Raising Chickens; chapter 2 continued

There are a few things I left out when considering which breed is for you, and that's my opinion, for what it's worth, on the best breeds in each category. If you are considering raising chickens from the egg layer category, for sheer number of eggs, try the White or Brown Leghorn.You will get better than 300 eggs a year on average. There are some disadvantages to the Leghorn breed, as with every breed. The Leghorns are known to be pretty flighty in other words they are easily alarmed and can be a bit stand-offish of humans, the leghorns that I  raised in the past have been the most cantankerous chickens I have ever owned. Some have been able to overcome this flightiness by handling their birds a lot, this never worked for me, it just seems to be a product of their breeding. The best bird for egg laying in my opinion is the Red Sex Link, which is a hybrid breed derived from a Rhode Island Red rooster and a White Leghorn hen. This is my breed of choice, the drawback here is that because they are a hybrid breed they will not breed true. The sex link is called that because they can be easily sexed at hatching due to the distinct colorations of the male and the female. My birds are very friendly and gentle, I would recommend them to anyone starting out raising chickens. 
   If you are considering raising a meat breed, or as they are commonly called "broiler-fryer's" I would recommend the Freedom Ranger, they are very hardy birds that do well in all climates, and they are not wrought with all the leg and heart abnormalities of the commercial standard Rock Cornish Cross'. These breeds have a very good feed conversion ratio of around 4-1. That means for every four pounds of feed they eat, they will gain one pound. Also they reach maturity between the ages of eight weeks for the Rock Cornish Cross, and eight to twelve weeks for the Freedom Rangers.
    If you are looking for a breed that is the best of both worlds in the dual purpose category, I would recommend the Rhode Island Red. They lay lots of eggs, and they make an excellent bird for your table. These birds are once again climbing in the popularity polls with fanciers and breeders, as I write this I can think of two breeders that raise and breed only Rhode Island Reds. The Red Sex Link also makes a great choice in this category, they lay more eggs than most other breeds, save the Leghorns, and they dress out a little under a pound less than other dual purpose breeds.
    Now I will be up front with you, I have never raised any exotic or fancy breeds so I don't have any expertise in this field, but I do have acquaintances who do. If you want to raise exotics I would recommend Silkies, they are adorable little fuzz balls. Their feathers lack the barbicells that hold the feather hairs together, and so they are covered with a silky fur like feathering. There are lots of clubs and shows that are just for Silky fanciers. If I where to ever raise an exotic, it would probably be the Silky.
  I hope this information helps peak some interest as to what breed is for you. Besides, who says you have to pick just one?