Chicken breeds which is best for your homestead?

Chickens are usually the first animal purchased for a homestead, and our homestead is no different. Who can resist fresh, free-range eggs that are healthier and tastier than eggs that are purchased at the store? No wonder raising chickens has even become popular among those living in the Suburbs. If you plan to keep chickens in a residential setting, check for codes in your town to see if it is permissible. It will also be necessary to check with HOA if you live in a sub-division. Chickens are very social and need companionship so you need to keep several birds and have enough space for an adequate-sized coop. Your coop should be big enough to hold a nesting box for every three hens. You will also need room for a feeder and a waterer. The coop also needs to be sturdy and safe from predators, and it needs to be accessible to you so that you can keep it properly cleaned. It is also important to have space outside for them to forage, get exercise, sunshine, and a shady area to cool off. a You will need around 10 square feet of outdoor space, the more space you can provide the happier your chickens will be. Most of the day Chickens love to forage, looking for worms and bugs. They are awesome to keep near the garden area to keep down insects. Chickens are wonderful to use in the garden at the end of the gardening season to take care of weeds and roots and old vegetables. They will also eat the insects that might winter over in your garden area, not to mention the beneficial compost they will leave behind. The cost of raising chickens depends on the quality of feed you buy, and the number of chickens you have. Chickens are great table scrap eaters, and they will also eat things out of the garden so there are ways to cut the cost of feed. Chickens do need a good layer pellet, calcium, and grit which aids digestion.

Best Layers

Australorp  The Australorp Is a heritage breed from Australia. The Australians bred this particular breed with egg production in mind. This breed holds the record for the highest egg layers, laying 300 + per year. They begin laying eggs around five months old, and will generally lay 6 to 7 eggs a week. Even though this bird was bred with egg production in mind, it is also an excellent meat bird coming in at a weight of 6 pounds for a hen, and 10 pounds for a rooster when fully grown. This breed is an outcross of Minorca, Leghorn, and Lanshan chickens. Much like the Orpington, which is the ancestor to the Australop, this chicken comes in a variety of colors such as blue, black, and white. Because these chickens are a heritage breed, they thrive when free-ranged. The Australorp is extremely hardy and does well in cold or warm weather conditions. They are dependable layers, laying large brown eggs. The temperament of this breed is very sweet and friendly. They do well with other breeds and enjoy people. Owners of this breed say that the roosters aren't aggressive with people, or the hens.

 Leghorn  This breed is from Italy hence the first leghorns were labeled with the name "Italians." The birds were exported from an Italian town called "Livorno" meaning Leghorn in English. These birds were shipped to the United States in 1828 to Connecticut. Leghorns are not considered meat birds, because of their thin size. The Leghorn is usually white, but they come in an array of colors such as brown, black, and buff and they will either have a single comb or a rose comb. The white ears on the leghorn identify that it lays white eggs. The average weight of a Leghorn is 7 1/2 pounds for a rooster and 5 pounds for a hen. This breed is a high-energy bird, intelligent, with a nervous temperament so they don't like to interact with people. They are noisy and very flighty and loud and are not recommended for someone with close neighbors. They are great foragers, and very dependable layers, they are used in the production industry and are highly prized as laying hens. Leghorns will lay between 280 to 300+ eggs per year, 4 eggs per week. This breed will lay up to 10 years, compared to other breeds. The hen's eggs will get larger over time, and by age four her eggs will be considered extra-large. This breed is not known to become broody. 

Rhode Island Red An American breed developed in Massachusetts in the 19th century. The breed is a crossbreed of Oriental birds such as Malay, Java, Chinese Cochin, light Brahma, and Plymouth rocks bred with brown leghorn. These birds are hardy and known to be extremely healthy. The Rhode Island Red is an excellent homestead bird, it is a very good layer laying 200 to  300 eggs per year, 5 to 6 a week, and lay as young as 16 weeks old. The eggs are medium to large light brown eggs. The older the bird gets the larger the eggs she will lay. This breed weighs in at eight and a half pounds for roosters, and six and a half pounds for hens. These birds are very lovable, friendly, and loud. The Rhode Island Red is known to rule the roost and they show their dominance over other breeds they are not known for their broodiness, but when they do get broody, they are diligent about sitting on their nest. This breed does well around children. 

Red Star This breed is also known by Golden Comet, and Sex-Link. Developed in the '50s for production purposes in commercial settings. These breeds are chicks you can buy at your local hatchery or farm store, you may have heard the term used "barnyard mix." which is what these are. An advantage of a Sex-Link breed is that the chicks can be sexed right away leaving no room for doubt about what you will end up with. The Red Star is bred with a White Rock, and when the chick is born you can tell by the color of the chick if it is male or female. Breeding two Red Stars together will not produce a Red Star, you would have to breed with a White Rock or a Rhode Island Red to get a true breed. The Red Star is a super egg layer and can lay one large brown egg per day, or 360 eggs per year. A full-grown Red Start will weigh in at 8 lbs which makes it an ideal meat bird as well. This bird can tolerant hot or cold climates, the only thing to watch out for is potential frost-bite on the comb. These birds have many different temperaments because of the mix of different breeds. This breed needs to have its wings clipped because of its ability to fly.

Easter Eggers  The Easter Egger carries the gene of its blue egg-laying progenitor, the Ameraucanas. This bird lays beautiful blue, green, cream, and pink eggs. They are consistent layers even through the winter months. The Eggers produce 200 eggs per year, that is 4 large eggs per week. This breed is used primarily for egg production but also can be utilized for meat. These birds are fairly small with roosters weighing 5 pounds and hens weighing 4 pounds. This breed has gained in popularity because of the beautiful colored eggs they produce, and they are very low maintenance. These birds have a winning personality, they are friendly, gentle, and curious. Because of their gentle nature, they should be kept from more aggressive birds. They are wonderful birds around children and love being around people. The Egger is a hardy breed and has no known health issues.

Isa Brown  The Isa Brown is a very productive layer, it is a hybrid breed, so when it has bred and has chicks it will not be a true breed and the offspring are predisposed to kidney problems.  This breed comes from a white rooster and a red hen, therefore, they are sex-linked which means that when chicks are born, they can be sexed, white are boys and red are girls. The Isa is a quiet breed, and very gentle they love to be held.  This breed is very friendly, with good production laying upward of 300+  large brown eggs per year, and was bred not to go broody. Since the Isa is such a heavy layer, it is recommended to give extra protein and calcium which helps with energy and stronger shells. It is an early layer, laying as early as 16 weeks of age. This breed was bred to be a high production egg layer, which causes various health issues like reproductive issues, cancer, and kidney problems causing a shorter lifespan for the birds. Normally after two years, you will see a reduction of eggs produced. In the commercial market, these birds are usually slaughtered, however, thanks to a hen rescue, many go to live with a new family to spend out the rest of their days. The Isa is tolerant to cold and heat, a great starter chicken for the homestead, low maintenance, and great with kids what's not to like?

Orpingtons  One of my all-time favorites is the Orpington, it is a beautiful bird and one of the most showed birds in the show bird category. The origins of this breed hails from England. The Orpington is a wonderful bird that serves two purposes, it is an awesome meat bird as well as a heavy egg producer. The three breeds used to breed these dual-purpose birds were the Langshan, Plymouth Rocks, and Minorca. The first Orpington to be introduced in 1886 was the Black Orpington, and later the Buff Orpington in which Hamburgs, Buff Cochins, and Dorkings were used to get the buff color which happens to be the most popular color today. These birds come in several other colors including blue and lavender. Until several years ago this breed was considered endangered but new interest in these beautiful birds has removed them from the endangered list. The bodies of these birds are broad and heavy. The Roosters weigh 10 lbs and hens weigh around 8 pounds making it an excellent choice for a meat bird. They are fast-growing and are ready to harvest in 22 weeks. Orpingtons are good egg layers that lay up to 250 +eggs per year. This breed does tend to go broody, they make great mothers, so they are perfect for those who want to raise chicks. The Orpington is not a forager so it depends solely on its feeder, it does well in confined spaces making it great for backyard coops. Orpingtons are very gentle and calm and love to be handled. Because this breed is so gentle they should be kept away from aggressive breeds. 

Supplies needed for beginning chicken farmers

So you want to raise chickens? Here is a list of supplies that you will need to have on hand to start a successful flock of birds. 

If you are starting out with baby chicks you will need these basic items.

• Brooder A brooder can be made from a large wooden box with wire mesh sides and a wire mesh top, or you can use a large storage tote and place a wire mesh top on it so the chicks can get air. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it is strong enough to keep out predators.
• Heat Lamp Place a 200-watt heat lamp securely in the brooder box with the chicks making sure to keep it away from anything flammable.
• Food and Waterer The basic waterer and feeder that you fill and flip over is all you need, or you may prefer a long narrow oval feeder to keep the chicks from getting in their food and making a mess. 
• Bedding You will need something to put on the floor of the brooder as bedding. Straw or pine shavings work best. Don't use newspaper as bedding because it gets wet and nasty and can cause a condition called spraddle leg.
• Food and Water A good-quality chick starter will get your flock started out on the right foot. You can buy medicated or non-medicated starters, however, if you are going organic, I would buy the non-medicated ones. It is important to make sure your chick has good clean water at all times, and keep the food and water dish clean.

When your chicks have outgrown the brooder, or you start out with pullets you will need to add a few more additional items to care for your flock.

• Chicken Coop The appropriate coop will need to be large enough to allow for 2 to 3 square feet for each chicken. You will also need to have a nesting box for every three hens. The coop should have an outdoor chicken run to allow the flock outdoor time every day to get sunshine, fresh air, and exercise. Always make sure there is a shady area for them to go to when the weather is too hot. 
• Bedding There is several good options for bedding. I personally use straw, not hay. Hay has seeds and when you put it in the compost pile or put it in your garden after you clean it out of the coop, you are going to end up with unwanted seed in your garden or compost. Some people use sawdust as bedding to take care of the moisture and odor, but it can be messy to clean out. I find straw is easier to remove, and with straw, you can also do the deep bedding method where instead of removing the straw you keep putting in new straw over the old until you have a deep bed. The straw will compost inside the coop over winter and the heat from the composting process will help keep the chickens warm over the winter.

Supplements 

• Providing Grit is necessary to aid in the breakdown of food, and aids in digestion.
• Adding Calcium to your flock's diet will help with the energy needed to produce nice hard egg shells.
• Vitamins if you have a chicken that is feeling under the weather, you may need to give an Electrolyte/Probiotic.
• Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade)  A must around the homestead. I use this for my chickens, goats, and other livestock. You can add to their feed, or use it in the coop to keep down mites and parasites by spreading in bedding and laying nest.
• Light Adding a light to your coop will encourage your chicken to lay in the winter months when the days are shorter. Chickens need 14 hours of daylight to keep laying.
• Food and Water In the winter months, or if you are raising meat chickens you need to feed a high protein feed. Feeding at least 18 percent protein will keep your chickens laying right through the winter. I put Apple cider vinegar in my water, and I also use Oil of Oregano which acts as a natural antibiotic.

Raising chickens brings us lots of joy, they are sweet social animals and add so much to our homestead providing us will fresh brown organic free-range eggs, and healthy organic meat. They are such good helpers in the garden also. I hope this article has helped you to choose the right chicken for your homestead. Best of luck!