Chickens come in all sizes and produce everything from small blue or green eggs to large brown and white ones, and everything in between. And who can pass up baby chicks at Tractor Supply??? SO CUTE!
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When deciding what breeds to buy you need to first decide what your goals are. Are you wanting them just for fun and the experience? Will you be showing them at a fair? Will you be providing eggs for your family and maybe some neighbors?
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You also need to take into consideration the climate you are in. Some chickens are better suited for the cold temps, like what we have here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I'm at.
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Some of my favorite breeds for egg production are Rhode Island Reds and Isa Browns, and Plymouth Rocks. These all typically lay large brown eggs and will give you a good amount of eggs per year. Typically they will lay an egg daily for you during the warmer weather, usually 200-300 a year!) I also love white Leghorns and Cinnamon Queens, which give me some white eggs. Most of the white eggs from the store are from leghorns. In my flock I have a combination of all of these, as well as a couple Jersey Giants (and an AMAZING Jersey Giant rooster) and Australorps.
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Silkies are adorable little birds, often with feathered feet, speckled decorated feathers or big poofy heads. If you are looking for the cute factor, this is what you are wanting! They will give you eggs, but they will be smaller than those up above as they are a much smaller bird. This is a good breed if you are in city limits or have a smaller backyard as you can typically fit 2 of them in the same space as one of the bigger breeds. They usually will give you colored eggs which are always fun.
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No matter which breed you pick, chickens are a lot of fun and not very much work. If you have kids, they will LOVE having chickens and you will love the fresh eggs!
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For more information on breeds, click below.
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For those raising chickens currently, what breeds do you have?
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