Choosing your chicken breed.

Choosing the right chicken is not as simple as picking out the best looking lawn ornament. Unfortunately, chickens are very varied in environmental temperaments as well as the hormonal ones. We breed silkies and cochins specifically because the are small and compact and handle the crazy weather in southeast Texas very well. When you start researching you are going to come across production breeds, ornamental breeds, heirlooms, rare and endangered breeds, as well as many more. You are going to want to focus on weather and temperament. Breeds like the salmon favorelle can handle the high temps, but they don't like it. On the other hand you are going to find showgirls and turkens who thrive in the heat, but not so much the cold temps. Productions breeds are bred to, like the name implies, produce. But as any pregnant mother can attest, this can make them a little irritated at times. All chickens can have bad days, even silkies. There are things you can do to help calm those rough days, but sometimes you are going to come across a chicken that is just plain aggressive. Eventually I will have posts that address all of these issues and more, but until then spend your time researching that breed is best for your family and stick to your guns when you visit those farms, hatcheries, or websites.