A Little Chicken History
People have been raising chickens for as long as civilization has existed. Ancient Egyptians even had a system for mass producing eggs and meat. China has a long and continuing history of raising chickens. Romans spread new breeds throughout Europe during their conquest, and were being raised in the Western Hemisphere before Columbus arrived.
For many years the Red Jungle Fowl was thought to be the “ancestor to all modern chickens,” but now most historians agree that the Java, the Ceylon and the Jungle Grey should share that title. All four of these breeds originated in India and other parts of southeast Asia. As the practice of keeping chickens spread across the globe, the number of breeds of chickens expanded exponentially.
Chickens are easy to tame, easy to care for and provide an excellent source of nutrition. All of that makes them the easiest type of livestock to raise and explains why backyard flocks have been so ubiquitous throughout history and across the globe.
Historically, families kept small flocks for their own use. As Western culture changed and evolved, the practice of keeping chickens fell out of popularity, in favor of buying chicken that has been raised commercially and sold in supermarkets. Now, with concerns about the security of the food supply and interest in consuming a more wholesome and natural diet, there is a growing interest in raising chickens and particularly in heritage breeds.
Your choice of what breed to raise will depend on many factors, including whether you want to raise chickens for meat or for eggs, whether you want a “cuddly” chicken or a “fierce” chicken, whether you plan to let them free range or keep them penned, how much space you have and all sorts of other things.
If you just want to enjoy super fresh eggs for breakfast everyday, take a look at our Egg Layers. You might want a breed that lays dark brown eggs, white eggs, terra-cotta colored eggs or even blue eggs. If you want to raise chickens for meat, there are plenty of choices, too, and our product descriptions include how long it takes for each breed to reach maturity and about how much you can expect them to weigh.
Many heritage breeds are dual purpose chickens – that is, they are good for egg production and make good meat birds. When most families had a small flock, they kept birds for eggs and meat and so developed breeds that would serve both purposes well.
Other breeds are not great egg producers, nor do they provide a meaty carcass. Some people keep unusual breeds because they are sweet or because they are broody or because they are cute or different looking. Because chickens are so useful, it’s easy to forget what great pets they make.
Whatever your reason for keeping a backyard flock, by doing so you are carrying on a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years. Chickens and humans are a great combination.
