The Chicken List

Thank you, Goatgirl of Life Beyond the Sidewalks, for asking to see my chicken list.

One of the many thoughtful gifts I received this Christmas was a copy of the book, The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. I have all kinds of books on chickens, but this is the first one that went so far as to state, "...every standard breed tends to have its particular physical features demanding specific care...chickens with feathers on their feet are less fanatic diggers...frizzle-feathered breeds have a problem with rain". Concluding, "...all breeds, types and sizes have their own specific features, making the birds either suited or not to your situation and requirements. Hmmmmmmmmmm...

We have a very random selection of chickens. We inherited a flock of 13 which included several Ameraucanas, offspring of Ameraucanas, a booted Belgian bantam, and a black sex-link. We started buying the odd chicken as we would see them: a Chinese Langshan (Ling-ling), 2 Brabanters (Sid and Nancy for the mohawk of feathers), a pair of black Astrolorps (Bruce and Sheila), 2 Jersey Giants (Porgy and Bess), 2 barred Plymouth Rocks (Laverne and Shirley), 2 Silver-laced Wyandottes (BeBe and CeCe). Then we started buying Ameraucanas because they lay pale green and sometimes blue eggs, but then I think they are called Easter Egger Ameraucanas. Next came 8 Marans hens (the "s" is silent in that name) because they lay dark brown eggs.

I never really took into consideration what breeds would be best suited for our environment. It is rainy in fall, winter, and spring and hotter than blazes in the summer. We do get below freezing, so I need to think about having a rooster with a delicate comb (there is always the vaseline trick). Sometimes there is mud when we haven't replenished the redwood bark down in the pen before a rain and some chicken breeds are well suited to that environment.

The criteria for my ideal chicken:
good layers - we only have birds for egg laying...NOT EATING!!!
not too broody - I just learned they don't lay while "brooding"!
hardiness - MUST be hearty, able to handle cold and rain
behavior - an ideal is the Ameraucana - well adaptable to confinement or free range; mostly calm, non-aggressive
eating habits - economical

First I looked at Henderson's chicken breed chart. I read through the 60 listed breeds and, using the above criteria, came up with a list. Then I looked at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy list of chickens. They have them categorized in the following groups: Critical, Threatened, Watch, Recovering, Study. Naturally I want to get chickens that are both on my list from Hendersons', and then in the critical category according to the Breeds Conservancy.

My list:
*Critical - Campine, Delaware (our Salmon Faverolle are in this group)
*Threatened - Sussex (our Langshan is in this category)
*Watch - Hamburg, New Hampshire (our breeds on the watch list are Brahma, Cochin, *Jersey Giant, and Sebright)
*Recovering - I don't have any in this group on my wish list, but we already have Astrolorp, a non-industrial brown leghorn, a non-industrial Plymouth Rock, a couple Rhode Island Reds, and the Wyandottes.

I never tire of learning more about chickens, and they never cease to amuse and delight me, even when I am cleaning out the coop!

P.S. Faverolles are considered the Poodle of the chicken world! I think of them as kittens!