Breeding Chickens Easy Guidelines

Are you interested in breeding your own chickens? Whether it is for consumption or for sale, here is a guide as to how to the experts are breeding chickens, and how you can too. Be sure to not mistreat any of your animals, it is against the law!

Chickens are relatively docile animals and are easy to care for and maintain. They breed relatively quickly, and produce more than one chick, unlike other animals. To breed any animals, you need the basics, a male and female. In this case it's a male rooster and a female chicken. You leave the rooster inside a pen with other chickens. There can be one male rooster to several female chickens.



Once you have let your roosters and chickens mate for a couple of days, you stop collecting the eggs, and assume that some of them are fertilized. Unfortunately, there is no way to see which eggs are fertilized, you have to wait and see. You want to make sure that the nest is perfectly level so that when born, the chicks do not fall out.

Temperature is key. The temperature of the shed has to be constantly warm, so prevent any drafts from entering the building or area. Any eggs that are neglected by the hen should be incubated and carefully monitored. You can buy an incubator at any farming supply stores. They vary in price depending on where you go, It takes around three weeks for the eggs to hatch, so be patient. Let the chicks peck their way out of their eggs, which might be a long process. When the chicks hatch, be sure to feed them, and give them plenty of water. There is special chick food, which you can buy at any pet store.

You should have these supplies ready before you decide to breed chickens. Being prepared is key. You do not want any surprises, or do any late night runs to the grocery store. The health of your chicks depend on you.

Be cautious of leaving the chicks with their mother. Hens are known to eat their offspring. This is gross, but it is part of nature. Keep the chicks safe from other birds as well. The chicks will be prone to temperature differences and other predators, so beware.

If you are interested in selling your chicks, sexing them is important. As always, the females will sell for more money than the males. Sexing your chicks can be a messy process, since you need to remove the excrements from their genitals. If raising your chickens for consumption, then make sure to feed them and treat them nicely. A happy chicken, is a good chicken!

Breeding chickens can be a stimulating hobby, a rewarding avocation or even a successful business. The key is to remember that you can only be as successful as your chickens, themselves. Always make decisions with the health and welfare of your poultry uppermost in your mind. You must take care of them before they can take care of you. Humane treatment makes good economic sense, as well.





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Best Breeds of Chickens

The first thing a person should think about, when trying to decide if chicken keeping is right for them, is what breed of chicken to get. This is the easy part, because there are basically only four main categories chickens fall into when it comes to breeds.

First you have the Egg layers, Then the meat types and and dual purpose breeds and finally the Bantam breeds. Chickens have been genetically developed over the years to fill the needs of the chicken keeper. But, no one breed of bird will be perfect for all four of the above purposes. Read on and find out why.



The egg layer breeds of chickens can be traced back to the Mediterranean Class of chickens, which was classified by the American Standard of Perfection. They have been picked genetically for high egg production and have small bodies that make them easy keepers. All of their dietary nutrition goes into egg production, and they can come close to producing an egg a day. The egg layer can lay either a white or some shade of brown egg. The Leghorn breed is one of the best white egg producers. The best brown egg producers have been developed largely from the Rhode Island Red breed. Due to extensive breeding programs, there are now many good egg laying breeds available to choose from.

The breeds of chickens used for meat are not actually breeds, but rather, they are hybrids or combinations of many different breeds. A combination of breeds are picked to produce a chicken with the heavy weight and large white meat breasts that the market demands. Some meat chicken breeds grow fast, others have more white meat, still other use feed more efficiently and others might have more disease resistance. The down side of these breeds is that they don't lay many eggs. These are the chickens you usually find in the grocery store meat case. A good example is the Cornish Cross.

Another kind of chicken breed available is the dual purpose chicken. They don't lay quite as many eggs as a Leghorn or Rhode Island Red, but they are larger and more meaty. While they aren't as fast growing and heavy as the meat types, like the Cornish, they still grow to an acceptable size for the dinner table. You may have to feed them out a bit longer, but you'll also get a good quantity of eggs as well. Many backyard chicken keepers prefer the versatility of these breeds so they have eggs and can raise chicks into meat for the dinner table too. Wyandotes, Rocks and Orphingtons are some good examples of the dual purpose breeds.

If you live in the city or just don't have a lot of room for a flock, you could consider the Bantams. These are mostly chickens just like the three catagories above, but in miniature. They are about half the size of standard chickens and lay an egg about half the size of a large chicken egg. These tiny chickens are gaining popularity even as house pets, and what chickens fall into when it comes to breeds.

First you have the Egg layers, Then the meat types and and dual purpose breeds and finally the Bantam breeds. Chickens have been genetically developed over the years to fill the needs of the chicken keeper. But, no one breed of bird will be perfect for all four of the above purposes. Read on and find out why.

The egg layer breeds of chickens can be traced back to the Mediterranean Class of chickens, which was classified by the American Standard of Perfection. They have been picked genetically for high egg production and have small bodies that make them easy keepers. All of their dietary nutrition goes into egg production, and they can come close to producing an egg a day. The egg layer can lay either a white or some shade of brown egg. The Leghorn breed is one of the best white egg producers. The best brown egg producers have been developed largely from the Rhode Island Red breed. Due to extensive breeding programs, there are now many good egg laying breeds available to choose from.

The breeds of chickens used for meat are not actually breeds, but rather, they are hybrids or combinations of many different breeds. A combination of breeds are picked to produce a chicken with the heavy weight and large white meat breasts that the market demands. Some meat chicken breeds grow fast, others have more white meat, still other use feed more efficiently and others might have more disease resistance. The down side of these breeds is that they don't lay many eggs. These are the chickens you usually find in the grocery store meat case. A good example is the Cornish Cross.

Another kind of chicken breed available is the dual purpose chicken. They don't lay quite as many eggs as a Leghorn or Rhode Island Red, but they are larger and more meaty. While they aren't as fast growing and heavy as the meat types, like the Cornish, they still grow to an acceptable size for the dinner table. You may have to feed them out a bit longer, but you'll also get a good quantity of eggs as well. Many backyard chicken keepers prefer the versatility of these breeds so they have eggs and can raise chicks into meat for the dinner table too. Wyandotes, Rocks and Orphingtons are some good examples of the dual purpose breeds.

If you live in the city or just don't have a lot of room for a flock, you could consider the Bantams. These are mostly chickens just like the three catagories above, but in miniature. They are about half the size of standard chickens and lay an egg about half the size of a large chicken egg. These tiny chickens are gaining popularity even as house pets, and what other pet gives you breakfast every morning? Most breeds of chickens now have a Bantam size as well as standard. A good example of true miniature chickens is the Serama.

You need to decide what type of chicken is most important to you. Then you need to pick a breed with a color and personality you like. The breeds and varieties are listed in the publication entitled American Standard of Perfection, 1974. You should be able to find something you like there. Finally you need to find a good reputable local breeder to get some healthy chicks. By going to a reputable breeder, you'll be sure to get the breed and sex you want. The chicks you get from small local farms are also usually better, healthier stock, as the owners are more interested in improving their line of chickens than simply mass producing them.

The most important thing about raising chickens is to enjoy them. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning to be greeted by a flock of clucking hens who just produced your breakfast. You'll be amazed at the varied personalities and the interaction that goes on in your flock. Take time to study them. Chickens will help you become more self sufficient too, and that's important in this day and age.

Now go get some chickens.









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