New Barn Timber

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Breeds of Chicken

Traditional pure breed chickens - available in standard (e.g. Sussex, Maran, Welsummer, Wyandotte, Orpington) and bantam (e.g. Pekin, Sebright, Dutch, Belgium) size.  Originally the true definition of a bantam was that there was no standard equivalent, i.e. Pekin Bantam.  Now breeders have created bantam versions of many of the standard breeds of chicken (e.g. Wyandotte Bantam).

Traditional breeds:

• are available in a wide choice of colour, size, pattern of feather

• are predominantly docile and friendly

• lay slightly less eggs per year than hybrids but will lay for more years (information regarding average eggs laid per year by breed is available from the internet or a good breeds book)

• can lay between 80 and 300 eggs a year depending on breed

• are usually more expensive to purchase than hybrids

By purchasing traditional breeds you are helping in their conservation.

Hybrid chickens - standard size hens that have been bred for their egg production

Hybrid chickens:

• are not available in as wide a variety as traditional breeds

• are readily available

• are usually fully inoculated

• are bred for their egg production

• generally do not lay for as many years as traditional breeds

• are less expensive to purchase