Most Popular Small-Flock Chickens -- Resource For Selecting Your Chickens

[Bullitt]

Can you post a link to a website about American Game chickens?

 

[RingedTeal]

Here's one
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Games/BRKAmerGame.html

 

[Bullitt]

Thank you.

I see a couple of faults with the American Game.

"American Gamefowl are some of the hardiest birds that you will ever come across, and in our opinion, by far the most beautiful. They are known for being excellent flyers, very good foragers, and you can't beat them for broodiness. All of these traits make them an excellent choice for free ranging, until the stags come of age. Then they will need to be separated, as they will fight to the death defending their territory. This is something that is part of their nature, being "game," and nothing you do to them will change this unless you start mixing non-game breeds into them, and even then it doesn't mean you will not still have this issue to deal with."


The roosters will kill each other.

The hens also do not seem to be great layers. "Hen's lay mid-spring to late summer, but some will continue until early fall."

I am surprised this breed would be that popular, except for maybe people keeping them for other purposes.

 

[K Spot]

How about the Barnevelder?

Medium heavy LF breed, good layer of large brown eggs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnevelder

 

[Bullitt]

How about the Barnevelder?

Medium heavy LF breed, good layer of large brown eggs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnevelder

Do you have Barnevelders?

They seem a little on the small side to be a good meat bird, and they lay just 150 to 200 eggs a year.
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/page40.htm

Do they lay steady throughout the year?

 

[spangledcornish]

I have done many talks over the years on poultry in the backyard or poultry 101, one section I do is on selecting the right breed for you.

I have 8 questions that I like people to think about when selecting the breed
1. What type of chicken do you want? Layer type, Meat type, Dual Purpose or Ornamental
2. What size? Bantam or Standard, heavy breads, medium, or light
3. What Base color? White, red, Black, etc
4. Do you want a pattern on that base color? Spangled, laced, Columbian, barred, mottled, cuckoo,etc
5. Do you want a "funky" look? feathered feet, beards muffs, crests, 5 toes, silkie feathers etc.
6 What type of comb do you desire? Single, pea, V, Cushion, buttercup, Strawberry, Rose (different combs will tolerate certain climates better)
7. If eggs are the goal what characteristics are important to you? Example egg color, size, and shape
8. If meat is important, what characteristics are important to you? examples would be overall dressed weight, shape of carcass, color of the skin, and growth rate.

answer these questions and see if you can find a bird that matches with 80% of the characteristics you have chosen, and you will be surprised what you may have found.

 

[Bullitt]

Thank you, Spangledcornish. That is a good way to determine what type of chicken is a best for each person.

It would be interesting if those questions were in a computer program. A person could answer the questions and get a list of possible breeds. There is something like that here on this website. But it is not as extensive as your questions.

 

[K Spot]

I don't have Barnies myself, but a breeder acquaintance of mine does. They are not small, maybe a little bit smaller than a Speckled Sussex and yes, hers have laid through winter.

Although I'm talking an Australian winter, not a US winter.

 

[Bullitt]

I don't have Barnies myself, but a breeder acquaintance of mine does. They are not small, maybe a little bit smaller than a Speckled Sussex and yes, hers have laid through winter.

Although I'm talking an Australian winter, not a US winter.

Well, weather varies a lot across the United States. I live in Texas. Winters here are probably not too much different from your winters.

 

[spangledcornish]

Winter in Wisconsin