Once you make up your mind for breeding a small flock of chicken for all purposes, your first task is to identify a suitable breed that confines to your interest. You may choose a particular breed from the different varieties available, with a general understanding, that all breeds are for all needs.

•     Breeds for all needs: The largest commercial production of chicken is for the purpose of meat and eggs. Chicken breeds and hybrids of different varieties are generally defined and recorded in hatcheries and feed centers and there is no difficulty in selecting particular breed.

Hybrid crosses with their inborn physical strength and energy and can serve well in small production folks. Some consistent practical studies have proved that the traditional breeds have an edge over others, in the breeding process, which is already endorsed by the farmers’ group years back. The back ground study also fortifies this view.

•     In all major commercial centers, chicken are not allowed to grow for more than 18 months. The boilers and fryers are processed for food within 4 to 16 weeks and not beyond. In chicken business, longevity is not at all a considered factor.

However in small production units, long life of chicken is taken as a sign of vitality of the breed, low mortality, high productivity and strong body conditions.

Breeds and Varieties

The breed of a chicken is decided based on its body condition, quality of feather and comb. A particular variety within a breed itself is decided on the basis of color, comb, muff, tuff or feather conditions. The off- springs of the breeds are almost similar to the parental breed or at least 50 percent so.

Breeding sticking to the American Standard of perfection is a general motto of the American poultry Association. For hybrid production, chicken are crossed between two or three breeds.

Breeding folks of parental breeds are preserved for supply of the same breeds. Small commercial farms generally buy the hybrids of their choice from the hatcheries. Everything depends on the quality you desire to buy. Among a wide variety of the breeds in the market, the final choice is exclusively your own.

How Many Breeds?

If you start with a single breed, you have to concentrate on it, in order to become an expert. Your expertise puts you through a proper experience on that breed. If multiple breeds are kept, it would improve general expertise of the person. It can help understand the differences between two or more breeds.

If you maintain pure breeds, rely on the standard of perfection to learn about the characteristics of the chicken folk. If you want to retain a particular breed of your own, a lot of home work would be necessary. Many producers change the breeds in due course of time, finding more confidence in some other breeds.

How to choose what breed? In commercial production field, chicken are categorized as meat birds, egg birds and duel purpose birds. Leghorn breeds are known for high egg productions; among them are varieties producing brown eggs and organic eggs. There are other famous varieties like Cornish and Rock, that are exclusively used in the meat market.

Dominique-type chicken were popular in America from early 19th century, while Wyandotte were developed after the civil war that later entered to American standard 1905.

This variety still conquers the poultry markets. The eggs of all chicken irrespective of breeds are consumable and the traditional breeds are hatched as dual purpose birds for eggs and meat.