Honey Business - How To Raise Bees For Money

Beekeeping Can Be Profitable

One of the perks of hobby beekeeping is that it can generate some income and help pay for itself. It is also scalable into a small business. The main source of beekeeping income for most small and medium sized beekeepers is honey sales.

Chickens, Best Backyard Egg Laying Hen Breeds

Raising Egg Laying City Chickens

The Personality and Size of an Egg-Laying Hen

What difference does the size of a chicken make? Plenty if you are raising backyard hens for their eggs.Chickens come in two sizes: bantam (small) and standard (large). Chicken breeds can differ in more ways than in simply their size, proving that not all chickens are created equal. Some chickens lay green eggs, some lay brown eggs; some are friendly and some are moody. Some are guarded about things and some are calm and free spirited. Yep, even chickens have their hippie society!

Buff Orpington Egg Layer Hen

Source: k9keystrokes

The Size of an Egg-Laying Hen

Some are big burly birds like the Brahma and the Jersey Giant chicken which can weigh-in at around 10 pounds; holding there own when compared to even a table turkey. While these big chickens may be difficult to locate, rest assured they can definitely be found. And some chickens are small little birds that seem unlikely to lay an egg any bigger than a walnut. However, before you grab-up a heavy-weight Brahma or Jersey Giant foul, remember this: The bigger the chicken, the more it's going to eat. And chickens live to eat, rather than eat to live! When choosing chicken breeds for a backyard flock also remember: A smaller hen cost a lot less to feed. The difference in the size of the eggs is negligible when compared to the size difference of the actual chicken breeds discussed in this article and the feed they consume.

Silkie Chicken Colors in Pictures

© Copyright 2011 Cindy Murdoch (homesteadbound)

The origin of the Silkie is uncertain. It is believed that they originated in India, China or Japan. They made their appearance in Europe around 200 years ago; and then they were sold as a cross between a rabbit and a chicken! That means they might have been called rabkens or chickbits, much the same as the "turken" who was thought to be a cross between a turkey and a chicken.

The American Bantam Associationdefines 6 standard colors: black, blue, buff, white, partridge, splash, and gray. Other colors that are also popular although not accepted as standard are: red, lavender, porcelain, and cuckoo.

As you browse through these pictures, please click on any picture to view a larger image of the Silkie that you would like to see more clearly.

White Silkie Chick

Source: My Pet Chicken

12 Utterly Bizarre Chicken Breeds

Most people think a chicken is a chicken and they all look more or less the same but you couldn’t be more wrong. The world of chickens has all sorts of room for oddballs. Here are just a few.