"An Egg Today is Better Than a Hen Tomorrow": Breeds o' Chickens Part III

Just how many chicken breeds are there?  Wikipedia says "hundreds", Yahoo Answers says the same "hundreds" (since it was just copy-pasted from Wikipedia), Poultrypages.com says over 75....to put it simply, there are a lot of different types of chickens out there.  So which ones are the best for what I/people who may want an urban hen house of just a few want?

Some factors to consider:  good egg layer, friendly, not aggressive - think pet that lays eggs.  Here are some of the more popular breeds:

1. Rhode Island Red: 
- Hardy against cold weather
- A good egg layer ( average 200 per year, 5-7 per week) 
- Good with kids, but can get a bit aggressive if provoked/annoyed/poked/harassed. 
- Can be affectionate, especially with familiar people. 
- If free range/run, eggs can be too big to fit into a carton
- Egg color = brown

2. Barred Plymouth Rock ("Barred Rock"):
- Hardy against cold
- Decent egg layers (4 per week)
- Calm around familiar people
- Will run from predators
- "Smart and plucky" (sounds very chicken-ish)
- Good brooders (meaning they will incubate eggs)
- Egg color = brownish pink






3. Easter Eggers (sorta Ameraucanas, but not):
- Not a specific breed
- Egg colors = blue to green to olive to aqua and sometimes even pinkish
- Very friendly, especially with kids
- Hardy against the cold
- Decent egg layer (4 per week)
- Known to have a "fun" personality


4. Sussex:
- Come in a variety of colors (Brown, Buff, Light, Red, Speckled, Silver, White and Coronation) 
- Great against cold weather
- Forage well and are economical eaters
- Friendly and easy to handle
- Can't really fly away, easy to fence
- Curious (will follow you around)
- Decent egg layers (4 per week)
- Egg color = brown


For more information on these breeds and others, visit My Pet Chicken

"An Egg Today is Better Than a Hen Tomorrow". Are You Allowed to Have an Urban Hen House? Part II

Perhaps the first thing you should look into is the most obvious:  are you legally allowed to have a hen house where you live?  Of course, countryside/more rural residences are going to be a lot more lenient than their urban counterparts - so it's always best to just check first to see what is and is not permitted, and what steps are necessary to have one if you are allowed.  

For example: Minneapolis, MN (taken from Minneapolis Animal Care & Control - MACC)

- Are you allowed to have an urban hen house?  Yes, but you need a "small animal permit"
- What do you need to do?
1. Define the number and type of each bird to be kept on the property.
2. Obtain written consent from 80% of your neighbors within 100 feet of your property.  A copy of the consent form and the addresses needing permission can be generated by the MACC.
3. Allow the MACC to inspect the area where you wish to keep the birds for zoning and living requirements.
4. All animals must be vaccinated and licensed
- Is there an application fee?  Yes, $50
- Is there a renewal fee?  Yes, $40 = one year, $150 = five years

Unfortunately Toronto, you are not allowed to have urban chickens, as they are one of the "prohibited animals" - i.e. Galliformes.  (Schedule A to Ch. 349 - Prohibited Animals) 
However, there has been talk of changing this law as of recently, so hopefully this will be amended...after all, pigeons and rabbits are ok.  Weird.

If you are in the US and are interested in keeping back yard chickens, there's a great website that can help lead you in the right direction: http://www.backyardchickens.com/laws/search.php

Good luck!

"An Egg Today is Better Than a Hen Tomorrow": an Introduction to the Backyard Hen House

Farm fresh eggs - that golden orange yolk, that hormone-free goodness.  We all would love to have them, but unless you have a very large wallet or live on or near a farm, you're a bit out of luck.  Perhaps this reason (and the rising popularity of a self-sustained living) is why more and more people are building backyard hen houses?  If I had the space for it, I would do it in a heartbeat.  That is why I have decided to create a series of posts about the backyard hen house - for those that can do it, but do not know how (and for myself in the future). 

For those of you who do not know/have never noticed the difference, please take a gander at this photo and article from Spoonful New York's blog:

 

Left = farm fresh.  Right = supermarket

Look forward to more in-depth posts about how to start your very own backyard hen house in the near future. 

great name, great store

One of my all time favorite stores here in Toronto's Kensington Market, Good Egg sells a wide selection of general and specialty cook books, cooking supplies, specialty classes, and fun little knickknacks.

As the store says:

"Good Egg is a shop dedicated to those who like to eat."

If you live in Toronto, or plan on being in the area, definitely check them out.