Types Of Chickens
What are the different types of chickens? There are more types of chickens in this world than humans and we mainly use them for food sources and as domestic pets. Out of the hundreds of breeds and types of chickens in the world they are categorized into egg producers, meat producers and ornamental. To start off, a few fun facts about chickens. When a chicken wants to, it can travel up to nine miles per hour. Chickens also have full colour vision. Did you know that chickens establish a pecking order? Its their social structure ladder so every chicken knows their place.
Americana chickens are known for their appearance since it is quite unique from most other chickens. They are muffed and bearded and depending on the variety they have black legs and full tails. Their colours range anywhere from Blue Wheaton to Brown Red. This chicken was previously known as Ameraucana which originated our of America and wasn’t accepted as an official breed until 1984. These types of chickens produces an above average number of blue and green eggs each year.
The Aracauna chickens are one of the rarer types of chickens, they originated in Chile and were kept by the indigenous Araucanian Indians. They have large tufts by their ears but no tails. An interesting fact about this type of chicken is that the gene that is responsible for producing tufting is lethal so while breeding this type of chicken, 25% of the eggs are dead.
Brahma chickens have feathers that extend down the leg and onto their toes. Brahma’s originated in India and are not the best for eating but they are known to be one of the largest types of chickens. The standard weight for a male is 11 lb and for the female its 8.5 lb.
One of the most unusual types of chickens are the Faverolles, which originated in France. They have large beards, muffs and 5 toes on each feathered foot. These chickens are kept mostly as ornamental pets or for show. The most common colour for these chickens is a pink-salmon colour.
Fizzle chickens have some of the craziest feathers that curl outward instead of laying flat. They are extremely docile and gentle, not to mention they possess good table qualities and good eggs.
Rhode Island Red chickens are known for being among the best laying chickens, they lay roughly 250-300 large white eggs each year. These chickens are more often than not good pets but their large comb makes them predisposed to frostbite.
Sussex chickens are one of the most popular chickens, especially the Light Sussex. It goes without saying these chickens originated in Sussex, England. The males typically weigh about 9 lb and the hens approximately 7 lb. These chickens are one of the most popular types because they are multipurpose chickens since they produce 240-260 eggs a year and they are also a good meat bird.
Among other types of chickens include Australorp chickens, Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, Cochin chickens, Cornish chickens, Delaware chickens, Golden Comet chickens, Hamburg Chickens, Java chickens, Leghorn chickens, New Hampshire chickens, Orpington chickens, Polish chickens, Wyandotte chickens and of course the Silkie chicken which has such fluffy feathers they are said to feel like silk.
