Buying Chicks? Get a Heritage Chicken Breed

If you're thinking of starting a flock this Spring or adding to your existing one, Mother Earth News has published a list of 23 heritage breeds of chicken to help you decide what to get.

The list of names is below, but you'll have to visit Mother Earth News to read the descriptions (you know, some of these would make for some pretty cool band names, too):

• Ancona
• Araucana
• Blue Andalusian
• Black Minorca
• New Hampshire
• Dark Brahma
• White Langshan
• Silver Campine
• Dominique
• White Jersey Giant
• Partridge Cochin
• Mottled Houdan
• White Crested Black Polish
• Single Comb Brown Leghorn
• Lakenvelder
• Golden Spangled Hamburg
• Black Australorp
• White-Laced Red Cornish
• Buff Orpington
• Rhode Island Red
• Barred Plymouth Rock
• Speckled Sussex
• Columbian Wyandotte
  

Our two girls are both Barred Plymouth Rocks and if I could ever get permission from LeftCoastMom to add another to the flock, I'd get an Araucana for the cool egg colors.

Check out the 60 Chickens video to get a glimpse of some of the above breeds and don't miss the comments where Steven Walling has annotated some of the breeds in the video.