Chickens: Best Meat-producing and Utility Breeds

After a request, I have put together a list of all the best chicken breeds for meat production. As a bonus, many are also great egg-layers (see my post Chickens: Top 5 Best Egg-Laying Pure Breeds). Utility breeds are breeds that produce both good numbers of eggs and good meat. Broilers are breeds bred specifically for meat-production, also known as Table Birds.

Pure Breeds

Utility Light Sussex is best known for its dual-purpose meat and egg production.
Credit: Captain Vindaloo. Permission: Public Domain

Utility Light Sussex

The Light Sussex is a British breed, ideal for both the table and for eggs. There are many colours available, but the utility light sussex is the best known for its meat and eggs.

Weight: Large male: 9 lb (4.1 kg), large female: 7 lb (3.2 kg)

Personality: Docile, friendly and very easy to tame, these are a really amazing breed when it comes to personality.

Care: These birds are great for the beginner chicken keeper as they are easy to keep and require no special care. They are a hardy breed great for cooler climates.

Dorking

The Dorking is a very old breed, thought to have either been introduced to Britain by the Romans or to be from pre-Roman times. The Dorking is a fair layer and has very tasty meat. However, it is harder to source a stock than some of the more common breeds.

Weight:  Large male: 10 - 14 lb (4.6 - 6.4 kg) Large female: 8 - 10 lb (3.6 - 4.6 kg)

Personality: The Dorking is a docile breed that is easy to handle and tame.

Care: Despite all its qualities, the Dorking needs plenty of space to scratch, explore and run around, and is not too happy in confinement.

Cuckoo Maran free-ranging with a Rhode Island Red.
Credit: Captain Vindaloo. Permission:  Public Domain

Marans

Marans are known for their fleshy meat and beautiful brown eggs. They have a traditional yet interesting look, especially the Cuckoo variety.

Weight: Male: 8 lb (3.6 kg), female: 7 lb ( 3.2 kg)

Personality: Marans are very active birds, and need plenty to do. They do not appreciate being handled and can be a little temperamental as a breed, but it depends on the individual and strain.

Care: The Maran will not tolerate confinement and needs free-range or close to free-range conditions, otherwise it is a hardy breed with no specific problems.

The Barred Plymouth Rock is a striking breed, 
happy to free-range.
Credit: smerikal. Permission: CC-BY-SA-2.0

Plymouth Rock

The Plymouth Rock is a very popular breed in both the UK and America. It was introduced to Britain from America. It is not an efficient eater but matures early.

Weight: Male: 7 1/2 lb (3.4 kg), female: 6 1/2 lb (2.95 kg)

Personality: the Plymouth Rock is a friendly, calm breed that is happy to be handled.

Care: The Plymouth Rock will tolerate relative confinement but is equally happy to free-range. It is an ideal breed for the beginner.

Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is arguably one of the most well-known and best-loved breeds in America and the UK. They were first developed for their size and egg-laying abilities and remain to this day a very productive chicken.

Rhode Island Reds are great backyard birds.
Credit: U&I (Useful & Interesting Blog) Permission: Author's permission

Weight: Male: 8 1/2 lb (3.9 kg), female: 6 1/2 lb (2.95 kg)

Personality: RIRs (as they are sometimes known) are a great dual-purpose breed and also make great pets as they have a calm and docile nature. They are also inquisitive but will be happy in free-range or confined conditions (although do not overcrowd)

Care: They do well in most situations and are ideal beginner birds. They mature relatively early and are a perfect breed for the backyard or garden or for their meat and eggs. 

Australorp

The Ausralorp is a well-fleshed, white-skinned, excellent table bird, but is also a wonderful layer of about 200 light-brown eggs a year, as well as being a good exhibition bird.

Austalorp mature relatively quickly and are great table birds.
Credit: Jason buildakicker Permission: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 

Weight: Male: 8 1/2 - 10 lb (3.8 - 4.6 kg), female: 6 1/2 - 8 lb (2.95 - 3.6 kg)

Personality: The Australorp is a handsome, quiet breed well-known for its calm temperament. It is also a good exhibition breed.

Care: The Ausralorp requires no specific care, tolerating confinement well and maturing early, as well as being an economical eater. 

Hybrids

There are many great hybrid breeds that are good table birds. These include Hubbard-ISA, Sasso, Cobb 500, Ross broilers, Cotswold Whites as well as many others. Unlike pure breeds, hybrids have many different names and are frequently allocated numbers instead of names. Hybrids are economical eaters and produce good meat and large quantities of eggs.

Stories: Dealing with Death... No, I'm really not sure how!

I haven't written in a very long time, I'm sorry. But what can I say? It has been a very traumatic few months, as my characterful, cheeky, lovely Bonnie died. But that's not it. My beautiful Birdie got a throat tumour and had to be put down by the vet because food was unable to pass through. It takes a while before I find I can write about these things because I'm very close to all my chickens... Oh dear I'm crying again! I wish I could write a post about how to deal with a chicken's death, but I can't because I don't know how! I think you just have to remember what an amazing life they had with you. That you did everything you could for them. That you loved them, that they were able to be chickens and that their life was wonderful.

I feel so honoured to have been a part of their lives, and I will never forget them as long as I live.

Don't ever make the mistake of detaching yourself from your hens, even if they are egg-layers or for meat: you will regret it. You'll wish you'd known more about them; really discovered who they were. Just accept that when they do pass away you will be sad, and remember you will get through it, like I've done. Don't be ashamed to cry over a chicken: they are one of the most amazing, funny, quirky, beautiful animals on Earth. Love them while they're here... even if you eat them in the end!

Here are some photos of them to remember them by, but sadly these two hens are the two I don't have so many pictures of. See this post to see a film of them all too.

Bonnie was very patient when it came to bath-time!
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

Fast asleep!
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

My hens relaxing in the Summer Sunshine!

Although a chilly start to the year, June has brought warmth and Sun! Here's a video of them enjoying the Summer days:D Bonnie (my Light Sussex) even tucks her head under her wing, she is so relaxed!

Note: Best not to view full screen because it is very pixelated!

Chickens: Top 5 best egg-laying pure breeds

If you are looking for ideas on which chicken breeds are best for you, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is, "do I want chickens for eggs, meat, pets or some other reason (showing, breeding, etc.)?"
If you are looking for eggs, then I have put together a list of five pure breeds that might be right for you. Please remember, these do not include Hybrids, which often lay more eggs, but have a shorter life span and don't have such a wide range of colours. This is only pointing out the five best pure breeds. I haven't written an article about the best hybrid egg-laying breeds yet.

Austrolorp hen.
Credit:  Jason buildakicker Permission: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Austrolorp

Eggs: young hens will lay an average of 200 eggs year, but a hen was recorded in Australia and managed to lay 364 eggs in 365 days! The eggs are light brown in colour.

Personality: A generally docile, tame breed, often happy to be handled and curious. Good mother and broody.

Care: They are very easy to keep, and love to forage but happy enough if kept busy in relative confinement.

Rhode Island Red hens.
Credit: Sammmydavisdog Permission: CC BY 2.0

Rhode Island Red                                                 

Eggs: An average of 200 large brown eggs a year.

Personality: Calm, easy to tame birds, they make an ideal backyard chicken!

Care: Very easy to keep and are adaptable. They are not good broodies but are hardy.

White Leghorn.
Credit: Lauredhel Permission: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Leghorn

Eggs: 200 + white eggs a year, depending on strain. Utility strains (particularly the White leghorn) lay more. The white leghorn is often used in the US in battery farms.

Personality: They are a Mediterranean breed so are flighty and excitable but some can be tamed and have hilarious characters if you manage it!

Care: Keep an eye on their combs in winter as they can get frostbite. They are good fliers.

Speckled Sussex.
Credit:Shooting Chris Permission: CC BY-NC 2.0

Sussex

Eggs: Good stock can lay 200-220 eggs in a year, but some sources may lay less.

Personality: Curious, calm, and friendly, this bird is ideal for a small backyard flock and pets.

Care: Good broodies, and tolerate low temperatures. They can be kept confined but love to free-range or have a large run. Otherwise, they are very easy to keep.

Silver Laced Wyandotte hen.
Credit: cskk Permission: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Wyandotte

Eggs: Hens lay 200 or more eggs in their first year, and the Sliver-laced variety is thought to be best layer.

Personality: Are happy in confinement or free-range, they are easy to tame and docile birds.

Care: Hardy birds, suited to most climates. Their small rose-comb makes them less susceptible to bullying and frostbite.

Chickens: My bantams!

Nutmeg my Bufflaced Wyandotte Bantam.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

Well you've probably seen my four large fowl hens, but three weeks ago today I got two bantams.  I haven't got many stories about them yet only having had them a few weeks. However, I can give you their main characters :)

My Buff laced Wyandotte Bantam, Meggie (short for Nutmeg).
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author).

Nutmeg is my Buff-laced Wyandotte Bantam, and is a shy little thing but quite jumpy. It took her a while to get used to me (about a week) but will now happily feed out of my hand. She has just gone broody (*Update*: I've written about that here.) In the first photo her wing is held in a strange position; don't worry! She was preening when I took the photo so it's quite normal:)

Pepper, my Barred Wyandotte bantam.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

Pepper is my Barred Wyandotte Bantam and is from show stock. She did bully Nutmeg a bit at first but once the pecking order was established they get on fine. She loves to perch and comes running when you enter their area. Luckily, she has shown no signs of going broody.. fingers crossed!

Pepper scratching around.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author).

What are bantams?

Bantams are like miniature chickens. You can get true bantams and miniatures of the large fowl breeds. Bantams are just small chickens. They do take up less space but if at all possible give them as much as the large fowl because most are very active. Bantams lay smaller eggs, but eat less and are great with children too. The smallest true bantam is the Dutch Bantam. My hens are both wyandottes, so not true bantams because you get them in large form also. Other true bantams include the Japanese Bantam, Rosecomb, Belgian bantams (Barbu d'anvers, Barbu d'Uccles, Barbu d'watermael and Barbu d'grubbe) Sebright and Pekin.

Dutch Bantam pullet. The smallest true bantam breed.
Credit: Laura Haggarty Permission: CC-BY-SA 3.0
 via Wikimedia Commons

Chickens: My Large Fowl

Just thought I'd post some pics of my chickens. I have four large fowl/standard hens.
The first photo is my Light Sussex hen called Bonnie. She's often under your feet, and I've nearly stood on her before! She is happy to be held and stroked and will come running when she is called. For some reason she has never really taken to perching at night and seems to much prefer to sleep in the nestbox! In the second photo below she is being naughty and drinking out of a bucket for collecting rain water. A metre away is their actually drinker, but she seems to know what she is not meant to do... because she does it!! There'll be many more stories about her in other posts because it would take way too much space to write them all here now!

Teazle is anther of my first hens (as was Bonnie), but unlike Bonnie she not very tame, although once I've managed to catch her she will usually stay calm while you hold her. She is a Welsummer. She really doesn't like new people, so when my friends/family come to see the hens she gets quite upset! I find this very strange, but then she is quite a strange hen! She also doesn't like wind. Apart from these things, she lays well and the eggs are - mostly - a lovely dark brown. She is always looking after herself, despite having a growth problem with her beak. This  means she finds it slightly more difficult to eat, though she can do it. The upper mandible (top part of beak) hardly grows at all, and the end of it is a funny shape. Also the sides of her beak grow at an alarming rate and have to be clipped off regularly. On this photo it is difficult to see the beak problem because of the angle and also it has been clipped recently, making it look nearly normal.

My Welsummer, Teazel. 
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

Last April (2012) I got two more hens, not long before Dido, my other first Light Sussex and Bonnie's sister, died. I bought them from an auction which can be a little risky as you haven't much idea of who owns them, what conditions they have come from, etc. as often as not you also don't know how old the bird is and, occasionally, what breed it is.
 This was the case with Daffodil and Blackbird. They were obviously mixed breeds, but I had no idea what breeds they had in them then, or even if they were still laying. The only information I had was that they were being sold with the title: "two broodies". See this article for information on broodies. Well, I've never had anything of the sort from them! I have at last found out that Daffy (I hardly ever call her Daffodil) is a Cream Legbar crossed with a White Leghorn. 
She lays beautiful blue eggs and acts like a parrot (sits on your arm etc.), is quite bossy and will willingly peck the others if they are in the way! She is a skinny little thing and had to have an operation (*Update:* I've written about that here).  

My mix breed hen, Daffy.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author).

My Leghor x Legbar mix, Daffodil, resting (which she hardly ever does..)
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author).

Birdie (short for Blackbird) is calm and  obviously quite an old bird. She loves to sleep and dustbathe and preen (keeps herself even tidier than Teazle!). I have found her many times sleeping on the roof of the coop (hen house) at night when she should be inside it! Strangely, she is my only hen which eats the suet pellets meant for thrushes (another reason I called her Blackbird). She can fly better than the others despite being a big bird. She is very unusual-looking and very beautiful.

My other mix breed hen,Birdie.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)