3 categories of chicken

Thinking of starting to raise chickens? There are many breeds of chicken on the market that you can choose from. To help you out, here are some of the main categories of chicken you can buy:

layers

These are ideal for laying eggs. The good thing about them is that they are very easy to maintain. There are many breeds of this variety that you can go with. Being the most common: leghorns. Leghorns are also known as the “Heritage” chicken, as they are recognized by the American Poultry Association.

Another breed that you should choose is Rhode Island. In addition to the breed being easy to keep, it also produces the largest eggs.

Meat

In most cases, chickens bred for meat are of the hybrid variety and are bred to grow very fast and to a large size. Because of the way they designed it, chicken meat tends to have a lot of health problems; therefore, you must be very careful when handling them.

To avoid many complications you should opt for breeds that are already well established. One of the best breeds that you should choose is the Cornish chicken. In addition to the breed giving you a lot of meat, it also has a great personality. Males typically grow up to 10 pounds, while females grow up to eight pounds.

Another breed you should go for is the corn/rock broiler. This is a hybrid of White Cornish and White Plymouth Rock. It grows at a very fast rate and you can harvest it after six weeks. The meat of the breed is juicy, tender and very healthy.

dual purpose

These can produce eggs and at the same time give you enough meat. One of the best breeds that you should consider breeding are Plymouth Rocks. The female grows to 7 ½ pounds and has great maternal instincts. Males, on the other hand, grow up to nine pounds.

Another breed that you can breed is the New Hampshire. The female grows up to 5 ½ pounds while the male grows up to 8 pounds.

Conclusion

These are the main categories of chicken that you can choose from. When buying birds, make sure you buy from a reputable seller. In order for them to reach their maximum size and give you the right size of eggs, you must take good care of them. This means that you need to give them proper housing, food, and medicine.