Choosing Hens - Some Types by Virginia Shirt

Battery hens are bred to lay and lay they do. The Warren was developed for the battery egg production industry as they are simply lean laying machines.

Virginia Shirt is the author of The Right Way to Keep Chickens available from Amazon and all good bookstores. She has lived with chickens for over 15 years so her knowledge is based on practical experience.

The book provides a comprehensive guide to keeping chickens and is an easy read from an obvious enthusiast.

The Warren Hen

Battery hens are bred to lay and lay they do. The Warren was developed for the battery egg production industry as they are simply lean laying machines.

The first year is the most productive and they can provide up to 250-300 eggs. The warren is a beautiful bird in a deep red colour. You will find that Warrens tend to be one of the cheapest and most obtainable of the breeds.

The Black Rock

The Black Rock is a very hardy chicken with thick plumage, which means they are really suited for free ranging. They layg a good quality brown egg and often Black Rocks laysin excess of 250 in the first year. The Black Rock is also a very attractive addition to the hen house.

The Maran

The Maran is another bird that produces plenty of eggs. They usually produce up to 200 or more per year of their lovely rich brown coloured eggs. The shell of the Maran egg is very dense with smaller pores than the Warren. As a result of this the actual egg itself is of a very good quality and tastes delicious.

Coloured Eggs

Are you intrigued by the different coloured eggs available? I always love to see different coloured egg shells and find them fascinating. If you too are keen to try different colours then you must pick the breed of chicken accordingly.

White eggs are produced by chickens with white ear lobes! An example is the Brown Leghorn. A small hyper active chicken which does not produce as many eggs as the hens mentioned previously.

Blue eggs are produced by the Araucana which is a very attractive bird. However they can not only lay bright blue eggs but also depending on their breeding lines can lay a mixture of blues, greens and various mixtures of these colours.

Keeping the Smaller Chicken

If you do not have a lot of space you may want to think about a smaller chicken. Many of the larger breeds come in a small variety. These are termed as bantams and are usually very attractive little birds. I have kept Buff Rock bantams and Silkie Bantams and found such birds easy and trouble free to keep. The eggs of course are smaller and sadly are not produced in such abundance as with the larger breeds.

Bantams make ideal chickens for young children to keep. As with most chickens they can become very tame if handled early on in life. Bantams are also less of a threat when introducing a child to chickens. Some of the bigger birds can cause fright to children when flapping their wings.

Cockerels

Many new chicken keepers believe that you need to keep a cockerel in order for the chicken to produce eggs. This is not the case; the chicken will produce her eggs with no in put from the male. The only cause for the purchase of a cockerel would be if you wanted to produce your own chicks. Cockerels can be noisy and rather rough with the chickens. So unless you really need one it is wise not to bother.

Whatever chicken you decide to purchase I am certain you will not be disappointed. Chickens are delightful, captivating and wonderful to have around. There is nothing to compare with collecting eggs from your own chickens. And nothing can match cracking your own eggs into a pan.

Articles by Virginia Shirt on Keeping Chickens at Home