Different Breeds Chickens – Breeds Of Chickens Start With Purpose

If you want to explore different breeds, chickens provide that opportunity. There are literally hundreds of different chicken breeds out there. Each area of the world tends to have breeds specific to that area. Selecting breeds often involves determining what you want to do with the animal. Over the past few millennia, breeding has developed certain characteristics. Some chickens make the best eggs while others provide the best eating meat. Some have good meat flavor while producing quality eggs. Some are just for show. Others originally started as game birds used in cockfighting. A common show bird is the Cochin. With soft, plentiful plumage, it makes a showstopper in any exhibition. A noted game bird is the Shamo. This breed originated in Japan for cockfighting.

If you want to know about classic barnyard chickens, you will be looking at breeds that give both good eggs and good meat. With so many different breeds, chickens often get lost in the crowd to the inexperienced eye. However, to an experienced eye, the dual-purpose breeds are both beautiful and useful. A common breed of dual-purpose chicken in North America is the Rhode Island Red. It comes with rust colored plumage. Sometimes the red goes to deep maroon close to black. The comb and waddles are rose red. The feet are yellow and the beaks are reddish-brown. Hens provide up to 300 large brown eggs each year.

When egg and meat production hit modern levels, breeds specializing in one or the other emerged. Egg laying is one specialization. The most common breed for large egg laying production facilities is the Leghorn. This smaller breed of chicken produces 6 to 7 good-sized eggs every week. The White Leghorn is the breed most preferred in the United States. The males do not get above 4 lbs, while females are usually less. Their small sizes are not good for meat production. When it comes to different breeds, chickens that specialize in egg laying are modern inventions.

Meat production is the other major specialization among chickens. Among different breeds, chickens that specialize in meat production are even more modern than egg laying breeds. In the 1930s, breeding between the double-breasted Cornish and the large boned Plymouth Rocks developed the start of the modern Rock-Cornish strain. These birds provide a large amount of flavorful meat. They develop full body weight by eight weeks which makes them very efficient sources of poultry.

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