Breeds Of Poultry By. Mr. Spaulding

Leghorn-Chickens Weights: 4 lbs. to 6 lbs. Egg Shell Color: White. Use: An egg-type chicken. Origin: city of Leghorn, Italy. Characteristics: A small, noisy bird, like to move about. The most numerous breed.

Rhode Island Red-Chicken Varieties: Single Comb, and Rose Comb Standard Weights: 5 ½ lbs to 8 ½ lbs. Egg Shell Color: Brown Use: Egg production. Origin: Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Characteristics: –Relatively hardy. –The best egg layers of the dual purpose breeds. –Reds handle marginal diets and poor housing conditions.

New Hampshire- Chicken Standard Weights: 5 ½ lbs to 8 ½ lbs. Use: meat production. Origin: Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Characteristics: –They possess a deep, broad body, grow feathers rapidly. –The color is a medium to light red and often fades in the sunshine.

White-Turkey Referred as Broad Breasted Large White. Cross between Bronze and White Holland. Noted for large meaty breast. Artificially inseminated to reproduce.

Bronze-Turkey Referred- as Broad Breasted Bronze. Has black plumage and dark pinfeathers. Native to North America. Spainards took them back to Europe. Pilgrims bred them to wild turkeys. Breeders selected certain ones for the broad breast.

White Pekin-Duck White feathers, orange shanks and toes are desired. The bill is rich yellow in color. Pekin ducks weigh 7 lbs. to 9 lbs. Long, broad, deep and full breasted type, to carry an abundance of meat. The Pekin breed is of Chinese origin. Were imported to the United States about 1873.

Muscovy-Duck Originated in South America. White feathers and white skin. Weigh from 7 lbs to 10 lbs. Meat is best before 17 weeks.

Toulose-Geese Originated in France. Dark gray with a white abdomen. Adult gander weighs 26 lbs. Adult goose weighs about 20 lbs. Use weeding crops; sugar beets, mint.

White Chinese-Geese Originated in China. Two Varieties: –White –Brown Use for weeding crops, and ornamental.

References Modern Livestock & Poultry Production 5 th Edition. By James Gillespie. Oklahoma State University- Animal Science department.

That’s All Folks!!!