Bantam:
A bantam (Indonesian: Ayam kate) is a small variety of poultry, especially chickens. Etymologically, the name bantam is derived from the city of Bantam - currently known as "Banten Province" or previously "Banten Residency" - once a major seaport, in Indonesia. European sailors restocking on live fowl for sea journeys found the small native breeds of chicken in Southeast Asia to be useful, and any such small poultry came to be known as a bantam.
Most large chicken breeds have a bantam counterpart, sometimes referred to as a miniature. Miniatures are usually one-fifth to one-quarter the size of the standard breed, but they are expected to exhibit all of the standard breed's characteristics.
Chicken Breeds
Plymouth Rock: The Plymouth Rock, often called simply Rocks or Barred Rocks (after their most popular color), is a chicken breed that originated in the United States. The Plymouth Rock is a dual-purpose, cold-hardy bird and therefore makes a great breed for the small farm or backyard flock owner. The Barred Rock is often called the Plymouth Rock, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the Barred variety.
Orpington: The Orpington is a breed of chicken named after the town of Orpington, Kent, in south-east England,which was made famous in part by this breed. It was bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality.Its large size and soft appearance together with its rich colour and gentle contours make it very attractive, and as such its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. Hens often become broody and are good mothers. Although rather heavy, they are able to fly small distances but rarely do so
Broiler: Broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) are a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl, bred and raised specifically for meat production.Chickens are one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of 19 billion in 2011,there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird. Typical broilers have white feathers and yellowish skin. Most commercial broilers bred for meat reach slaughter weight at between 5 to 7 weeks of age, although slower growing strains reach slaughter weight at approximately 14 weeks of age. Because of this young age, much of their behaviour and physiology is that of an immature bird. Broilers and egg laying hens are the same species and share many characteristics, however, due to the rapid growth and selection for enlarged breast muscles, broilers are susceptible to different welfare concerns, particularly skeletal malformation and dysfunction. Broilers are usually grown as mixed-sex flocks in large sheds under intensive conditions, but some strains can be grown as free-range flocks.
Leghorn: The Leghorn is a breed of chicken originating in Tuscany, in central Italy. Birds were first exported to North America in 1828 from the port city of Livorno,on the western coast of Tuscany. They were initially called "Italians", but by 1865 the breed was known as "Leghorn", the traditional anglicisation of "Livorno". The breed was first introduced to Britain from the United States in 1870.White Leghorns are commonly used as layer chickens in many countries of the world. Other Leghorn varieties are less common. The species has inspired the name of the Warner Bros. Character, Foghorn Leghorn
Wyandotte: The Wyandotte is a breed of chicken originating in the United States. The first examples of the breed appeared in the 1870s. Wyandottes are a docile, dual-purpose breed kept for their brown eggs and for meat. They appear in a wide variety of color patterns, and are popular show birds. The Wyandotte lays pale brown or tan eggs and usually has a white ring of feathers around its neck. Wyandotte hens are devoted mothers.
Silkie:
The Silkie (sometimes alternatively spelled Silky) is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four. They are often exhibited in poultry shows, and appear in various colors.In addition to their distinctive physical characteristics, Silkies are well known for their calm, friendly temperament. Among the most docile of poultry, Silkies are considered an ideal pet. Hens are also exceptionally broody, and make good mothers. Though they are fair layers themselves, laying about three eggs a week, they are commonly used to hatch eggs from other breeds and bird species.
Cochin: The Cochin or Cochin China, is a breed of chicken. The name Cochin came from the original Chinese name 九斤黄(in pinyin: jiujin huang, pronounced jil jin hwaang), meaning nine jin yellow, erroneously conflated with the then-current names for what are now parts of southern India and Vietnam, where jin is a traditional Chinese measurement of weight. In China itself, the name 九斤黄 is actually used for any large chicken or even a dish made from one.
Ameraucana: The Ameraucana is an American breed of domestic chicken developed in the United States in the 1970s. It was derived from the Araucana breed of Chile, and was bred to maintain the blue egg color of that breed while eliminating the lethal recessive gene.There is also an Ameraucana bantam variety.
Araucana: The Araucana or Spanish: Gallina Mapuche is a breed of chicken originating in Chile. It is well known for its blue eggs, which has been a subject of controversy regarding whether or not the breed was developed from birds that arrived pre or post Columbian. The egg colour is caused by a DNA retrovirus that occurred sometime early in domestication.In the United States it may be known as the South American Rumpless,and may be confused with other fowl, especially the Ameraucana and Easter Egger.
Australorp:
The Australorp is a chicken breed of Australian origin.It is a large, soft-feathered bird, with white toenails, black legs and beak, and a moderately large and upright single comb, with five distinct points. The Australorp is hardy, docile, and a good egg-layer, as well as a meat bird.
Sussex: The Sussex chicken is a dual purpose breed of chicken that originating in England around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 that is a popular garden chicken in many countries. They come in eight colours (with a couple more being developed) and have a bantam version at 1/4 size; the bantams may be any of the eight colours.
Old English Game Fowl: The Old English Game is a breed of chicken. Old English Game fowl are prized among poultry breeders and thus fetch a high sale price. Standard Old English Game cocks were originally bred for cockfighting.
Cornish: The Cornish or Indian Game is a breed of chicken from the county of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Cornish chickens, as well as crosses of Cornishes, are the most-used breed in the chicken meat industry.They are heavy, muscular birds that lay brown eggs
Brahma:
The Brahma is a large breed of chicken developed in the United States from very large birds imported from the Chinese port of Shanghai. The Brahma was the principal meat breed in the US from the 1850s until about 1930.
Marans: The Marans, French: Poule de Marans, is a breed of chicken from the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Poitou-Charentes region of western France. It was created with the local feral chickens descended from fighting game chickens carried from Indonesia and India. Those original Marandaise fowl were "improved" for the table through recombination with imported Croad Langshans. A favourite at poultry shows, it is a dual purpose fowl known both for its extremely dark eggs and fine meat qualities.
Jersey Giant: The Jersey Giant is a breed of chicken which originated in the United States in the late 19th century. Named for their state of origin (New Jersey) and their large size, Jersey Giants are the largest chicken breed.
New Hampshire: The New Hampshire breed of chicken originated in the state of New Hampshire in the United States. Poultry farmers, starting with Rhode Island Reds and performing generation after generation of selective breeding, intensified the characteristics of early maturity, rapid full feathering, and production of large brown eggs. The mature birds are a rich chestnut red, of a somewhat lighter and more even shade than the Rhode Island Reds. The chicks are also a lighter red.
Naked Neck: The Naked Neck is a breed of chicken that is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck and vent.The breed is also called the Transylvanian Naked Neck, as well as the Turken. Originally from Transylvania and was largely developed in Germany. The name "Turken" arose from the mistaken idea that the bird was a hybrid of a chicken and the domestic turkey. Naked Necks are fairly common in Europe today, but are rare in North America. The trait for a naked neck is a dominant one controlled by one gene and is fairly easy to introduce into otherbreeds,however these are hybrids rather than true Naked Necks, which is a breed recognized by the American Poultry Association since 1965, it was introduced in the Britain in the 1920s. There are other breeds of naked necked chicken, such as the French naked neck, which is often confused with the Transylvanian, and the naked neck.
Rhode Island Red: The Rhode Island Red is an American breed of chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). It is a utility bird, raised for meat and eggs, and also as a show bird. It is a popular choice for backyard flocks because of its egg laying abilities and hardiness. Non-industrial strains of the Rhode Island Red are listed as "recovering" by The Livestock Conservancy.The Rhode Island Red is the state bird of Rhode Island