Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Egg Layers
These breeds are those that are bred specifically for laying eggs and will produce more than 200
eggs each year. They are generally not considered useful as meat birds because none of these breeds
mature to more than 5 pounds.
Ancona.
Ancona is a hardy breed that lays between 220 and 240 eggs each year. The Italian breed
is a very attractive breed that is black with white speckles. While they do tend to be more flighty,
they can be tamed and their activity level makes them good foragers on the homestead. They are
consistent layers that do well through the winters, but their large combs can freeze in extreme tem-
peratures. Their small size makes them less desirable as a meat bird because they only grow 4
1
⁄
2
to
6 pounds but can also be broody, making them a nice addition to the flock for possible hatchings.
Hamburg.
The Hamburg is a small but highly active breed, and comes in a myriad of attractive
color varieties. They are better suited to foraging on their own as their small, quick nature makes
them harder to catch in a more rural situation with lots of potential predators. This tough-to-catch
bird is noisy and not for those who want a chicken that will be more of a pet. The glossy white
eggs are larger than a bantam egg but the birds aren't much bigger. Their rose comb makes them
more cold-hardy and less prone to frostbitten combs. You should get at least 230 eggs per year.
Leghorns.
Leghorns are traditionally thought of as white; however, this breed is available in
white, brown, buff, and rarely in blues and barred. All Leghorns produce white eggs. They are the
premiere egg layers and can lay up to 300 eggs per year. Leghorns usually do not grow very big and
aren't used as meat birds because they weigh only about 5 pounds at maturity. Even though they
have a reputation for being nervous, Leghorns have, in my experience, been excellent foragers in
the backyard pasture.
Penedescena.
A Spanish breed that almost went extinct, Penedescenas lay the darkest brown eggs.
They are still rare in the United States but four color strains are available: creole, black, wheaten,
and partridge. They only grow to about 4 pounds at mature size; however, they are adaptable,
attractive, and heat-hardy. Their unusual comb shape helps them tolerate the heat because the
single comb becomes multilobed in the back, dispersing more heat. They lay approximately 200
eggs per year.
Meat Breeds
Cornish Cross.
The most popular meat birds in the United States right now, these birds are bred
specifically to reach full size in an extremely short amount of time. In fact, they are not usually
considered suitable for long-term life on the homestead because they can outgrow their own bodies
as the rapid weight gain can't be supported by weak legs and internal boney structures. The
downside of Cornish Cross breeds is that they are not sustainable—you cannot raise your own to
laying age and hatch your own for future generations. For inexpensive food-to-meat conversion,
the Cornish Cross is hard to beat, though. They quickly grow to butchering size and are one of the
fastest ways I know to fill your freezer with meat that you can control the quality of.
