Chickens!

                                                                 Light Sussex Chickens

To be clear, I don't have chickens yet! Their ownership is banned where I currently reside, so I have to wait until I move to get some...

This means I get loads of time to research what breeds I would like in my flock however! I've been focusing a lot on dual-purpose birds that are tolerant of climates where it gets cold in winter. Egg-layers that are big enough to also be good meat birds. Here are a few of the breeds I'm currently looking into:

 ~Wyandotte:
* "The Wyandotte originated in the U.S. in the 1870's. Wyandottes were made in Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York by 4 breeders. they we first called American Sebrights. They we made of mostly Sebrights and cochins, experts agree that brahmas and spangled hamburgs were used in making the breed."

 ~Jersey Giant:
* "The Jersey Giant is the largest chicken variety (roosters average 13 lbs., hens average 11 lbs.). This breed was originally called the Jersey Black Giant, being named after its developers, the Black brother, in the 1870s in New Jersey. The breeds used in development of the Jersey Giant were Orpingtons, Javas, and Langshans. These birds are rugged, and are slow growers, putting on their frames the first year and then filling out in the second."

~Plymouth Rock (Partridge/Barred) :
* "The Plymouth Rock originated in New England in the 19th Century and was first recognized as a breed in the year 1869. They created the first Rock (Barred) by using breeds such as Dominique, Dorkings Cochins, etc. After that other colors and forms of the Plymouth Rock were created. It has been a great bird due to hardiness, egg laying, broodiness, and meat production. The first production meat chicken happened to be the Barred Rock. But now The White Rock is typically the female used to create Cornish X meat chickens."

 ~Brahma (Light):
* "The Brahma is an Asiatic breed of chicken. The first Brahmas were brought to the United States in 1846 from China. The earliest male imports to the USA weighed around 14 pounds. They were used as a utility fowl for both their meat and eggs. Today Brahmas are mainly kept for ornamental purposes."




*Descriptions taken from: http://www.backyardchickens.com/
Photos are not mine! They were found through Google and are being used to illustrate what each breed looks like. I am not claiming that I own these birds, or have taken the photos. I'm just posting them here for educational purposes, for anyone interested. But please, if you're looking into getting chickens, please do your own research and find out what breeds are right for your climate, and make sure to check that they're legal to own in your area, considering many places still have ignorant bans in place against backyard chickens!