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Varieties of Chickens & Roosters

The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) has been domesticated for about 10,000 years and has been invaluable in providing humans with meat and eggs. They've also been kept as pets. It's descended from the Red Junglefowl of Asia. Some Red Junglefowl descendants, like Game Fowl and Brown Leghorns, retain the pretty red, blue, black and gold color patterns. There are many breeds of chicken.

Alsatians and Others
- A yard full of free range chickens.
  
  Alsatians are pretty birds raised for both eggs and meat. Roosters weigh about 7 lbs. and hens 5 lbs. The rooster has a beautiful dramatic tail and the feathers have an iridescence. Alsatians come in Black, White, Blue Lace and Gold Salmon varieties. There are two varieties of Hollands: Barred and White. It's a heavy breed bred for its meat and eggs. In England, they're bred to have feathered legs. They come in Blue and Cuckoo but not barred. Their chicks are dark.
Jersey Giants and Others
- Jersey Giants are huge. They come and Black and White. The roosters should weigh 13 lbs. and the hens 10 lbs. The Jersey Giant was bred toward being a big roasting fowl, although it grows too slowly to be commercially worthwhile. Still, people keep them for their personal use. The Bresse chicken, also known as the Blue-Footed chicken, is famous for its meat. It can also produce about 250 white eggs a year. Males weigh 6 to 7.7 lbs. and females 5 to 6 lbs. They come in Black, Blue Gray and White.
The Brabançonne and Other Breeds
- A hen pauses in a barnyard.
  
  The Brabançonne is an old Belgian breed. The rooster has a single comb and the comb of the hen is twice folded over. They come in Black, White, Blue and Quail. The hens are good sitters. Buff Catalan is a Spanish breed that originated near Barcelona and was first exhibited in 1902. It's rare in the United States, The roosters weigh 8 lbs. and the hens 6 lbs., and the female's comb might hang to one side. They lay large white or lightly tinted eggs.
Delware and Rhode Island Red
- The Delaware was developed in the 1940s by crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks and New Hampshires, and even now there are barred feathers on the tail and neck. It's bred for its meat and eggs, which are brown. The roosters should be around 8.5 lbs. and the hens 7.5 lbs.. The Rhode Island Red lays about 260 brown eggs a year and is also bred for its meat. It was developed in Rhode Island in the 1830s and has Maya, Cochin and Brown Leghorn blood. The rooster weighs about 8.5 lbs. and the hens 7.5 lbs.
Leghorns
- A woman eating an egg with a pet hen.
  
  Leghorns (pronounced leggerns in the United States) retain much of the same coloring as their Red Junglefowl ancestors. They produce much of the world's white eggs. A good hen lays about 300 eggs a year. The breed originated in Italy and comes in many other colors, including White, Buff, Silver, Red, Cuckoo, Mottled and Brown. The males can weigh 6 lbs. and the females 4.5 lbs.

Animals & Science