I am silly about my chickens. When I was a small child my father would take me to one of his friend’s houses on Saturdays. His friend’s wife had some chickens, and she would always let me help her gather the eggs. Imagine what a wonderful surprise it was to find pink, green and blue eggs underneath the chickens! We have our own henhouse now, and I am still excited by finding beautifully colored eggs in the nestboxes. Here is a photo of our garden shed, the red door leads into the henhouse.

The first recorded breed of chicken to lay blue eggs was called an Araucana, and they were discovered in South America. They had ear tufts, muffs of feathers under their eyes; little feathery beards and they did not have tails. True Araucanas are difficult to find today. The colored egg layers widely available are called Ameraucanas, and in general they do have tails and the ear tufts are not present. My main rooster, named Adonis, and many of my hens are Ameraucanas. They come in all shapes and colors. They are also known as Easter Egg chickens. I just love all the different egg colors, brown, blue, olive, pink and green. 

I also have some different breeds of bantams, which are miniature chickens. My favorite bantam breed is the Cochin. They make good pets because they are so small and docile- they don't eat much and they don't need much room. They are fluffy little chickens with no tail and feathered legs. My children love their tiny little eggs. Here are two of my sweet little Cochins, brooding a clutch of Ameraucana chicks. There are 7 more chicks underneath them!

Other fun breeds are the crested breeds, or “top hat” chickens. I have some Gold Laced Polish, which are black and gold, and I also have some White Crested Blue Polish that are a lovely pewter grey color with a white crest. The Appenzeller Spitzhauben is a crested German breed that is white with black polka dots, and I find that these are very personable and tame chickens. I had a hen for years that just adored my husband. Every time he would go near her she would fly up and perch on his shoulder. He was not especially fond of this behavior, so he usually avoided her. J Most of the crested breeds lay white eggs.

I have some other chickens that lay brown eggs. My favorite brown egg layer is a breed called a Golden Comet, I have one named Lydia that lays a perfect brown egg almost every single day. A Golden Comet is a hybrid between a White Rock hen and New Hampshire Red rooster. She is friendly and tame. I have recently acquired 4 Marans, which are a French breed with a barred pattern. They supposedly lay a very dark chocolate brown egg. Check back in a few months after they start laying for a report.

*Update* October 2003 One of the Marans has started laying. Her egg is not nearly as dark as the ones shown below, but a lovely dark terra cotta color. I will keep you posted as the others start to lay. I really like these chickens, the strain I have are quite large, and not nervous as some people have reported.

*Update* January 2004 The three hens are all laying, and while the eggs are not as dark as the ones shown below, they are much darker than regular brown eggs and the hens are excellent layers, even with the cooler weather we have been having. The rooster is not aggressive, they are all gentle and calm. Definite keepers. 

A circle of Maran eggs with a white and 2 normal brown eggs in the center for contrast
Photo ©Judy Linn

I have had other brown egg layers that I have liked very much. One of those was a large chicken called a Delaware, they laid tremendous eggs. Unfortunately, they are mostly white, and white chickens do not fare well here, they are easy targets for the hawks.  

I get my chickens from different places. Sometimes I order them through catalogues. There is nothing like receiving a box of baby chicks in the mail! Another way I add to my chicken collection is to hatch them. I built an incubator from a Styrofoam cooler, and I have friends in other parts of the country that I trade eggs with, so we mail eggs to each other and hatch them. If I have a hen that is broody (wants to sit on eggs) I will put the eggs underneath her and let her hatch them. Here is a box of chicks we just opened. There are 30 of them in this box and they are two days old. They can be shipped when they are still very small because they still have enough of the yolk sack left inside their tiny bodies to give them the nourishment they need for up to 48 hours.

Some roosters are mean and some hens are unfriendly and unpleasant. I find that temperament tends to be breed specific, so I generally avoid breeds that are known to be territorial or mean. Those chickens go to new homes without children, I like friendly chickens that are easy to work around and do not peck or spur people. The meanest chickens I have ever had were Brown Leghorns. 

I always wanted my own chickens. I love how colorful and unusual all the different breeds are, I enjoy hearing the hens cluck and the roosters crowing while they are out scratching around looking for seeds and bugs and tender grass. I also enjoy my chickens for their eggs, because they are beautiful, and because I know what my chickens eat, and I believe they are happier than caged chickens. I know there are no medications or hormones in the feed that my chickens eat, so those things are not passed on to us. Bottom line, my chickens make me smile.

If you are interested in chickens, a very informative Internet site to visit is called Feathersite. You can find information on breeds, care, and hundreds of other links. This site  will answer just about any poultry question.

 www.feathersite.com

  My favorite place to order my chickens from is Sandhill Preservation Center. They are a family owned operation and are active in preserving heirloom and endangered breeds of poultry. They also have a great selection of heirloom and rare seeds. If you want chickens from these people, be prepared to wait. I believe it is well worth the wait, though, and in many cases, this is the only place you can find certain breeds.

Sandhill Preservation Center

1878 230th St
Calamus, IA, 52729-9659

Phone: (563) 246-2299

sandhill@fbcom.net

www.sandhillpreservation.com

  You can also order from Murray McMurray hatchery. They are much more commercial, but faster.

 www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

I have ordered from Mt. Healthy Hatchery with success,  I get my Golden Comets from this company. They are friendly folks to deal with and the chicks have been healthy and excellent quality. I ordered 350 chicks from them Spring of 2002 and every single one of them arrived in perfect condition.

www.mthealthy.com