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Types of Chickens to Raise for Food - Chicken Breads

Some Different Types of Chickens

The chicken is by far the world’s most common bird and is the most common domesticated animal too. It is one of the most predominate food source in many countries and in many parts of the world you can still find chickens in the wild. For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on the chicken as a food source and types of domestic chickens used for food.

Chickens break down into three main categories - those, which are, bred predominately for their egg laying production, those that are mainly used for their meat and those which are dual purpose and are used for both their eggs and their meat. These different types of chickens have been bred to bring out one of these three traits, with egg-laying types especially bred to produce large amounts of eggs.

The chickens bred for their meat are actually hybrids. They are a combination of many different chicken breeds, bred to have full body mass. This makes them suitable for producing a meaty bird. They are much larger than their egg-laying counterparts, which have smaller bodies and thus are a poor candidate for meat production.

The combination chickens are balanced somewhere in between, with some better than others at egg production and others producing fewer eggs but a meatier bird. The modern ancestor of today’s chicken is the Red Jungle Fowl, which even today can still be found in the wild. The domestic chicken has been so intensively bred for one of the above purposes that the ability to fly has been bred out of it for the most part. These chickens can somewhat hover or drift such as from the top of a roost or hen house but actual flight is no longer possible. The chicken is a prolific breeder, achieving the ability to lay eggs at just six months of age and reaches its most productive laying days at less than two years of age.

Some Common Breeds of Chicken Used for Food

Rhode Island Red Chicken:

One of the most common dual purpose chickens, this is a medium size of between about 6 and 8 pounds. The flesh is yellowish in color and the chicken lays brown eggs. Popular among small farmers and often advertised with the slogan, "brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh". They are more commonly used as egg-laying chickens than meat producers but are suitable for both.

Cornish Chicken:

Commonly raised as broiler chickens, the Cornish chicken is an exquisite meat producer and is used by poultry manufactures for its excellent meat production. It sports a yellowish flesh and produces brown eggs. These are among the bigger chickens weighing in at an average of ten pounds. They come in a selection of colors ranging from dark to white. This breed is another that does not winter well and needs protection. Cornish chickens originate from the south of England.

Dorking Chicken:

This bird is one of the finest meat-producing chickens. They come in a number of colors from a multicolored variety to white and even silver grey in color. The breed of chicken's average weight is around six pounds. It has a white colored flesh and produces a white egg. The Dorking chicken is believed to have originally come from Italy and it was later introduced to England during the Roman occupation. This is not a good choice of chicken for colder regions and must be protected from harsh weather.

Langshan Chicken:

This chicken comes in one of two colors, either white or black. The weight is between seven and a half pounds and nine pounds. Langshan chickens have a white color flesh and also lay brown eggs. This chicken is most commonly raised as a meat producer rather than an egg layer. It makes a very good roasting chicken. The breed originates from China and is noted for being tall and having a long tail.