Chicken Picking
There are a thousand different types of chickens out there. How do you pick a breed that is right for your homestead? One way to ensure you choose the right breed is to consider the overall needs of a flock and choose the breed that best fits your homestead. There are many kinds of chickens to choose from, but if you stick to these basic requirements you will have a happy and healthy flock that you will love.
Climate:
The most important consideration when picking a chicken breed is the climate you live in and the breed that is accustom to that climate.
For example, when I was choosing my flock, I knew I needed to pick a breed that could handle my hot, humid summer weather, as well as our freezing temperatures in the winter. Fortunately for me, that decreased the number of breeds to choose from, which made my decision a little easier.
Make sure you research a breed that can handle your homestead's climate. This is important for many reasons, but mostly for the health and survival of your flock. If you rely on heaters in winter and fans in summer, you could be setting yourself up for a loss if a power outage or worse were to happen. It's just easier and cheaper to select a breed that can handle your homestead's weather conditions rather than trying to heat or cool your chickens all year long.
Space:
Space is a vital consideration when picking your future flock. Chickens only need a small space when they are roosting to sleep (about 12-14 inches), but during the day they do best with wide open spaces to roam. You can certainly raise a healthy flock inside of a chicken run, but you need to make sure that each one has enough space. My general rule is 10 square feet per bird when deciding on how many chickens a stationary run can accommodate. I add a little more space than the experts recommend because I find it more sanitary for my birds.
My flock size is based on how many chickens can fit comfortably in my chicken tractor. While I'm at work, I keep my chickens in a 4' X 12' tractor that can be moved daily if needed. But when I get home and on my days off, the chickens are free to roam about a 1/4 acre. I would love to have 30-50 chickens on my homestead but because I only have space for one tiny chicken tractor I'm keeping my flock under 10.
Chickens come in all sizes. There are small bird breeds like bantams and large breeds such as leghorns. Do not choose the large breeds if your chickens are going to be confined unless you limit the numbers to accommodate their size. Choose what will fit in your space.
Another important tip for beginners is to start with a small flock despite how much space you have. I would recommend no more than 6-10 chickens for the beginner. You can always add more to your flock, so it's best to start small. The size of your flock is also a major consideration for your time commitment when it comes to chores.
Eggs vs Meat:
It is very important that you decide on the purpose your chickens will serve before you get any. Chickens are bred to be layers, to be consumed, or to be used for both. There are huge differences in certain breeds of chickens based on their purpose. It is important to know the difference.
If you purchase a meat production breed like the Cornish cross, you will have to constantly feed these birds. They grow quickly and do not tend to forage enough to sustain themselves. They can be harvested between 8-12 weeks and you will have a bird similar in weight to the one you would buy in the grocery store. But these birds tend to develop multiple health problems if left to mature beyond a certain age. If you purchase a flock of egg layers and then decide you want to harvest some meat from a few birds, the final weight of the bird will be low and probably not worth the cost you spent to raise it.
Make sure you buy a breed that fits your purposes on your homestead. Meat breeds should only be purchased for harvest, and I wouldn't recommend harvesting your egg layers unless you are culling for other purposes.
If you decide that you want egg-layers, then I would first calculate how many eggs will your family consume within an average week or month. Then decide on how many you will need to feed your family. Keep in mind that chickens do not lay eggs year round.
Chickens lay an egg almost every day, but they take a break some days in between. I average about 24-28 eggs per bird per month for about 8-10 months of the year.
If you choose a chicken for the egg production, then look into a breed that lays a large number of eggs per month and does well laying through winter. First-year chickens will lay eggs through the winter, but they will cease to lay for most of the winter months from thereafter. Some breeds continue to lay throughout the winter, but production is poor. Chickens will also molt, during which time they will not lay an egg.
If you want chickens for egg production, then choose a breed that is recommended for that purpose. If you choose a chicken for meat production, I would suggest that you keep the flock under 10 for the first run. Processing chickens is a lot of work and if you are doing it for the first time, it can be very time-consuming. Again, start out with a small flock to test the waters.
There are breeds that are labeled as dual purpose. That means that they are good egg layers and can be harvested for meat if needed. These chickens tend to be heritage breeds and very hardy birds in my opinion. I started with this type of breed but typically you can only mail order this type, and there tends to be a minimum purchase on mail order chicks.
Male vs Female:
Some people may not know that you don't need a rooster for egg production. Roosters simply fertilize the egg that the hen will make. Roosters are generally used for flock protection, offspring production, and meat.
If you are a beginner, I recommend that you do not get a rooster. Roosters crow very early in the morning and throughout the day. Some roosters can get territorial as they mature and are not suited for a homestead with small children or other animals. Roosters with spurs can hurt you if you don't know how to handle them or if they feel threatened. I have a rooster named George that will actually chase me around the yard trying to spur me because he doesn't like my red garden shoes. Luckily, I can handle George, so he's not going in the pot.
When purchasing your flock, go with a reputable breeder and look for a sexed run of chicks. Chicks are typically sold as sexed or as a straight run (un-sexed). There is no guarantee that you will get all females, but buying sexed chicks limits your chances of getting a rooster.
When I purchased my first flock of 5 chickens from a sexed group, one of them was a rooster. Generally, by the time you have figured out you have a rooster, you cannot return or exchange him. If you buy un-sexed chicks, you run the risk of half of them being roosters. Roosters do not get along with each other in close spaces and will constantly fight if confined so it is unwise to have more than one with a small flock.
I hope these tips have helped you in picking your new flock. There is a lot of information available but it can be simple to choose by sticking to the basic needs of your flock and your homestead.
Good luck!
