Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
pounds and the hens over 6 pounds. They are gentle, docile birds, designed for both good
eating and egg production. They are economical to rear and will supplement any diet with
foraging.
Any child who grew up in the past few decades is going to be familiar with this next type of
chicken: the Leghorn chicken looks pretty close to how it is depicted in the Looney Tunes
cartoons; however, it does come in other colors as well. Developed in Italy, they do not
get anywhere as big as they were depicted in the cartoons getting to only 3-4 pounds on
average. They are nervous around humans and do love to fly away, making them less popu-
lar with farmers in that regard; however, they are superb egg producers, laying around 280
eggs per year, and are most commonly used in commercial egg production.
The New Hampshire chicken, unsurprisingly, originated in New Hampshire. The roosters
hit about 8.5 pounds on average and the hens come in at 6.5 pounds. These birds are known
for their competitive and aggressive nature and were bred for eating. Although they do pro-
duce an average number of large brown eggs, too many in one location can make for fight-
ing. These birds do well in colder climates.
The Orpington chicken was developed in 1886 by a man named William Cook who was
especially fond of cross breeding chickens to obtain the best results. These particular chick-
ens come in between 7-10 pounds and were specifically bred to be docile, affectionate, and
easily handled. They produce between 110-160 eggs a year and were engineered to have a
larger than normal amount of tender, tasty meat. Another benefit to this particular type of
chicken is that it produces eggs year round.
Polish chickens may be bearded or non-bearded and are primarily kept for ornamental pur-
poses. Unlike the other chickens whose names belie their origins, the Polish chicken did
not originate in Poland but came from the Netherlands instead. They are not good for eating
and while they were primarily developed as egg layers, they no longer are as useful for this
utility. Due to their large crests, their vision is limited and as such, they are easily startled.
The roosters get up to around 6 pounds while the hens get up to 4.5 pounds.
The Rhode Island Red was originally developed in Rhode Island and works well in colder
climates. They weigh in at approximately 8.5 pounds for the rooster and 6.5 pounds for the
hens. They have been noted to make good pets, but they can be quite aggressive. These,
too, are dual purpose birds: designed to be good eating as well as good for egg production.
The Rhode Island Red can produce up to 300 eggs per year and although they are good in
colder climates, the large comb on the top of their head is susceptible to frost bite.
The Sussex chicken originated in Sussex, England over a century ago; it's an alert and
docile breed good at adapting to any location and can be free range or confined without
any issues. The roosters get to approximately 9 pounds while the hens cap out at around 7
