Ok, so now you have a chicken coop built. What comes next is picking the right breed of chickens for your backyard coop. There are so many breeds of chickens to choose from that it makes you go hum.
Some like the Leghorn, you remember foghorn leghorn, are use by large egg production chicken farms because of the number of eggs that they produce. The downside to this breed is that they are very shy and noisy. Not quite right for a back yard coop unless you like to annoy your neighbors. The Rhode Island Red on the other hand is more docile and produces almost as many eggs. A much better breed than the leghorn for our needs.
The second point to consider is how many years the chicken produces eggs and when their egg laying starts to drop off. Although their no guarantees, the Reds usually produce for about 3 to 4 years with a life expectancy of about 5 years.
If you want to raise chickens for meat you might want to look for a more hearty breed with a meatier body. One good breed for meat is the Cornish hen, not a huge bird but a great eater all the same. There are many breeds that don't produce as many eggs yet still make great table chickens.
Regardless of your intention for raising chickens even if it is for egg production. It is a good idea that when a birds egg production drops off you might want to have another chicken coming to take its place and process the old bird for meat.
You will want to take into consideration the weather for your region. Make sure the breed of chicken you pick to raise will thrive in the weather conditions. A great guide for research can be found by clicking here.
