A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (15 page)

The best-known hybrids are the light-brown hens used by commercial egg producers. The ISA Brown can be expected to lay over 300 eggs in its first year
(ISA stands for Institut de Sélection Animale – the French company that developed them).

Other hens of this type are the Warren, Goldline, Gold Star, Lohmann and Gingernut Ranger. These aren’t exclusive to the egg industry and are widely available.

These hens are ideal for the beginner, being docile, friendly and, of course, very productive! You can buy them as pullets (young hens) and there are also various organizations that re-home ex-battery hens.

A Gold Star

The Black Rock is a black hybrid with chestnut feathers around the neck. Bred for free-range (and not so suited to a confined run), they are hardy and productive, often laying and living longer than other hybrids.

Lohmann Browns

Black Rocks have been developed by one breeder over many years and there is only one hatchery – The Black Rock Hatchery in Scotland (see Further Reference). You may find hens from various sources being sold as Black Rocks, but unless the supplier is registered with the official hatchery, they will not be genuine. Cockerels are never released for sale.

Similar in appearance to the Black Rock are the Rhode Rock and the Bovans Nera. They are also hardy, productive layers of light-brown eggs.

Black Rocks

Rhode Rock

The Black Star hybrid is similar to the Rhode Rock and Bovans Nera

The Columbian Blacktail is chestnut coloured with a black tail and sometimes neck feathers. Waitrose sells light-brown eggs from its own free-range flocks of Columbian Blacktails. This is a hardy breed, placid and a good layer.

If you fancy blue eggs, choose a Skyline hen (the Columbine is similar). These hens often sport a head tuft and colours vary through grey/blue to cream/brown. Not every hen will lay all blue eggs but a large proportion of them do – other eggs may be pastel shades. Pretty shells come at the expense of quantity: these hens are not as productive as some of the other hybrids.

Columbian Blacktail

The Speckledy may also lay less than some other hybrids but the eggs are often speckled brown, and the hen is attractively mottled in dark grey and white.

Laying mostly brown eggs, the Copper Black is a black hen with coppery neck feathers. It is based on the Marans breed (just to confuse matters there is also a pure-breed Copper Black Marans).

Skyline

Skyline eggs

Speckled Star – similar to the Speckledy

Light Sussex Hybrid

The Sussex Star resembles the Light Sussex pure-breed, being white with black feathers around her neck. She lays light-brown or white eggs.

The White Star is based on the Leghorn and is a slim white hen who lays pure white eggs. She is one of the most productive layers but can also be rather ‘flighty’ (jumpy).

White Star

The Amber Star matches the White Star for laying but has a much more placid and friendly disposition. She is white with light-brown markings and lays light-brown eggs.

The Bluebelle is an attractive grey/blue chicken, one of the larger hybrids. She lays plum-tinted brown eggs.