Chickens...

Let's talk about chickens, again. I have bought chicks two years in a row now and have loved raising up the babies. My first year I bought a hybrid breed of chicken, Cinnamon Queens, and they started laying eggs around 15 weeks. I chose a hybrid breed of chicken, because I only wanted eggs. I wasn't thinking about homesteading at first. Initially I just wanted to see if I could handle getting chickens. Sounds strange, but after the experience's I've had with birds of every shape and size I was a little leery of the outcome. This year I got 2 different breeds, Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds. Both breeds are considered heritage breeds, which basically just means they're an old breed and are said to be a line that existed before the 20th century. I chose these particular breeds because they are considered a high production dual purpose breed. I wanted a dual purpose breed, because I wanted something that was going to grow to be large enough to feed my family. I also chose a high production breed, because we like eggs. Not only do we eat eggs daily, but we also feed them to our dog, and I want to be able to sell them to make a little extra money to pay for feed.

Choosing heritage breeds was a no brainer for me, because I wanted something that would procreate on their own. As someone who wants a fully functioning, regenerative homestead I needed chickens that would not only be large enough to eat, but also something that needed little input from me. The Leghorn hens can start laying as early as 18-20 weeks according to all of my research, but I've also heard they can start as early as 14-16 weeks, so I guess we will see what happens. The Rhode Island Reds on the other hand are a breed that will not fully mature until 24-26 weeks, which means it will be a while before they start laying.

Now let's get into eggs. When I first started researching chickens I assumed that chickens either laid white or brown eggs, and to an extent that's true. Chickens, depending on the breed and lineage, will lay either a white or a blue egg. (yes, you read that right, blue egg) Then because each hen deposits a thin coating, called a bloom, onto the egg when it is laid and that is what changes the color of the shell. Or rather it changes the appearance of the shell color, but when you crack open the egg the inside of the shell will either be blue or white, never anything else.

I do have 2 chickens that were supposed to be Cinnamon Queens that lay a blue and green egg. Cinnamon Queens lay brown eggs, so how I ended up with different chickens we may never know. My chickens also lay different sized eggs. My green egg layer, Chicken Little, lays a large to extra large egg, and sometimes it's not just green, but green with little brown speckles. Kung Pao lays a small to medium blue to bluish-green egg. Her eggs vary in color and size almost every day. Chicken Nugget lays a nice medium to large brown egg. Her eggs will vary in shade as well, but for the most part they are a light tan to cream in color. When the Leghorns start laying theirs will be white, and should be on the large side. We will have to see when they start laying, which should be any day now as their combs and waddles are turning red. The Rhode Island's eggs will be a classic brown, but it will be a while before we get to see their eggs. If my calculations are correct than it will be mid August before they are ready to start laying.

Raising chickens was never something I imagined myself doing, but now I can't see myself not having chickens. They have quickly become my favorite animal ever, and I can't wait to see how big my flock grows over the years.