When it comes to Chickens, one can find so many varieties to suit one's taste, that it can finally become confusing. 
Determining what one is looking for in a chicken is critical. 

1. Do you want a great layer?
2. Do you want a great fryer?
3. Do you want a pet?
4. Do you want pretty?
5. Do you want hardy?
6. Do you want heritage breed?

The above ideas are certainly not the only thoughts, but our favorite by far has become the Barred Plymouth Rock. 
The roosters are docile, the hens are friendly, and they are a very hardy breed giving medium to large eggs at the rate of around 250+ a year. 
These birds are great foragers as well, doing good on their own. 
For more information on this breed of chicken, check out : The Livestock Conservancy site. 
For ordering this breed, check out our store. Local Pick Up Only. 

Egg production is a science: one that I have not mastered! Everything from weather, to feed changes to simply spooking the chickens seems to affect how they lay. Getting the right protein in the food, making sure there is clean water, insuring that they have free range and many other simple things are all important. But with so much involved in producing a consistent amount of egg volume, really, the Lord is in charge.  You can't tell a chicken to lay, and you can't even tell them WHERE to lay.  But rest assured, in time, they will lay. 
 
Making sure eggs are organic has become very important to us. If you are planning on getting the most out of your chickens, you want the healthiest choices possible. So going with Non GMO feed, and avoiding use of antibiotics and pesticides is a great start. 

But that is not the end of a good organic regiment. One should consider also the benefits of having an area for the chickens to "free range." Literally, giving them some yard space is all that is involved. We give our chickens about 2 acres to graze and work. They take care of all sorts of pests, all the while pecking at our blueberries, figs and other low hanging fruit. A few holes in a fig is well worth the price of a good egg! 

The egg I am standing in front of in the picture was taken in Kansas this year, as we passed through the town of Wilson, KS. It is supposedly the Largest Czech egg in the world. I just wouldn't want to meet the chicken.