Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
pounds. They are good at foraging and will produce approximately 240-260 eggs per year.
They work well for eating and mature relatively early.
The Silky chicken is a very unusual bird. Their feathers are fluffy and feel like down. They
are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia before the 1200s. Sometimes called the
Chinese Silky chickens, these birds are calm, friendly, and quite docile. Smaller than other
chickens, the standard roosters come in at 4 pounds with the hens only getting to 3 pounds.
The bantam roosters get up to only 36 ounces and the bantam hens to 32 ounces. These
birds are not great at producing eggs, but they will happily take care of the chicks of other
breeds and are often kept as surrogate mothers for other eggs to keep the original mothers
for egg production. Another unusual aspect of the Silky chicken is that their meat is com-
pletely black; because of their black meat, they are shunned for eating in Western cultures;
however, it is for their black meat that they are especially prized for eating in Eastern cul-
tures. They are said to be quite tasty. These birds do poorly in extremes of either hot or cold
weather due to a lack of hard outer feathers. They're pure fluffiness only.
Wyandotte chickens are the last type of chicken at which we will be taking a look. They ori-
ginated in the United States in the 1870s. The roosters come in at around 8.5 pounds while
the hens come in at approximately 6 pounds. They are known to be docile and friendly
birds and were again developed as dual purpose birds. They produce around 200 eggs per
year and are tasty to eat; however, due to their thick feathering, these chickens are one of
the few that are likely to need frequent bathing.
There are well over a hundred different types of chickens, and these are only the top
twenty-five most popular chickens so if there is not one here that suits your fancy, you
may wish to take a look at one of the other different types. Different chickens work best
in different countries, different climates, and for different purposes. There will be a type of
chicken that will meet your requirements, whether for looks, for food, or for egg produc-
tion no matter what location or climate you live in; it just may take a bit more research and
information to find your ideal, dream chicken.
