So you ’ve checked with your town hall ’s ordinance theater director — and quite possibly your neighbors — and you are lawfully in the clear when it comes to poulet ownership . Your backyard mess awaits ! Suddenly , the globe is your oyster … and the abundance of fowl pearl out there can be astounding . ( There are so many chicken breed ! )
With so many sizes , colors , patterns and characteristics to pick out from , you might find yourself promptly overwhelmed by chicken option if you do n’t first determine what your flock parameter are . Before you visit even one hatchery web land site or head in to your farm - supply store for a Chick Days sale , take a second to ask yourself one important question :
What do I desire out of my lot ?
Most poultry steward advance Gallus gallus for the fresh , delicious eggs produced mighty in their own backyard . If egg output is the main reason you like to start a microflock , that decision is the first gradation towards planning your flock .
Questions to now consider include :
Read more : Got a lot of eggs ? Here are 6 ways to extend their shelf life !
Chicken Breeds and Egg Color
Chickens lay eggs in a variety show of colors . you could get white eggs , chocolate-brown eggs , blue eggs , green eggs … even pink and yellow eggs .
The color of the eggshell look on the strain of chicken . If you are a fan of sky - blue eggs , believe raise Araucanas , Ameraucanas and Cream Legbars . These all produce pulverisation - blue eggshell .
If you desire white egg , take a aspect at White Leghorns , Polish , Lakenvelders and Anconas . For dark-brown eggs , check out Orpington , Marans , Wyandottes and Rocks .
For a range of pastel colors , look no further than the Easter Egger , a intercrossed cross of a brownish egg layer with a blue - laying Ameraucana or Araucana .
These are just one dozen of the more than 50 pure breed and mark breeds available to arouse in the U.S. Allot some clock time to research which breed(s ) you ’d like , once you determine which color(s ) you want .
Size of Eggs
Chicken eggs come in a variety of sizes . In the U.S. , thesize rangestarts at Peewee ( about 1.25 snow leopard ) and continues to Jumbo ( approximately 2.5 ounces ) . Most Americans favor large eggs , as these are the form most often called for in recipes . However , you may choose small , or you might wish jumbo .
Once you determine what size egg you would like , search the chicken breeds under considerateness to see which bring about your desire ball size . Typically , bantam hens lay peewee and pocket-size egg , while large - poultry hen lie medium , large , special big and jumbo eggs .
But the size of the biddy does n’t always match the size of her egg . Orpingtons , for example , though quite gravid , only produce eggs that are intermediate in size of it , while the giganticJersey Giantsproduce bombastic to extra - big testis .
Frequency of Egg Laying
Every hen produces eggs , and then there are those overachievers that are veritable orchis factories . TheISA Brown , a mixed - breed bird developed in France in the late 1970s , can bring on up to 350 eggs per year , while the purebred Rhode Island Red , White Leghorn and New Hampshire lie upwards of 250 eggs per class .
Conversely , the puffball Cochin produces roughly 130 eggs annually . The stunning Sumatra , however , only lays about 100 eggs per yr . Most received breed lie in the area of 180 to 200 testis every year .
To ensure your lot provide you with just the right number of eggs , reckon how many gobs you purchase in a calendar month . Then multiply that bit by 12 for one year ’s deserving .
For example , if you go through four dozen testicle each month , your full annual using up is 48 dozen eggs — or 576 eggs .
Next , count on how many hens from your desired chicken breed ( or breed ) will add up close to your yearly egg intake . Do n’t draw a blank how many hens your local ordinances permit . If you are only allowed three hen , and you squander 576 eggs per year , a microflock lie in of an Orpington , an Easter Egger and an Ancona — each lay about 190 ballock per yr — will provide you with a rainbow assortment of eggs in the amount you desire .
You might have to merge , match and switch it up to set exactly which chicken stock make the cut and become part of your stack .
