Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (2 page)

Depending on the traits for which these various breeds were bred, some chickens are nearly self-sufficient foragers, while others squat by the trough waiting for the next meal. Some retain their innate sense of self-preservation; others don’t have the sense to come in out of the rain. Some hens still have the instinct to collect eggs in a nest and hatch them into chicks; others have no interest in motherhood. Most cocks still mate the time-honored way, while a few breeds require human intervention in order to fertilize eggs to produce more of their kind.

Meanwhile, we humans have diverse needs and desires. Some of us want lots of tasty eggs; some want meaty chickens that grow large or fast or both large and fast; some enjoy nothing more than the beauty of brightly colored chickens frolicking in the sunshine; and some take pleasure in the simple companionship of these large, land-based birds.

Our various lifestyles enter into the equation of our relationship with chickens. Some of us live on farms with plenty of land for our chickens to freely roam and few neighbors for them to bother. Others live in crowded communities where chickens must be more closely tended to avoid offending neighbors or becoming a meal for a neighborhood pet.

All of this diversity among chickens and humans gives rise to an incredible diversity in our purposes for keeping chickens, how many we keep, the breeds we choose, and the methods by which we shelter and maintain them. For this reason, no one can tell you the one right way to raise chickens, or offer you an established blueprint for keeping your own flock. The best anyone can do is explain the needs of fowl, offer possibilities for fulfilling those needs, and let you pick and choose the options that best fit your particular situation.

And that is the goal of this book.

May your chicken-keeping decisions result in happy, healthy birds that fulfill their purpose in your life and bring you abundant joy.

THE FUN OF RAISING CHICKENS
begins right from the start, when you get to choose which color, shape, and size to have. With so many options to consider, you should have no trouble finding the perfect chicken — one that’s both picture-pretty and ideally suited to your purpose. Your reasons for keeping chickens will influence your list of breeds to consider, and within each breed, you will encounter differences among varieties and strains that may or may not suit your purposes.

No one knows exactly how many chicken breeds exist in the world. A
breed
is a genetically pure line having a common origin, similar conformation and other identifying characteristics, and the ability to reliably produce offspring with the same conformation and characteristics.

The latest edition of the American Poultry Association’s
American Standard of Perfection
describes and depicts the one-hundred-plus breeds currently recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA), a group that started out as the nation’s premier organization for the poultry industry but has since narrowed its focus to exhibition. The American Bantam Association (ABA) publishes its own standard, which doesn’t always agree with the APA
Standard
. Along with those listed in the two standards, other breeds are available in North America, and many more exist in the world.
Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds
offers color photographs and detailed descriptions of most breeds found in North America. (See the Recommended Reading list on
page 422
for publishing information for all books referred to in this guide.)

All birds within a given breed share the same skin color, number of toes, carriage, and feathering. Skin color may be yellow, like the skin of Cornish, New Hampshires, and Wyandottes, or white, like that of Australorps, Orpingtons, and Sussex. Most breeds have four toes, but some, such as the Dorkings, Faverolles, and Houdans, have five. The carriage may be more horizontal, like a Plymouth Rock’s, or more vertical, like the Shamo’s.

Plumage offers yet more variety. Most roosters have pointed neck and saddle (lower back) feathers, but Sebright and Campine cocks are
hen feathered
, meaning they sport the rounded hackle and saddle feathers of a hen. Naked Necks have no feathers on their necks at all. Other breeds have feathers that form a beard (Faverolle, for example), boots down their legs and feet (Brahma), puffy topknots (Polish), or long, flowing tails (Yokohama).

Birds of most breeds have smooth, satinlike feathers, a result of tiny hooks, called barbicels, that hold a feather’s webbing together. The feathers of Silkies, though, lack barbicels, making the birds look as if they’re covered with fur. The feathers of Frizzles curl at the ends, giving the birds a permed look. Besides being a distinction of the Frizzle breed, frizzledness is a genetic condition that can be introduced into any breed.

For practical purposes, the various breeds may be grouped according to whether they are primarily
laying breeds
,
meat breeds
,
dual-purpose breeds
, or
ornamental
. The APA divides the breeds into two classifications:
bantam
and
large
. Bantam breeds are one-fifth to one-fourth the size of large breeds. Some bantam breeds are miniature versions of a corresponding large breed; others are distinctive breeds in their own right. Because bantams and their eggs are small, they are considered to be ornamental.

LARGE BREED GROUPS

EXAMPLES OF UNUSUAL FEATHERING

In contrast to the pointed neck and saddle feathers of most cocks (far left), the Sebright cock (far right) is hen feathered.

Unusual feathering helps define such breeds as the Naked Neck, with its neck devoid of feathers; the Frizzle, with its permed look; and the Yokohama, with its long, fl owing tail.

A feather’s smooth satin look is the result of barbicels that hold the webbing together.

Large and bantam breeds are subdivided into a number of classifications. While these classifications are established primarily to group breeds and varieties for show purposes, they are helpful in understanding the relationships among the various breeds.

Classifications for large breeds indicate their places of origin: American, Asiatic, Continental, English, Mediterranean, and Other (including Oriental). Each large breed is listed in only one class.

Bantams are classified according to specific characteristics: by whether or not they are game breeds; by comb style; and by the presence or absence of leg feathering. Among bantams, the same breed may be represented in different classes by distinctive varieties.

Most breeds are subdivided into two or more varieties, usually based on plumage color. Some varieties are established based on feather placement or comb style.

Plumage color ranges from a rainbow of solid colors to patterns such as speckled, barred, or laced. Wyandottes, for example, come in several varieties based on color, including solid hues such as buff, black, and white, as well as patterns, such as gold or silver lacing.

Varieties defined by feather placement might have, for example, feathers on the legs or under the beak. Frizzle bantams may be clean legged or feather legged. Polish, Booted Bantams, and Silkies may be either bearded or nonbearded.

The most common comb style among chickens is the single comb, a series of upright sawtooth zigzags. Varieties defined by comb style might have buttercup, pea, rose, cushion, walnut, strawberry, duplex (cup or V), or carnation combs. Among breeds with varieties defined by comb, Anconas and Rhode Island Reds each have two varieties — single comb and rose comb. Leghorns are an example of a breed that comes in different colors and different comb styles; among the possibilities are buff, black, and silver, with either single or rose combs.

A strain, or line, is a related family of birds bred with emphasis on specific traits. Strains bred by fanciers are derived from a single breed, selected for what the owner perceives to be superior qualities. Whether or not these chickens may be called purebred is a matter of contention. Some people argue that they cannot be called purebred because chickens have no registry and therefore no papers as proof of lineage, so the term more accurately should be called
straightbred
.
Whatever you call them, your only guarantee is the owner’s word. And it’s not uncommon for these breeders to outcross to another breed to avoid close inbreeding or improve certain characteristics such as size or feather color.

FEATHER PATTERNS