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

[varidgerunner]

You can get 300 eggs a year without lights, from most production bred egg breeds. But the next year you won't get as many. The year after that, you won't even still have all of the hens you started out with, let alone laying on anything but an occasional basis.

If the government is not concerned with what breed you have, why is that blank on the NPIP forms? Seems like they are quite interested in some breeds.

 

[Bullitt]

You can get 300 eggs a year without lights, from most production bred egg breeds. But the next year you won't get as many. The year after that, you won't even still have all of the hens you started out with, let alone laying on anything but an occasional basis.

If the government is not concerned with what breed you have, why is that blank on the NPIP forms? Seems like they are quite interested in some breeds.

Common breeds like Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks were bred to be eaten. Farmers didn't keep them around more than a few years. An American Game hen will lay less than 150 eggs in her first year. Like all breeds, production decreases with age. Maybe they can lay eggs when they are 10 years and older. I don't know. But I am sure it would be much less than 100 eggs a year.

"Why is that blank on NPIP forms?" Maybe because some breeds are more prone to disease than others. I don't know.

My point was that the U.S. government does not stop you from having game chickens or other breeds of chickens, if chickens are allowed where you live.

If you like American Game chickens, enjoy them.

 

[ozexpat]

Laying well is a subjective term. If you mean laying 200 to 300 eggs per year under electric lights and shoveling in layer pellets, then no, gamefowl don't lay well. But if you consider laying well to mean plenty of eggs most of the year on a diet of bugs and cow poop goodies, then they do OK.

The big thing is the productive age. Many gamefowl live long productive lives, many times there have been 11 or 12 year old hens still laying eggs. Most production birds are developing some sort of health problem by age five, and few are able to lay eggs at 10 years old. Some game roosters have made it to 15.

The whole "penning them up before they kill each other" thing is over-rated too. Most of them are 5 months old before you have to worry too much about it. Many are eight or some even twelve months. In a homesteading application, they should have been in the freezer by then. I've heard that the meat is in-edible too. But if you consider gamefowl in-edible you probably wouldn't like grouse or pheasant much.

I wonder how much of the governments eagerness to condemn "bad breeds" has to do with the agribusiness lobby, rather than any real desire to promote animal welfare. A bird that lives 10 years and is resistant to disease could harbor all sorts of pathogens that would be harmful to a little, fat, white fluffball living out it's un-naturally short life in un-natural conditions. That cant possibly set well with the white suit, gas chamber crowd. I guess that is why I find them so interesting. But they aren't for everyone.

From: http://www.geauga4h.org/poultry/chicken_breeds.htm.

The Modern Game is a breed of a chicken originating in England in the latter half of the 19th century. Purely an exhibition bird, Modern Game were developed to epitomize the visual appeal of the gamecock. After the outlawing of cockfights in the U.K. in the mid 19th century, many cockfighting enthusiasts turned to breeding for shows as an alternative poultry hobby, and the Modern Game was developed from crosses of Old English Games and Malays. Despite being classified as game chickens in breed standards, Modern Game were not bred to fight. Today, the ideal show bird should have a body shaped like a flat iron when seen from above, a relatively short back, fine tail, hard feathering, and a very upright carriage. The breed appears in more than a dozen color variations.

Modern Game are neither good egg layers nor are they valued for meat production. In temperament, they are friendly and curious towards people, and are easily tamed.

We all have our lists of perfect birds for a small flock but I want good feed to food ration as well as a pretty bird.

 

[RingedTeal]

Laying well is a subjective term. If you mean laying 200 to 300 eggs per year under electric lights and shoveling in layer pellets, then no, gamefowl don't lay well. But if you consider laying well to mean plenty of eggs most of the year on a diet of bugs and cow poop goodies, then they do OK.

The big thing is the productive age. Many gamefowl live long productive lives, many times there have been 11 or 12 year old hens still laying eggs. Most production birds are developing some sort of health problem by age five, and few are able to lay eggs at 10 years old. Some game roosters have made it to 15.
Not to start anything but the correct term is Cock.
The whole "penning them up before they kill each other" thing is over-rated too. Most of them are 5 months old before you have to worry too much about it. Many are eight or some even twelve months. In a homesteading application, they should have been in the freezer by then. I've heard that the meat is in-edible too. But if you consider gamefowl in-edible you probably wouldn't like grouse or pheasant much.
Most aren't big enough at five or eight months to go in the freezer.
I wonder how much of the governments eagerness to condemn "bad breeds" has to do with the agribusiness lobby, rather than any real desire to promote animal welfare. A bird that lives 10 years and is resistant to disease could harbor all sorts of pathogens that would be harmful to a little, fat, white fluffball living out it's un-naturally short life in un-natural conditions. That cant possibly set well with the white suit, gas chamber crowd. I guess that is why I find them so interesting. But they aren't for everyone.

 

[Bullitt]

Most people value chickens for eggs and/or meat. So it makes sense that the most popular breeds are good for eggs and/or meat.

 

[spangledcornish]

Most people value chickens for eggs and/or meat. So it makes sense that the most popular breeds are good for eggs and/or meat.

I would agree completely, hence the popularity of the sex linked birds, red stars, black stars, red comets, etc.

 

[Bullitt]

I would agree completely, hence the popularity of the sex linked birds, red stars, black stars, red comets, etc.

The sex-link chickens are very popular for eggs. But those are not really breeds. They are crosses that are sex-linked, which also helps to make them popular with the hatcheries.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serge

Why is Plymuth Rock better then Australorp?? Iam thinking to get chicks and add to my RIR. But stuck betvin PR and Australorp. Australorp more egg 5 week but PR look better and 4 egg week. Need little help from experts

This list is the most popular types of chickens for a small flock. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, because it depends on what you want.

Plymouth Rock and Australorp are both good breeds if you are looking for eggs. Both breeds are generally pretty friendly and good egg-layers. Although, the Australorp is a little better at laying eggs.

You might think about getting a few of each breed. You would probably be happy with either breed, but variety is good.

And everyone may find that their mileage will vary. A friend has Australorps; some have been fantastic layers, others seem to wish to spend their lives broody. Some people have had my great luck with BRs - but others have found some to be noisy.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

You can get 300 eggs a year without lights, from most production bred egg breeds. But the next year you won't get as many. The year after that, you won't even still have all of the hens you started out with, let alone laying on anything but an occasional basis.

If the government is not concerned with what breed you have, why is that blank on the NPIP forms? Seems like they are quite interested in some breeds.

Some production breeds will lay well for several years. Utility strains of the old American dual purpose breeds tend to do well for a while, although any heavy laying hen is prone to reproductive disorders which are often fatal.

Right now I have Dominiques in a California backyard where the temperature has been ridiculously low at night for this area of late - the mid to high 20s F. Some of the Dominiques still prefer to sleep on the ledge outside the chicken house ; you should have heard the outrage when I mistakenly tried to put them inside and shut the door the other night. I expected the coop to start looking like the box in the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoon when the coyote wound up inside it with a badger! There was a great deal of complaining and thumping until they finally settled in. Fortunately, no biddies were injured during their desperate struggles to go outside.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Common breeds like Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks were bred to be eaten. Farmers didn't keep them around more than a few years. An American Game hen will lay less than 150 eggs in her first year. Like all breeds, production decreases with age. Maybe they can lay eggs when they are 10 years and older. I don't know. But I am sure it would be much less than 100 eggs a year.

Actually, they were bred to be dual purpose. The idea was to breed decent layers and still have the surplus cockerels marketable as roasters, fryers, broilers, or capons.