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Picking the right breed of chicken for your needs is vital to the success of any backyard bird keeper. Andy Cawthray picks his top five It's the time of year when some people decide to add eggs to their list of "homegrown" produce for the kitchen. Chicken keeping on a small scale as part of your back garden or allotment isn't an onerous task: it can be enjoyable and trouble-free if you do your research up front and ask yourself a few questions. Earlier in this series I took a look at chickens' basic housing requirements, but what about the birds? There are hundreds of breeds to choose from, especially if you include the plethora of hybrid egg-laying machines, so which one do you plump for? Before you start admiring different breeds, sit down and think - what is it you want from the chickens? Daft question as the answer is most likely "eggs": eggs you will get, and they will be the best eggs you've ever tasted. But how many eggs do you need? Some chickens can be prolific layers. Take your average commercial laying hen. Even ones rescued from their "no longer economically viable" fate, can go on to lay 300 eggs in a year once recovered. Get yourself a relatively small flock of half a dozen, and allowing for the fact they will take a break from laying when they moult and over winter, that's half a dozen eggs a day. That's a lot of eggs if you are only looking to supply your own kitchen. So rephrase the question: how many eggs do you want? Next comes the question of space. If you have a relatively small patch put aside for the chickens, then rather than looking at regular sized chickens (large fowl) perhaps the more diminutive ones (bantam) would be a better match. The eggs they lay are smaller but as long as you aren't planning on dipping your toast soldiers in them these eggs serve much the same purpose in the kitchen (and in fact make for excellent scotch eggs). Some breeds are also good at getting off the ground and clearing 6ft fences, so if you do have to keep them within a run and can't add a roof, steer clear of those more active breeds. Will you view your chickens as productive pets or livestock?, If the former, then one of the more docile breeds would be a better choice. Owning chickens, particularly if you have children, can be a much more enjoyable experience if you can handle the birds easily. Most breeds can become hand tame if the keeper is patient and observes their behaviour. Some are extremely confident around humans and often see us as part of the flock, others understand the keeper is the source of food and shelter, but will always keep you at a wing's length. However these breeds tend to be the most resourceful and are excellent foragers, finding a lot of their own food if allowed to range freely. Strange as it may seem, the colour of the egg laid by the chicken may also be a consideration. It's not that long ago that white eggs were frowned upon by the UK consumer (unlike shoppers in the USA who prefer them). Go to France and you will often see the dark chocolate brown eggs of Marans chickens on sale. Still now you don't see either pure white or dark brown eggs on sale in UK supermarkets often, and only recently have the pale blue chicken eggs made an appearance. When considering the colour or look of the bird, somebody is bound to suggest a hybrid as an option. I'm not averse to hybrid chickens - I started with a small flock of Black Rocks - but when you are keeping chickens on a small scale there is something satisfying in knowing your flock of pure breeds is supporting the heritage varieties that smallholders and backyarders have bred over the centuries. If can't decide on a single breed, don't worry, it is possible to run a flock of mixed breeds, you just need to make sure that they are compatible. Here are five of my favourite breedss. The Brahma: gentle giantThese are the king of chickens. They are a huge but docile breed who see everything as a friend they haven't met yet. Not prolific layers of their lightly tinted brown egg, but what they lack in production they make up for in character and calm temperament. The Ancona: light, lively layersThese birds lay white eggs and come in both large fowl and bantam versions. As a lively breed they don't tame easily but are excellent foragers and lay extremely well: in fact they were popular among smallholders as a laying breed prior to the development of commercial egg breeds The Araucana: the Easter eggerThis breed hails for Chile and while the breed we see today has changed over the centuries, they are the original pure blue egg layer. A crested breed that also carries a full beard, and will lay a good number of eggs too. The Sussex : bog standard beautyThis is one of the most well-known breeds of chicken, along with Rhode Island Reds. They can be found in a variety of colours but maintain that matronly chicken look about them. Layers of tinted eggs they will serve you well and can be easily tamed. The Nankin: petite and prettyThis is a true bantam as it has no large fowl counterpart. Despite its popularity in the past, sadly this is now a rare breed - possibly because it is only available in one colour type. A resourceful little layer of a good number of lightly tinted eggs, this breed will suit a small garden and will make a very good and productive pet. Next month: What to consider when rearing your own chicks This post is part of a regular series on poultry keeping from Andy Cawthray, a self confessed chickeneer who writes for a number of magazines, provides talks & courses on keeping poultry at home and shares his experiences on his personal blog TheChickenStreet. Andy Cawthray
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