chicken breeds

By Tasha Greer When Mrs. Nettie Metcalf started raising chickens for extra spending money, she never imagined she’d become the first American woman to enter a new breed of chickens into the poultry standards. But when this unique breed, once … Read More

By Tasha Greer Why did the Orpington chicken cross the ocean to Australia? To become an Australorp, of course! Australorp is a contraction of Australian Orpington. But this chook breed is no mere contraction. It’s a distinctly Australian layer with … Read More

By Tasha Greer Looking for an old-world chicken with modern appeal? The Sussex is the perfect choice. Rumor has it this breed’s ancient roots go back to when Phoenician traders introduced the British to the benefits of chicken breeding for … Read More

By Tasha Greer Before the Cornish Cross, the Delaware was the meat chicken of choice. Fast to feather, four months to fatten, and incomparable flavor made this breed the perfect pasture-raised poultry option. Then, as industrialization turned away from free-range … Read More

By Sue Senger If you are searching for the best chickens to add to your small flock, then look no further than the Plymouth Rock chicken.  In the early 1900’s, the Plymouth Rock (also known as the Barred Rock or … Read More

By Ed Haworth Bare neck chickens are known by many names, but “Naked Neck” is the official name of the breed as recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) and the American Bantam Association (ABA).  Although crossbred chickens with bare … Read More

By Tasha Greer Jersey Giants aren’t your average chicken. They’re the largest non-hybrid chickens in existence! However, it’s not just size that makes them stand out. Their gentle natures and keen foraging abilities enable them to live large on slow … Read More

By Tasha Greer Cochin chickens aren’t a typical choice for hardcore homesteaders. But perhaps they should be! Most chickens are too destructive to let in a vegetable garden to do pest control. Cochins, though, can be kept out of beds … Read More

By Tasha Greer If you’re looking for the Golden Retriever of chickens, think Orpingtons! The original Orpingtons were bred with black feathers that wouldn’t show soot during the industrial coal era in England. That made them an excellent urban meat … Read More

by Tammy Gallagher Who Doesn’t Love A Fluffy Purple Chicken That Lays Blue Eggs? That’s my favorite question to ask when talking about my frizzled Lavender Ameraucanas. I think they are just splendid!!! And they have quickly become a close … Read More