This document discusses different breeds of poultry, including their classification and characteristics. It begins by explaining that the red jungle fowl is considered the main ancestor of domestic chickens. Several breeds are then described in detail, focusing on their appearance, size, egg production qualities, and uses for meat or eggs. The breeds discussed include Australorp, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Leghorn, Minorca, Wyandotte, Sussex, and Anconas. The document provides information on each breed to help farmers select the right type for their needs and situation.

1. BREEDS OF POULTRY

2. CLASSIFICATION OF POULTRY
• The Red jungle fowl is the most commonly found wild
species in the world today and is considered the main
ancestor of the domestic chicken.
• The chicken belongs to the genus Gallus of the family
Phasianidae.
• Domestic chickens are simply classified as Gallus
domesticus.

3. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION OF FOWL
 Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
 Class: Aves(Birds)
 Order: Galliformes
 Family : Phasianidea
• Genus: Gallus
• Species: Gallus
 Gallus gallus(Red jungle fowl)
 Gallus domesticus(Domestic chickens)

4. BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION
1. Meat production (broilers)
2. Egg production (Layers)
3. Dual Purpose
.

7. BREEDS
• There are over 100 recognized chicken
breeds in the world. Choosing the best
breed can be challenging, and this
lecture will make aware of the various
breeds and varieties, and will provide
necessary information so that poultry
farmers can select the right type for
given situation.

11. AUSTRALORP:
 It have black plumage with an intense
beetle-green sheen. The cocks usually
weigh 4 kg, and the hens 3 kg.
They lay brown eggs, and are good
egg producers with fair meat
production. Good dual purpose fowls.
 Australorps hold the world record for
egg production with one hen having
laid 364 eggs in 365 days under official
Australian trap-nest testing (Orr, 2005).

12. ORPINGTON
•
•
•
It can be black, blue, buff or white. The cock
bird weighs about 4.5 kg, the hen 3.5 kg.
Its eggs are brown. It is relatively big
and heavy, and docile. It is hardy and
can tolerate cold weather better than many
other breeds.
Hens can show broodiness and make good
mothers. They are late-maturing and don’t
lay a lot of eggs for the amount of food
they eat, but they are the largest of the
roosters to fatten.

14. PLYMOUTH ROCK
• It come in barred or white, buff
or partridge varieties.
• The cock bird weighs about 4.3
kg, the hen 3.4 kg.
• It lays brown eggs, and is
generally kept for meat and
egg production.
• It is docile.
• The hens can be broody and
make good mothers.

16. RHODE ISLAND RED (RIR)
Cock birds weigh about 4 kg, hens 3
kg. The hens lay brown eggs.
• This is a good dual-purpose
medium-heavy fowl useful for meat
production as well as for egg
production.
• They are relatively hardy, and are the
best egg layers of the dual purpose
breeds, so they are a good choice for
the small flock owner.
•

19. LEGHORN
• It is usually white, black, brown or buff. The
cock bird weighs about 2.7 kg, the hen 2.1
kg, and the eggs are white.
• They are kept mainly for egg production,
and they are small spritely noisy birds with
great style. They rarely go broody.
• Another point in their favor is that they are
good foragers and if they have a big
range they can find much of what they
need to eat themselves.

21. MINORCA
• It is black, white or buff. The
cock bird weighs about 4 kg,
the hen 3.4 kg. Its eggs are
chalk-white and its egg
production fair.
• They are principally exhibition
birds.

22. WYANDOTTE
• It is a popular heavy breed.
The cocks are usually about
3.9 kg and the hens 3 kg.
• The eggs are brown.
• They are a good medium fowl
for egg and meat production,
and they are hardy.

24. SUSSEX
• It comes in various varieties including Light, Speckled
and Red.
• The cock usually weighs about 9 lb and the hen 7 lb.
• The eggs are brown.
• The Sussex is a good general purpose breed for meat
and eggs, and the birds are alert, attractive and good
foragers.

25. ANCONAS
• They are small fowl that lay a
fair number of rather small
eggs, but they are good
foragers and very hardy.
• The cocks weigh about 2.7
kg and the hens 2 kg.
• They have beautiful glossy
black plumage with a green
sheen
and
white-tipped
feathers.