chickens.

Perhaps you are interested in raising chickens for both means, to produce eggs and as meat consumption. There are some specific breeds that are the best choices for this type of bird. The Wyandottes, New Hampshires, and the Plymouth Rocks are the best in both classes for producing good eggs and excellent meat consumption. Keeping chickens healthy is as simple as making them stay in their coop. A healthy diet with focus on nutrition is needed, but for the most part the rest simply falls into place.

Knowing the market for buying and selling chickens is a must when you start to begin raising them for the purpose you have in mind. Knowing and understanding the supply and demand issues in your local area is easier to begin with and as time passes, you will understand the breeds you have chosen, better, and will be able to handle them more expertly each time around.

An online auction site, where it is FREE to buy or sell anything from real estate to chickens. It was started by my daughter and I, to give people a place to display their birds.
Stop by and register for free at my website, which is at http://www.chickenauctions.com

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