Learn more about turkeys and wild turkey breeds in this excerpt from Don Schrider’s “Storey’s Guide to Raising Turkeys”. WHEN WE SPEAK OF TURKEYS, we will find some surprising diversity. Turkeys come in a range of colors and patterns, and a few different shapes as well. As we try to sort through this mix, it is […]

Blogger Clair Woods tells us a bit about Brahma chickens. The Brahma is widely known as one of the most majestic breeds of chicken. It is a favorite among beginners and veteran chicken owners alike. There was lots of debate among U.S. chicken owners in the mid-nineteenth century about the origin of the Brahma chicken. […]

Want to know more about chicken breeds?  Enjoy this excerpt from The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens by Christine Heinrichs. Stay tuned for her June article Guineas Create a Sensation here at Community Chickens. The Mediterranean Breeds Mediterranean breeds are associated especially with Italy and Spain, warm climates with long histories of chicken breeding. They’re […]

Dave Holderread has raised and studies ducks for 50 years.  He taught applied poultry science in Puerto Rico before he and his wife Millie established one of the largest genetic stocks of domestic waterfowl in the world on their farm in Oregon. This excerpt about the need to preserve rare breeds is from Storey’s Guide […]

Black Chickens Having all types of chicken breeds accessible and ready for purchase was not always the case for backyard chicken owners. Now with relatively efficient ways to purchase and start raising any type of chicken breed you prefer, people have been more deeply exploring breeds that are exotic and hard to acquire, and those […]

The Cream Legbar chicken has quickly gained popularity with chicken keepers all over the U.S. since it was introduced about a decade ago. And it’s easy to see why with their beautiful blue eggs, exotic appearances and spunky, free-ranging personalities! Get to know the breed better and see if it’s a good fit for your […]

One of the first chickens I ever owned was a big Rhode Island Red rooster named…what else? Red! I got him out of a feed bin at the local farm store when I was 14. The fluffy little orange chick turned out to be one of the meanest chickens I’ve ever known to this day. […]

Photographs generously provided with permission from Greenfire Farms. Visit their website for more information on acquiring this breed.   When I first heard the breed name “Deathlayer” I thought it sounded like something out of a Star Wars movie. I also had to do some research to see if this was, in fact, an actual breed. […]

The Crevecoeur and the Polish are similar looking crested breeds. Both are very old breeds from France. The Crevecoeur is the oldest known French breed coming out of Normandy and the Polish or Poland has been depicted in paintings dated back to the 15th century.   I’ve raised both Crevecoeur and Polish chickens and they […]

I’ve raised Silkies on and off throughout my chicken keeping career. In that time I’ve ended up with a lot of roosters. Silkies, because they’re more of a pet chicken than a layer, are often sold in a straight run, meaning there is a 50/50 chance of getting a pullet or a cockerel. The reason […]