Scots Dumpy Sussex and Welsummer

Scots Dumpy is a very rare breed that I have been keeping since 1991. Bought hatching eggs from a breeder in Boston during the early 90’s. The breed comes from the Scottish Highlands and is very ancient. Some historians place its beginning in the first century. Its bones from the 11th century have been discovered. Its a unusual breed with extremely short legs. They should be between two and three inches long. Closer to the ground than dorkings. They have a deep rectangular body with lots of meat. I have the cuckoo variety. Also had the blacks and silver greys but they didnt lay as well. They fatten easy and mature early. They waddle as they walk like ducks because of the short legs. You must make sure their short bodies can reach the water bowl. Easy to catch since they cannot run. Good layers of tinted eggs. The meat is really fat and juicy like wyandottes. They go broody only ocassionally. Sussex was my great grandma’s favorite breed of chicken. In fact its the only breed she ever had. They are wonderful dual purpose chickens that lay as well as rhode island reds. They make excellent fryers and baking hens. Juicy tender meat with good flavor. The speckled variety is the most pure and tastes the best. The other varieties lay a few more eggs per year but you sacrifice meat quality. Sometimes a hen will set and makes a good mother. Cold weather doesnt affect their laying and they are calm birds. Grandma loved this breed because it worked well in town since it isnt noisy. Brought the flock with her when she moved from the farm. While in her nineties the hens were easy for her to manage. The breed comes from England and is still very popular in the United Kingdom. Sussex cocks weigh about nine pounds and the hens around 7. The scots dumpy weighs about one pound less. Welsummers lay a beautiful dark brown egg often with spots. They were my choice for a dark brown egg layer. Since they lay more and bigger eggs than marans and barnvelders. They also dont go broody as often. At farmer markets everyone loved my welsummer eggs. They are now very much in demand. The roosters weigh around six pounds and the hens near five pounds. Welsummers are docile beautiful birds comfortable around people they dont recognize. Mine lay extra large eggs and the hens are productive for three years. They originated in Holland. I always keep a light on in my hen house to get more eggs. Also the layers stay more calm.

Saipan Shamo and Sumatra

These are three nice rare oriental breeds of chickens. Saipans are the largest fowl that I have ever raised rivaling my jersey giants. Some people call them a form of jungle fowl because they use to roam the jungles of the island of Saipan in the south Pacific. They are very tall, muscular birds with nearly a vertical carriage. They are an excellent roasting bird. Mine sometimes drink from the livestock tank since they are twenty eight to thirty two inches tall. My hens weigh around eleven pounds and the roosters are thirteen to fourteen pounds. Needless to say they are more than capable of taking care of themselves while free ranging. With this breed its best to make roosts no taller than twelve inches. My roosts are made from 2X6 lumber. To make certain they will grow a straight keel and not sprain their legs. I also do this with my jersey giants malays shamos aseels and brahmas. Its better safe than sorry. A little cat food seems to make the hens lay better as a treat. These primitive breeds dont lay as many eggs if you dont pamper them. The breed doesnt have many feathers so raising them in the north is pretty time intensive keeping them warm and dry. The roosters dont fight that much if you dont seperate them. Got my first ones in 1971 after joining the SPPA. Shamo’s come from Japan and the roosters are territorial. They originated in Thailand in the 17th century. The Shamo has wonderful tasting meat like the aseel and dark cornish. Some people believe they are eating pheasant when they taste these breeds for the first time. After frying oriental breeds they should be baked in the oven covered for a period to make them tender as well as flavorful. Shamos weigh about three pounds less than Saipans. Hens around eight pounds and roosters around eleven pounds. Shamo hens are very bossy so best not to mix them with timid breeds. Smart birds with a good personality around people. Many people think my black sumatra chickens are the prettiest with their black long shiny feathers. They can fly amazing distances for a chicken. Most my sumatra roosters have three spurs on each leg. They are from the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. The breed is quiet and the roosters seldom crow. Never ate any of these beautiful birds so I dont know what they taste like. Always had buyers for my older birds. The cocks go about five pounds and the hens four. Lay small eggs and have no wattles. Worth keeping for their beauty. Mine loved to roost in the trees.

Polish Red Cap and Rhode Island Red

The most striking characteristic of the Polish fowl is the large protuberance or knob on top of the skull from which the crest of feathers grow and the large cavernous nostrils are found only in crested breeds. They are an ancient breed coming from eastern europe in the 11th and 12th century. They are good non setting white egg layers. This breed needs protection from the rain and freezing temperatures because of their crests. An insulated hen house should work fine in northern climates. Good show specimens are stunning to look at. Because of their restricted vision they dont stray far if allowed to free range. Its a good breed for small children because they seldom peck people. A challenging breed for show. It takes about ten years to develop a good strain of polish show birds. So if you plan on showing yours raise many to get a few correct ones. Just an average table bird since its main use is ornamental and eggs. They often get bullied by other breeds. Red Caps make good fryers with tender fine grained meat. The lay a good number of white eggs. They make good free range birds and they are quite wild. The roosters love to bite and will do so whenever handled. I was never fond of this bred but raised it because of its beauty and rarity. Most of the roosters will go seven pounds and the mature hens six. Rhode Island Reds are the most common brown egg layers. Very hardy and lay through cold weather. Fast growers and fast feathering. If allowed to set the hens make good mothers. Rhode Island Red roosters often turn aggressive. My aunt was spurred in the back by one and required stitches. Thats the only negative thing about this lovely breed. Sometimes its hard to find show chickens colored correctly. Their large brown eggs incubate well. They make a good table bird. They are not easy excited when strangers enter the hen house. Some judges prefer a lighter or darker shade of red. Even when mine got rained on they still laid. This breed has excellent health. They eat more than leghorns because of being a bigger bird but under less than ideal conditions they will out lay the leghorns. Free range chickens must be wormed every few months also inspect chickens for lice. I often keep some cedars branches in the hen house to repell bugs. Once a year all the litter needs to be removed. During the year sprinkle fresh litter on top of the old to keep it clean. If you use hay as litter or grass clippings it makes wonderful compost for your vegtable garden or just roto till it into garden soil. It contains plenty of nitrogen and minerals for plants.

Old English Game Orpington and Plymouth Rock

Old English Games have been around since recorded history and come the closest to being like wild jungle fowl. In many parts of the country they live in a feral state. The breed is highly territorial so the roosters must be seperated or live on a large parcel of land where each cock can have his own territory. In the southern half of the country they do just fine roosting in trees and dont require a hen house. Mom used ours to keep the bugs out of the gardens because they are excellent fliers. They also relish eating ticks which can cause disease. Old English Games and Aseel hens are the best mothers in the chicken kingdom. Most every egg they incubate hatches and they protect the baby chicks with their lives. They are very resistant to evading predators. The baby chicks can fly not long after they hatch and roost with mom. For show they say to dub the comb but I wouldnt on the standard size because you might have problems with animal rights activists. The breed can get along fine with a little hen scratch and oyster shells once grown and allowed to free range. They dont lay many eggs and their meat gets tough if they are not eaten young. They are great for incubating eggs from non setting breeds. Since they automatically go broody when they find a nest of eggs. Orpingtons are a very nice breed wonderful layers and also a good table bird. If you live up north this breed is for you. They lay right through cold weather. My buff orpingtons and cochins are allowed to brood fall chicks because of all their feathers and big warmth producing body. Brahmas and jersey giants also fit into this category. Often you get poor hatches with an incubator however hens usually do a terrific job. I have lost many chicks due to my electricity being off because of thunder storms. Once eggs get chilled in the incubator embryo’s usually die. The cheap incubators are junk so dont purchase them. I have had only the buff and black varieties. Make wonderful show birds being calm and beautiful. They are good layers of large brown eggs. They must be kept out of the rain because their fluffy feathers doesnt repell it. Cocks weigh around ten and hens eight pounds. Sun will bleach the buff color so if showing keep your in shade. Plymouth Rocks are an american breed developed in the middle of the 19th century. They are the female half of the cornish rock cross. They have a nice thick meaty body and are good brown egg layers. Barred is the original color variety. White Rocks are one of the most common commercial breeds in the entire world. The cocks go about nine and a half pound and the hens around seven. Will sometimes go broody. They are fast growers and big eats because of their metabolism. Sometimes Plymouth Rock roosters get aggressive after two years old.

Malay Minorca and Naked Neck

Malays are an ancient breed from Southeast Asia. They have been used in the creation of many breeds to add vitality for vigorous growth and good health. I sell most of mine as pets because of their unusual appearance and intelligence. They seem to be the smartest chicken breed. I teach mine some simple tricks which is quite remarkable considering their tiny brain. They are good at recognizing people and seldom forget the people who have tormented them in the past. The roosters are protective of the hens and chicks. They dont lay many eggs but the chicks are very healthy. Malays cornish aseels and shamos must have low roosts or else their legs will get injured. They have become rare with only a few people keeping this magnificent breed alive. My roosters weigh around eight pounds and the hens about five. Most have the black breasted red pattern. He can be aggressive around other roosters. Minorcas are wonderful layers of large to jumbo sized eggs that are chalk white. They do well both in the hen house or free range. Minorcas give me my largest and whitest eggs. They are the largest and most popular of the spanish breeds. A good breed for fryers since the flesh is fine grained and white. My roosters go about nine pounds and the hens eight. They lay right through the cold winter months. Because of the large comb they are unsuitable for northern climates in my opinion. They dont go broody so you will get plenty of eggs from this breed. A drafty hen house is okay for this breed. Lastly we shall take a good look at the naked neck or turken as some people say. Naked Necks are not a cross of the chicken and turkey. Their bare skin turns red when exposed to the sun. Breed must be given extra protection from the elements because of the lack of as many feathers. Turkens come from eastern europe. They make good mothers and lay fairly well. The breed is sure an attention getter. Many people have dropped by my house asking about these unique birds. Either you love them or hate them there isnt much middle ground with this fowl. Males eight to nine pounds and females six to seven.

La Fleche Lakenvelder and Leghorn

La Fleche is a wonderful breed for fried chicken. The meat is filled with flavor and is tender and fine grained. In europe they have won taste tests and have been favorites of french and italian chefs for decades. This chicken has remarkable white meat and comes from France. The breed is average layers and has a V shaped comb. Because of the unusual comb it has earned the nickname devil bird. La Fleches date back to the 15th century. These are active fowl and good foragers. They have beautiful black feathers and the breed is very fertile. My roosters weighed about seven pounds and the hens around six. Expect about 160 eggs per year. Next I will discuss the lakenvelder breed of chickens. Although it carries a dutch name experts believe the breed originates in Germany. Its a very striking bird contrasting from black to white. The lakenvelders will range far and wide preferring green plans and insects. Often our neighbors lakenvelders would show up at our farm a quarter mile away. If you free range them and live in a southern state their upkeep will cost you next to nothing. Lakenvelder roosters do love to chase small children but will rarely spur one in the legs. So if you have small children I would pick a different breed. Their laying ability is close to leghorns and they often like to hide their nests in weeds. The hens are non broody and lay medium to large size eggs. The breed dates back to the 1700’s. Leghorns is a breed that just about everyone recognizes. Probably about sixty percent of all chickens on earth are leghorns. They are popular because of their eggs and because they end up in chicken soup. They surpass all breed in egg production under ideal circumstances like in commercial poultry houses where the temperature and humidity is controlled. The birds are extremely easy to pick feathers off if your butchering them after they quit laying. Its extremely rare for them to go broody. They are nervous and if a stranger goes in the hen house some hens quit laying for a week. Breed will rarely lay eggs in cold hen houses. There are many beautiful varieties of leghorns. They seem to do well at poultry shows. Hawks consider this breed their favorite so you better keep an eye on them if you let them eat grass a few hours before dark. As the leghorns get older many will give you jumbo sized eggs. Also it doesnt cost you much laying mash to produce a dozen eggs. Leghorns are flighty so your pens must have a roof to avoid escapes or you can cut their flight feathers on one wing. Dont crowd the leghorn chicks or they will peck holes in each other. Light breed roosters are very agile breeders so fertility is usually good. One light breed rooster can cover many hens and keep them fertile.

Faverolles Hamburg and Jersey Giant

Salmon Faverolles were one of my first breeds. They look peculiar with their beard muff feathered shanks and fifth toe. Both my sisters hated this breed because the roosters like to fight your legs when you walk. Many times the faverolles roosters and lakenvelder roosters had my sisters crying. Of course I kept the spurs trimmed to prevent injury. The breed looks bigger than they are because of the loose feathering. The hens are good layers and they make a good table bird. They are a french meat breed with roosters weighing eight pounds and the hens a little over six. Good selection for northern states because they handle cold real well. Hamburgs are a good breed for people on a limited budget because they consume very little feed. However they are nervous and can fly very well. So if you keep your birds penned they will be difficult to recover. The breed is good layers and do not go broody. The rose comb does well in cold weather although they are not a good choice for northern states because of the low body weight unless you heat your hen house. My cousin kept her golden penciled hamburgs in a rabbit hutch where they did very well. I preferred the spangled hamburgs because they laid a slightly bigger egg and produced more of them. The penciled varieties are quite small. Mature cocks four to five pounds and hens three to four pounds. Got my jersey giants from Golda Miller who is a legend in the breed. Received hatching eggs from her three times. A few of my jersey giant cocks topped the scales at thirteen pounds and averaged twelve pounds. My hens weigh any where from ten to eleven pounds. The eggs take an additional day to hatch. Many of the hens lay jumbo sized eggs right through the winter. When they retire to the roasting pan at three years old they provide a feast. We use to eat them for Thanksgiving and Christmas after they were fattened on corn. We had so many chickens and pigs that we seldom bought turkeys for holidays. They have the room to pack on lots of fat for dressing and noodles. The breed isnt a very good setting hen because they are rather clumsy and step on chicks. The breed takes a long time to mature so they are not suitable for fryers. Never had the white variety of jersey giants. These make wonderful show birds because of their calm nature. I wouldnt suggest having many of these unless you can free range them because they require a great deal of feed. Very hardy and dont require a good hen house.

Cornish Cubalaya and Dorking

Cornish originated in Cornwall England and is the ultimate meat bird which is often crossed into other breeds to add muscle. In their native country they are called indian games. They are made up of old english games malay and aseels. Aseel is the majority of their make up. In fact they look like an aseel on steroids. Only aseel and shamo meat can compare in the flavor department. This is the breed my dad and his family always raised since they were not farmers in the egg selling business. The cornish are poor layers but can rustle free range for most of their food like the aseel. Also like the aseel they are great at avoiding predators like hawks snakes and rodents. I have only experience with the dark cornish and white laced red. Its been my experience that the white laced red variety is inferior to the dark in most all aspects. Cornish roosters will go ten to eleven pounds at two years old. The hens will weigh in around eight. They are excellent setting hens in the spring and summer. For fall chicks they really don’t have enough plumage. My cornish hens would often chase my cats up the trees in protection of their baby chicks. This breed likes people and enjoys being hand fed. They are calm and make very little noise like their aseel ancestors. Kept my cubalayas for their beauty. They are brightly colored birds from Cuba. The breed is very poor layers but their small quanity of flesh is tasty. The breast meat being very white. People often mistake them for fighting chickens. Mine had no spurs on their legs. The long elegant tail makes them look beautiful while roosting in the trees or on the fence. This breed is very tame never flighty. Cocks weigh around six pounds at maturity and hens four. Lots of people love the looks of black breasted red chickens. I only kept about thirty of this breed at a time. Not many people seem to want to get started in these lovely chickens. Got my start of silver grey dorkings from a propane dealer. He was old and wanted to get out of the chicken business. He had kept his line pure for over forty years. The flock of sixty were heavily inbred and weighed in the seven to eight pound range. Located some show people who had dorkings and bought five big ten pound cocks from them. We made chicken and dumplings with the roosters I had bought from our propane dealer. Dorking meat is very tender and fine grained where as cornish asil and shamo meat is firm. My mother always preferred dorking meat for that reason. Often dorkings win meat contests because of the texture of their flesh. Only a young cornish rock approaches the tenderness of their meat. Only had the one color variety. Their combs dont freeze easily and they are good layers. Their short legs and extra toe makes them quite a novelty. They are an ancient breed dating back to the ancient romans. Gather eggs frequently or else all your hens may go broody. The chicks are a bit delicate so dont let them wander around in the morning dew with their mothers. Seem to thrive in a dry environment with a roof over their heads. My cocks weigh around nine and a half pounds and the mature hens weigh seven pounds. Cant say enough good things about this breed. The roosters are usually quite docile.

Buttercup Campine and Cochin

These are three really adorable breeds of chickens whose striking beauty commands attention. These breeds arrived with my first baby chick order from Murray McMurray hatchery as a child. Buttercups come from Italy and are small active fowl and excellent foragers. Mine loved running up and down the dirt road in front of our home catching grasshoppers. The road was lined with wild sunflowers which the grasshoppers relished. Ocassionally the insects would land on the road and be snapped up by hungry Buttercups. They have such a beautiful comb and bright colored feathers. You dont get many eggs from them however they are fun to watch. They dont go broody and are rather flighty. Layers of small white eggs. Roosters go five pounds and hens around four. Belgium gave us the wonderful Campine chickens. Got my start at a poultry show. Loved the looks of these early maturing fowl. My silver campine hens laid as well as leghorns and their flesh tastes good. Golden campines dont lay as well as the silvers but are beautiful birds. Sold lots of hatching eggs to hatcheries around the country but mostly to ones in Oklahoma Texas and Missouri. Rural electricity is unreliable so I kept my incubators in the storm cellar where temperatures didnt fluctuate much. When receiving hatching eggs through the mail you must let them rest a day so they can reconstitute before putting them into your incubator. Rather wild and flighty when you enter the hen house. Good feed conversion. My hens went around four pounds and the roosters five. If your looking for a pet chicken breed cochins rank number one. They are fluffy little bundles of joy. One of the largest poultry breeds and most beautiful of all in many peoples opinions. They come in many varieties and are well represented at all poultry shows. Intelligent birds they soon recognize their name when called. Mother had a partridge cochin named henny penny who would often fly upon her lap to lay her tinted egg. Cochins would follow us around the yard like dogs and want to spend all their time near people. My mom never had the heart to slaughter old cochin hens. They were allowed to live out their lives as pets after their egg laying years were past. They dont lay very well and you must trim the feathers in the vent area if you want fertile eggs. I always try to use young roosters in my breeding pens because most old cocks throw a majority of cockerels which arent as useful as pullets. If you have a surplus of cochin cockerels they make excellent capons like the brahmans do. Its quite easy to learn the surgical castration procedure. You cannot let cochins get into the mud with their profusion of feathers. Same way the hen house floor must get fresh litter or the manure clings to their feathered feet. Some people use pine shavings as litter to keep out the mites. Often this can bind up their crop. I generally use hay or straw as litter on the hen house floor. Cochins make good brood hens in colder weather because their thick plumage protects the baby chicks. Them and buff orpingtons do a good job raising fall chicks. Cochin cocks weigh ten to twelve pounds. The hens go from eight to ten pounds. Show breeders tend to have the larger specimens. You must worm free ranging chickens every six months to remove parasites. During this period do not eat the eggs. In the hen nests I put lawn clippings to cushion the eggs against breakage. Lawn clippings are also good feed for your fowl if you havent been applying pesticides. Cochins are only big eaters while they are growing. Like all the asiatic class they have slow metabolism. You probably couldnt go wrong with cochins unless you were wanting eggs to eat.

Aseel Australorp and Brahmas Chickens

This group of chickens are some of my favorites. Over the years I have raised forty seven breeds and varieties of standard chickens. On my poultry yard I had thirty breeding pens and kept meticulous records in my efforts to improve the breeds. Each year I culled very deeply saving only my best breeders and selling the rest. Never went to poultry shows outside my own state because farming kept me too busy. Got my start of Aseels back in 1968 when I was ten years old. They were a birthday gift from my uncle who knew how much I liked his chickens. They are very intelligent birds that never seem to quit moving about. The hens are the best incubators in the bird world. So if you want to hatch off some rare pheasants this is your breed. As mothers they are super protective running off stray cats and rodents that may want to feast on your chicks. Aseels are very long lived many of my birds lived to be twelve or thirteen year old. Many of my Aseel hens laid eggs until they were eight years old although it was only a few dozen per year. They are an ancient breed having been bred in India for the past three thousand years. They will survive and flourish where other breeds will die. Coyotes had bitten large chunks of flesh from my setting hens and they always recovered without medical assistance. Several times my Aseel roosters have knocked hawks off fence posts and killed them. Stray dogs and coyotes are the only predators which have made off with my Aseels. They are good at killing snakes that eat eggs in the hen house. They dont do real good in northern climates because their toes tend to freeze. Started out with the short leg type reza Aseel called Ghans of which I have two families eight pound cocks and six pound cocks. My larger ones are the best table fowl in the world in my opinion coming in ahead of my Dark Cornish and Silver Grey Dorkings. The flavor is intense and unforgetable. Australorps were my first successful show birds. They have beautiful plumage that catches the judges eye beetle green sheen on black feathers. They are bred from Orpingtons to be smaller and trimmer. Laying is an area they excell in. They are terrific mothers and seem to lay right through cold weather. One of the best brown egg layers. My roosters weighed around nine pounds and my hens weighed near seven. Must keep the eggs gathered or the hens will go broody too often. The meat has a mild flavor. This breed is often crossed with leghorns. Brahmas and Cochins have the personality of pet cats because they follow you around hanging out around your feet. Both love to be stroked and hand fed grain. They come running when they see you bonding closely with humans. Brahmas are clumsy birds partly because of their long legs. They are big eaters until they reach maturity. They can be difficult to pick if you plan to butcher yours. So we always skinned ours. The feathers on the shanks and toes can be soiled with manure or mud. So you must keep the hen house clean and keep them inside during rainy weather making them high maintenance fowl. They are perfect for all parts of the country doing well in both heat and cold. My brahma roosters ranged from twelve to thirteen pounds and the hens weighed around nine pounds. Large chicken breeds are not safe around small children. More than once as a child I was pecked in the eye by large chickens. Thankfully there was no permanent damage. Jersey Giants are the same way so if you have toddlers you might want to pick a smaller breed. Big breeds like brahmas like to eat dog food and sometimes choke on it. Rub their neck downwards until the dog food goes into the crop.

Ancona Andalusian and Araucana Chickens

I will begin by discussing these three breeds. These three breeds are wary and active foragers which do a good job living of the land. They seem to do a good job avoiding hawks and stray pets being good fliers. All three do wonderful in hot climates like the southern United States. My grandma’s family was always partial to ancona’s. Its one of the few breeds they had. They would rustle for most their food eating bugs and grass. At night grandma gave them access to laying mash a few hours before they rooster. They were great layers during warm and hot weather however they laid few eggs during winter. Ancona chickens originated in central Italy near to the sea. The soil is very poor and imported grains were expensive. So the breed became good converters of feed. They were developed from early leghorns. The chicks are hardy and so are the hens. You will get plenty of white eggs from these chickens. Our cockerels weighed around five pounds and the grown cocks weighed around six pounds. The pullets weighed in around four pounds and the hens weighed about four and a half pounds. Got my first start of Andalusians from Murray McMurray hatchery back in 1972. They mature very early both the pullets and cockerels so you have an abundant supply of eggs real soon. This breed is beautiful and wonderful for show. Males of this breed seldom fight. They are one of the oldest Mediterranean breeds originating in the province of Andalusia Spain. The breed lays right through hot summers however their combs dont handle cold weather well. Two of my roosters had their combs and wattles freeze. Love roosting high in your trees if given the chance. This is the breed that early geneticist Gregor Mendel used in his experiments into color heredity. So expect some to be blue black and white. Blue is the only ones you can show. Roosters go just under six pounds and hens average four to five pounds. When it comes to crowing they do it loudly. Neighbors could hear my Blue Andalusian cock crow a half mile away. So if you have close neighbors this might not be the breed for you unless you have a cement block hen house. Lastly lets consider the Araucana chicken from Chile south america. The purest ones lay blue eggs have ear tufts and are rumpless. The breed was created from three local breeds in Chile. Araucana’s often prefer to hide their nests. In Chile they live in a feral state making a living from their surroundings since the people are extremely poor. Their meat is quite delicious and similar to dark cornish and quail. On laying mash they are good layers and dont suffer from heat stress. Lots of crossbred birds which lay colored eggs pass themselves off as Araucana’s so be careful you buy them from a reputable breeder. Good specimens fetch a lofty price. Breeding these birds is both challenging and rewarding since hatchability is not very good. Some of my bloodlines layed both blue and green eggs. They come in a variety of color patterns and are calm non aggressive birds. Mine layed well except during the months of december january and february. Snow seem to halt their egg production. Hens would average around five pounds and roosters around six pounds. These three breeds are low maintenance meaning that they can handle muddy poultry yards tall grass and messy hen houses. Hope I am giving you some insight on which breed or breeds would best fit in with your family and lifestyle.

Rooster Shamblin Chicken Enthusiast Extraordinaire

I am a guy who has always been fascinated by chickens and especially the rare and fancy breeds. Mother always had mixed farm flocks of leghorns, barred rocks, rhode island reds, buff orpingtons, and dark cornish game. It was my job beginning at seven years old to gather the eggs each day and make certain the chicks and hens had access to clean water. It was a pretty big chore since chickens scratched hay litter into their water on a regular basis. Hens are bad about pecking you when they are sitting in the nest laying eggs. Solved the problem by wearing cotton gloves to gather eggs. While growing up we had some roosters that seemed pure evil and would chase me and my brother around the poultry yard. These were old roosters with very long spurs who always roosted up high in the barns or trees to avoid ending up as chicken and dumplings. With old age most breeds of roosters get cranky. Since we lived in a moderate climate very few times chickens combs would become frozen. To prevent lice we painted the chicken roosts with diesel. This seemed to work well for us unless we let sparrows build nests in the hen house. Rats are drawn to the feed in the hen house so we eventually had to pour a cement floor. Quit losing chickens to rats and weasels. Never make the mistake of leaving a hen house door open at night. Dogs cats skunks and raccoons can wipe out half your flock in one night. Most people have a wire pen made onto their hen house so the chickens can get sunshine and take dust baths. If yours has no top keep and eye out for hawks looking for a chicken dinner. When feeding oyster shells just feed a little at a time because chickens don’t like to eat dirty oyster shells. Always kept our feed in an old freezer to prevent mice from chewing holes in the bags and soiling the feed. Bought my first chickens in 1970 when I was twelve years old. Made the money helping my uncle while he painted a church. Ordered 25 rarest of the rare chicks from murray mcmurray hatchery. Saw their advertisement in a magazine in the school library. Each year we butchered a hundred fryers plus numerous hens who quit laying. However I had decided to raise some chicks as pets. I sent the hatchery a postcard and they mailed me a catalog filled with the most beautiful and unusual chickens I could imagine. Tried for weeks to choose which breeds I wanted however I couldn’t make up my mind. So I settled on an assortment. When they arrived the chicks were just adorable. It was the first I had seen of feather legged breeds like cochins and top knot chicks like polish. That year I got hooked on having chickens as pets. Each year I would order more chickens from many hatcheries. My mom and dad never made me butcher any of my chickens. When I got a big surplus of chickens it was very easy to sell them because I was the only person around with exotic chickens. When ordering straight run chicks you never get fifty percent pullets. My straight run orders were generally seventy five percent cockerels. Light breed cockerels are worthless if you plan on eating them. They have very little meat and it takes lots of feed to fatten them for butcher. Some people prefer light colored chickens for eating since you cant see the pin feathers. Scraping dark pin feathers takes a few minutes longer. Some people skin their chickens when butchering but we never did. We just killed ours and dipped them into five gallons of hot water so we could pull out their feathers. Next mom always dressed them and put them into ice water for a few hours before freezing them. Our family always ate home grown meat fruit and vegtables because mom did not want us eating pesticides which could give us cancer later on in life. Chickens that eat lots of grass lay eggs with more vitamins and better flavor. If you eat a chicken young like the ones in grocery stores they lack very little flavor. It tastes time to put flavor in chicken flesh. If you plan to incubate eggs never wash them in cold water because it affects the membrane inside the egg negatively. Instead use hot tap water to wash them off for a few seconds. When chicks arrive from the hatchery you need to dip their beaks in water. The first water you give them should have a little sugar added. The first week I generally give the chicks chopped boiled eggs, shells and all. It gets them to feathering out more quickly. If you have a fenced yard its nice to free range your chickens part of the time. Heavy breeds seldom fly over fences and light breeds can have their flight feathers trimmed. Chicken tractors are a neat pen which can be moved across the lawn giving the chickens an endless supply of green grass except in winter. In fall I plant some winter wheat for the chickens. It reduces the feed bill and makes the egg yolks nice and orange with loads of carotene. You must be careful when switching chicken feeds as this will put your chickens into a moult. Leave a light on in the hen house and you will get more eggs. Tomorrow I will begin telling you about each breed of chicken so you can choose the breed or breeds that best fit your needs.