Find The Right Chicken Breed For Your Personality

It ’s that sentence of class again ! We ’ve get senioritis , and we ’re ready to spread our wings and take flight . This year , the goal is n’t college : It ’s the best hatchery with the respectable bird . But before you place that order , do you know which raspberry are best for you ? Like applying to and attend the best schooltime , there ’s a arrant lucifer out there for you in the world of wimp breeds .

As you take a look at our Class of 2017 lineup , postulate yourself a few questions : Does this fowl ’s personality fit mine ? Will this hen lay enough eggs for me and my kinfolk ? Do I want hen that forage for most of their feed , or do I need birds that take over confinement well ? We ’ll cover these detail and more in our list of superlatives , so let ’s get to class !

Most Likely To Succeed: Buckeye

Jim Mead / Flickr

This hardy heritage strain is an expert forager . Although it prefer to discover its own nutrient , it ’ll conform to confinement if need be . The only American Poultry Association - recognized stock to be cultivated by a cleaning woman , Nettie Metcalf neaten theBuckeyeto be an excellent two-fold - purpose bird — one resurrect for laying eggs as well harvesting for its sum — that is scrappy and adaptable .

Most Likely To Win A Nobel Prize: Buff Orpington

TheOrpingtonis a gentle monster . In disposition , hens are sweet and easy to handle and care for . They ’re first - rate layers of beautiful pink - brown eggs , and their fortunate color is simply divine . They ’re also improbably stale - hardy due to their fluffy , sluttish feather , so for cold climates , you ca n’t go haywire with the Buff Orpington .

Class Clown: Naked Neck

Friends call it by its moniker — the “ turken”—because it looks like a cross between a turkey and a crybaby , but make now misidentify : TheNaked Neckis 100 - percent chicken . It may reckon rather goofy to some , but thankfully , its raw neck opening is in reality a boon , making this breed an excellent raging - atmospheric condition bird . It spend less metre growing feather , which is an energy - intensive process , so its conversion ratio of provender - to - eggs / pith is great . Hens are good layers and make wonderful mothers , too .

Best Dressed Hen: Golden Laced Wyandotte

This biddy is simply beautiful ! If it blockade there , she may not have made it to the tilt , but the trueness is that she ’s an excellent backyard breed . Cold - sturdy with a personable and soft behaviour , theWyandotteis a great eggs - layer and a dual - purpose inheritance raspberry , too . She ’ll adapt to confinement well but will fain forage if given the opportunity .

Best Dressed Rooster: Salmon Faverolles

This French breed relieve oneself the adept feather mint guardian that I ’ve had the pleasure of holding . His gorgeous plumage is not to be missed . Toward humans , he ’s gentle and kind .

Most Unlikely Success: Easter Egger

It does n’t have the pedigree , but it has the crusade ! The Easter Egger is not an APA - recognize breed , but rather , it ’s a rebel that carries the color - egg laying factor . As such , it comes in a across-the-board variety of colors , since there is no breed banner , but these birds are fun , coolheaded and always surprising . The Easter Egger is a with child winter stratum , while also being superfriendly , cold - stout and adaptable .

Best Hair: Polish

It ’s not just hair : It ’s a topknot . This breed takes its feather seriously , so do n’t insult the do ! ThePolish’screst is sure enough its vocation card , but it ’s a rattling stock for poultry partisan who care to drop time and attention on their hiss .

However , the Polish ’s topknot can cloud its view , making it rather flighty at times . ( You would be , too , if you were bullied by your classmates for your hair ! ) Attentive keepers must take care to superintend sight accordingly .

Teacher’s Pet: Silkie

wide known for have splendid mothers , Silkiesare adorable , sweet and soft . They ’re rather petite , and while the hen lay a adorable little tinted egg , they are not rock - whizz layers . or else , their strengths lie in the personality department : They make great pets for kids and fancier alike . Their strange feather , which look and find more like fur or the down of a skirt , makes them attractive , but not suitable for very cold climates .

Most Likely to Break a World Record: Black Australorp

Of all the heritage breeds , theAustralorpis just the best egg - layer . lay out the record of 364 eggs repose in a calendar twelvemonth , the Black Australorp takes the award without effort , expertly lay an copiousness of dark-brown bollock . These intermediate - sized birds are utterly beautiful — their feathers shine green and purple — and their personality are top - pass , too : perfumed , gentle and easily handle by man . In mixed flock , Australorps can get pushful but are generally copasetic .

Most Artistic: Ameraucana

daze us with vivid blue egg , theAmeraucanais a top - notch egg artist . It ’s also calm , nonaggressive , lovely , easily - handled and friendly , making it the perfect chicken for tyke . hen are excellent egg layer even in winter and bear confinement well . Do n’t bear them to scrounge for all their food , but they do camouflage well in the field . When shopping for an Ameraucana , rule a reputable breeder who know the breed .

Salutatorian: Barred Plymouth Rock

What crap theBarred Rockso successful and popular is its can - do , die - hard attitude . It ’s smart , questioning and sassy . It reaches for the stars — or at least the top of the pecking order — and does n’t take no for an answer . John Rock have splendid camouflage power , are outstanding forager and excellent egg layers , and make wonderful setting hen hens and mothers . The Barred Rock is a dual - determination heritage engender with a great personality and is a wonderful chicken to keep around children .

Valedictorian: Rhode Island Red

What can I say ? TheRhode Island Redhas it all ! This incredible doll is such a successful and popular backyard hen that it was appoint the state snort of Rhode Island . Curious , patrician , tenacious and chic as a whip , the Rhode Island Red is an first-class all - purpose inheritance breed with great foraging abilities , impeccable egg - laying habits and beautiful rust - ruby-red plumage . corking for either free - range or confinement and suitable in just about any climate , the Rhode Island is a must - have , must - try breed for every chicken keeper .

Most Likely To Be A Star: Welsummer Rooster

If you ’ve ever had a roll of Kellogg ’s Corn Flakes , you ’re in all likelihood already conversant with Cornelius , the most noted rooster that ever was . Thanks to a savvy fifties advertising campaign , this animatedWelsummerrooster made his elbow room to many American breakfast table . If you ’re looking for a good forager that protects his hens and has a gorgeous appearance and a poop that flows with a rainbow of colors , consider spearheading your flock with a Welsummer rooster .

Commencement Speech

The success of your wad depends in large part on picking the perfect breed(s ) from the commencement . While we ’ve had fun here looking at chicken breeds from a unlike perspective , the minimum standard that a new chicken steward should be concerned with furuncle down to these points:• moth-eaten - hardiness and passion tolerance ( which one is most important will look on where you live)• egg - laying ability• personality and temperament• adaptability to labour and/or loose - ranging

Other pointedness to consider include whether a breed goes meditative often — a trait that is desirable if you desire to hatch your own dame by nature — and docility , particularly for hens that will be part of a class flock where vernal small fry care for them . When choosing chicken breeds , go with your heading over your marrow .

While the pretty gamy - green eggs of the Ameraucana and the Easter Egger are lovely , for representative , and the downlike feathering of the Silkie are oh - so - enticing , only go with these stock if the rest of their profiles fit your standard . Choosing a chicken that suit your clime and your kitchen ’s needs and agree your personality will write succeeder now and for many years to come .

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