If you are focused on getting meat from your birds, you may want to go for the Ranger breed, which grows moderately fast and are more active than the American white broiler birds that are popular in the chicken industry. These birds are full grown in about 12 weeks. Heritage breeds like Jersey Giant, Wyandottes, Rocks and Australorps, are also good meat chickens and are good dual purpose birds, where you can procure both meat and eggs. They are slow growing but are known to be healthy and tasty. A heritage breed chicken can be ready in 6-8 months. Most egg laying breeds will have smaller bodies than meat producing breeds and can lay white or brown eggs. There is no difference between white or brown eggs besides the color of the eggs. Many white egg layers are of the Leghorn breed and many brown egg layers are of the Rhode Island Red breed. White Leghorns, Black star, and Red star are all popular egg laying breeds, which can lay 320-340 eggs a year. Some chicken breeds are considered dual purpose, where you can get both meat and eggs from them with the proper care. Most first time chicken farmers go for dual purpose breeds if they are planning to have both eggs and meat.  Popular dual purpose breeds include Orpingtons, Rocks, Wyandottes, Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, and Sussex varieties. You will need to have a rooster in your flock if you have dual purpose breeds, one rooster for every eight to twelve hens. Most dual purpose breeds take about three to four weeks to produce eggs and are “broody”. This means the hens of these breeds will sit on the eggs and hatch the chicks, thereby replenishing your flock without the need to buy new chicks or hatch the eggs yourself. You can buy chickens at several different stages of development from a breeder: day-old chicks, ready-to-lay pullets, and mature laying hens. Young, day-old chicks take the longest to grow and raise and you will need to wait about six months for eggs, but they are cheap, about $3 each from a hatchery. Invest in forty to sixty chicks if you are planning on running a larger scale chicken farm. You may want to start with only twelve to fourteen chicks if you are planning on running a small scale chicken farm on your land.  Ready-to-lay pullets are 20 weeks old and are more expensive than day-old chicks. But they are just starting to lay, meaning they will produce eggs sooner. They are also usually females and can go straight into your coop for roosting and laying. It is is difficult to get mature laying hens, as they are usually only available if a chicken farmer wants to sell their old hens and replace them. You can buy your chickens from a local hatchery, which should be run by a knowledgeable breeder. You should ask the breeder about the noise level of the birds, if they are docile or very active, and if they are good in a confined space. The breeder should be able to recommend a breed based on your coop size and farm set up. You should also ask the breeder if the chickens are high-laying and how long they will take to lay eggs or reach maturity for meat. For example, some breeds are calm, docile, and high-laying, like the Jersey Giant, but require more room in the coop due to their size. Other breeds are not as docile, but are quiet and good with confinement, like the Araucanas, but they produce green colored eggs rather than the standard white or blue. The breeder should be forthcoming about all of this information before you buy any chickens from him.
اتجه لشراء دواجن التسمين أو الدجاج اللاحم إذا كنت تربي الدواجن بغرض إنتاج اللحوم. اتجه لشراء الدجاج البيّاض، مثل: اتجه لشراء الدواجن ثنائية الغرض إذا كنت تريد إنتاج اللحم والبيض معًا. اشترِ الكتاكيت الصغيرة إذا كنت مستعدًا لانتظار اللحم والبيض. اسأل بائع الدواجن عن سلوك الدجاج وطِباعه قبل عملية الشراء.