Chicken Breeds and (5-egg) Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Bread

by Rebecca Nickols
Photos by author

Earlier this spring, I added three new chicks to my flock, making a total of five chickens residing in my coop. The new pullets started laying in late summer and now (in the fall) I’m getting about five wonderful, delicious eggs a day! The new breeds that I added have made my flock a colorful collection of chickens, and I love watching them forage in the fallen maple leaves. Their beautiful feathers seem to blend in perfectly with the autumn landscape. I thought I’d share my best photos of my flock and a little info on each breed …

Buff Orpington
Classified as a heavy (7-8 pounds), dual-purpose bird, Buffs are winter hardy with a calm, docile temperament. They lay large, light-brown eggs. They’re a popular breed not only because of their friendly personalities, but also because they are also good brooders and mothers.
(Meets the ALBC’s Heritage Chicken definition.)

When I first decided to have backyard chickens, I actually “Googled” what the most family-friendly, winter-hardy chicken breed was … and a Buff Orpington was at the top of the list. “Henrietta” has certainly proven to be a wonderful addition to my little flock. She’s easy-going, calm and was extremely polite and welcoming when I introduced her to the younger birds! “Edison,” my other Buff, is a different story … She relentlessly pecks and chases the younger chickens in an attempt to maintain her position on the roost. She is calm and docile when I try to hold her. She just doesn’t play well with others.

Barred Plymouth Rock
Also a large breed (7-8 pounds), “Barred Rocks” are one of the most popular backyard chicken breeds. They have a great disposition, make good mothers, are tolerant of cold climates and lay large brown eggs.
(Meets the ALBC’s Heritage Chicken definition.)

“Cleopatra” is such a beautiful bird and it seems that when I have visitors to my coop, she is always picked as their favorite. She does have a very laid-back personality and behaves nicely with the rest of the flock.

Golden Laced Wyandotte
Wyandottes are large (7-8 pounds) birds that include several varieties (in addition to the Golden Laced): Silver Laced, White, Black, Buff, Partridge, Silver Penciled, Columbian, Blue. They’re winter hardy, easy-going (calm and docile) and lay large brown eggs.
(Meets the ALBC’s Heritage Chicken definition.)

“Athena” is a gorgeous bird, but she’s not at all like the description above. Her temperament is more like “Henny Penny”: She’s convinced that the “sky is falling.” She’s afraid of everything and everyone (including her own shadow). I find it odd though, that even with her scared-of-everything personality, she’s the one that leads the flock on their foraging adventures … much too far away from the coop.

Cinnamon Queen
A medium-sized bird (5-6 pounds), tolerant of the cold and an excellent layer of large brown eggs. Cinnamon Queens are a sex-linked cross breed created from a Silver Laced Wyandotte hen and a New Hampshire rooster.

This breed has not been given recognition by the American Poultry Association. Cinnamon Queens will start to lay eggs at a younger age than most standard breeds. They are also color sexable as chicks: Cockerels are white, and the pullets are more brownish red in color.

“Esther” is my smallest pullet, but she’s a spit-fire and full of energy … She’s always the first one to greet me, the first to grab a treat, and she can run the fastest and jump the highest! I had originally wanted a Rhode Island Red, but when I purchased my chicks a pullet (female) couldn’t be guaranteed. I didn’t want a rooster and the “chicken-seller” assured me a Cinnamon Queen was the next best thing. Plus, he gave me his word it was a “she” and not a “he.” We’re all glad Esther is part of the flock … She’s the life of the party!

When I chose the breeds of my flock, I had a few specific characteristics in a chicken that I was looking for. I wanted a good egg layer with a gentle personality, but it also needed to withstand our Missouri winters without having to heat the coop.

So, what am I doing with five eggs a day from my colorful little flock? I’m trying to experiment with new recipes that have eggs as a main ingredient (or at least call for a lot of eggs). I also enjoy sharing my surplus with friends, family and co-workers. Here’s a recipe that calls for a day’s worth of eggs from my backyard coop. You could certainly find a healthier version of pumpkin bread that has less oil and sugar, but I guarantee you won’t find one tastier than this!

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Bread

1 1/4 cups oil
5 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 pkg. cook-and-serve vanilla pudding (small boxes)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Blend oil, eggs and pumpkin. Combine other ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle and lightly pat on the crumb topping (see recipe below). Bake in 2 greased/floured loaf pans at 325° for 1 hour. Lightly dust with powder sugar after bread has cooled.

Crumb Topping: 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt. With a pastry blender, cut 3 Tbsp butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

To view what else is happening at our southwest Missouri property, visit the garden-roof coop.

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8 years ago