Like its North American Cousin, the European Bison, Also Known as Wisent or the European Wood Bison are not Buffalo.

 The root *wis-, also found in weasel, originally referred to the animal's musk.

Animal

The European bison, also known as wisent or the European wood bison, is a Eurasian species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the North American bison. Three subspecies have existed in the past, but only one survives today. In the 17th century, the Caucasian wisent still populated a large area of the Western Caucasus. After that human settlement in the mountains intensified and the range of the Caucasian wisent became reduced to about one tenth of its original range at the end of the 19th century. In the 1860s the population numbered still about 2000, but was reduced to only 500-600 in 1917, and only 50 in 1921 poaching continued; in 1927, the three last Caucasian bison were killed.

A Hybrid in Poznań Zoo

Only one Caucasian bison bull is known to have been in captivity. This bull, named Kaukasus, was born in the Caucasus Mountains in 1907 and brought to Germany in 1908 where he lived until 26 February 1925.

While in captivity, he bred with cows from the lowland subspecies Bison bonasus bonasus.[3] Thus, he became one of the twelve ancestors of the present Caucasian–lowland breeding line of the European wisent pedigree book.
European Bison are smaller than their better-known North American Bison relatives. They have a body length between 2.1 and 3.1 m (7 - 10 ft), a tail length between 30 and 60 cms (12 - 24 inches) and females typically weigh between 300 and 540 kgs (660 - 1,190 lbs) and males between 400 and 920 kgs (880 - 2,028 lbs), although some large bulls have been recorded at 1,000 kgs (2,200 lbs) or more.Scientific name: Bison bonasus

European Bison are smaller than their better-known North American Bison relatives. They have a body length between 2.1 and 3.1 m (7 - 10 ft), a tail length between 30 and 60 cms (12 - 24 inches) and females typically weigh between 300 and 540 kgs (660 - 1,190 lbs) and males between 400 and 920 kgs (880 - 2,028 lbs), although some large bulls have been recorded at 1,000 kgs (2,200 lbs) or more.

European Bison have shorter hair than the American Bison, but strangely, they tend to have hairier tails. Their head is set at a slightly higher angle than the American Bison, and this means they tend to browse more from slightly higher foliage, and graze less from ground-level grasses.

European Bison are less tamable than American Bison, and as such they breed less readily with domestic cattle.

Habitat

European Bison used to inhabit temperate, coniferous forests in much of Europe. From Russia and southern Sweden, down to the Balkans and Northern Spain. However for centuries their numbers have dwindled as they were hunted and driven out of their natural habitat due to forestry and farming. Slowly the European Bison was eradicated from countries across Europe and in 1927 the last wild European Bison was killed by poachers in southern Russia. In that year fewer than 50 European Bison existed, all of them in zoos.

Thankfully, since then numbers of the European Bison have been gradually increased and a number of herds have been returned to the wild in several countries. European Bison can now be found in nature reserves in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Spain. There are plans to reintroduce the animal to additional reserves in Germany and the Netherlands.

Higher classification: Bison

Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population increasing)

Mass: 610 kg (Adult)

Gestation period: 266 days

Trophic level: Herbivorous The English word 'bison' was borrowed around 1611from Latin bisōn (pl. bisontes), itself from Germanic. The root *wis-, also found in weasel, originally referred to the animal's musk.

The word bonasus was first mentioned by Aristotle in the 4th century BC when he precisely described the animal, calling it bόνασος (bonasus) in Greek. He also noted that the Paeonians called it mόναπος (monapos).

Albertans Have, for Years, Claimed That Alberta is Rat Free; However Both Muskrats and the RD’S KANGAROO RAT are Indigenous to Alberta.

Their homes on the range are becoming rare.

Unique rodent can live without water, but can’t survive with man.

Dipodomys ordii

Status: Vulnerable

Main threat: Agriculture, habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Numbers: Varies with moisture conditions, but overall the population is considered to be low in Canada, no more than a few thousand.

Range and Habitat: Sand dunes and hard packed soils of arid grassland environment of southwestern Alberta and south eastern Saskatchewan.

Size: 50 to 96 grams.

Breeding habits: May produce young once or twice a year, one to six born after gestation of 28 to 30 days.

Lifespan: Can live in captivity for up to seven years, but few in the wild survive beyond a year or two.

Outlook for survival: Fair to good if enough of the sand hills and arid regions of southern Prairies are left undisturbed.

In the fall of 1993, rancher Danny Fieldberg was ploughing some land on his property in southern Alberta when up popped some creatures hopping about like miniature kangaroos.

Fieldberg counted six in all and managed to catch one. He then phoned the local Fish and Wildlife office and asked if someone could come and look. The wildlife officer was initially sceptical. But not only did he end up seeing one of the miniature kangaroos running along a furrow, he concluded after further investigation that the creatures were denning on the property.

To many people, the Ord’s kangaroo rat is a figment of the imagination — something children in southern Alberta conjure up when they encounter large field mice in the barn.

"They’re like a fairy tale," says Fieldberg.

"I remember seeing a few in the bale stacks when I was a kid. But talk to most people down here, they’ll tell you that they don’t exist in southern Alberta."

Fearing he might bring harm to the kangaroo rats, Fieldberg decided to forgo ploughing the 20 hectares of land.

He never thought much about it until a young University of Calgary student came looking to rent his farmhouse some time later. David Gummer had answered a call from a professor who said the Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada was having trouble finding someone to do a status report on the kangaroo rat.

"I got the job because no one else seemed to know anything about them," says Gummer.

"I had just started research on them at the Suffield Military Reserve, and just by coincidence, I went to see Danny about renting his place. I knew nothing at the time about his report to Fish and Wildlife until he told me the story later.

Gummer says that when he grew up in Regina, the only time he ever heard about the kangaroo rat was in school, where the animal’s ability to go without water for most of its life was extolled.

"Most people on the Prairies will tell you they know nothing of the species," he says. "But there’s a reason for that. There are only a few places in south eastern Alberta, and southwestern Saskatchewan, where you can find them. And because they are nocturnal, you’re not likely to see them unless they’re out at night or if they disturb their dens during the day."

Walking With Bears

As seen by fans of the  hell rasen, or is it raisin, rooten tooten Two Gun Kid.

Run he's about to attack us.

Stories of ferocious attacks by blood-thirsty bears on defenceless hikers make great lead stories in the media. The overwhelming sense conveyed in these stories is that bears are dangerous, mean creatures that are an extreme threat to people in any circumstance. This, of course, is inaccurate at best and unhelpful at worst.

Another commonly held myth is that bears are cuddly creatures that resemble the teddy bears we owned as kids. While there is no doubt that bears have the power to trigger children’s imaginations, it is important that the stories we share with our children be based on facts rather than fantasy.

It is important to dispel both myths – the one based on fear, and the other based on a misplaced belief that bears are tame cuddly animals.

Bears are intelligent and resourceful wild mammals that deserve our respect. A greater knowledge of the behaviour, ecology and habitat needs of bears is crucial if we are to learn to co-exist peacefully with these magnificent creatures.

• Bears are not about to attack, if standing on hind legs, they are simply wanting a better view.
• The bear would easily out run you if it were in the mood to attack, A young grizzly is perfectly capable of climbing trees. 
• Most all bears are omnivorous, the long grizzly bear claws used mainly to tear apart decaying logs in order to get at insect grubs,one of the grizzly's favourite foods.
• Grizzlies are a lot more fun
  
  
   than you would ever suspect-just treat them with due respect-the same respect you might claim for yourself.
  

Despite apparent differences in size and colour, black bears and grizzly bears are often difficult to tell apart. Why is this important? Every year, black bear hunters kill several grizzly bears by mistake, which can have dire consequences for local grizzly bear populations.

It is extremely important to know which species is which when you can encounter a bear in your community or in the back country.

Black Bears can be black, blue-black, dark brown, brown, cinnamon and even white. Grizzlies, likewise, may range in colour, from black to blond. Although grizzly bears are, on average, significantly larger than black bears, size is not a good indicator of which species is which. Male black bears in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park, for instance, can weigh up to 800 pounds in the fall, and female grizzly bears on Alberta’s Eastern Slopes can weigh as little as 250 pounds in the spring.

The best indicators are the size of the shoulders, the profile of the face and the length of the claws. The grizzly bear has a pronounced shoulder hump, which the black bear lacks. It also has a concave or “dished” facial profile, smaller ears and much larger claws than the black bear. Black bears have a flatter, “Roman-nose” profile, larger ears, no visible shoulder hump and smaller claws.

The best thing people can do for bears; replace misconceptions with facts.

Bears have fascinated humans for millennia. As one of the most adaptable and versatile mammals on earth, their behaviour stirs fear, awe, wonder, and curiosity in us. Unfortunately, there are still many myths surrounding the lives and behaviour of bears that negatively impact our relationships with them.

Stories of ferocious attacks by blood-thirsty bears on defenceless hikers make great lead stories in the media. The overwhelming sense conveyed in these stories is that bears are dangerous, mean creatures that are an extreme threat to people in any circumstance. This, of course, is inaccurate at best and unhelpful at worst.

Another commonly held myth is that bears are cuddly creatures that resemble the teddy bears we owned as kids. While there is no doubt that bears have the power to trigger children’s imaginations, it is important that the stories we share with our children be based on facts rather than fantasy.

It is important to dispel both myths – the one based on fear, and the other based on a misplaced belief that bears are tame cuddly animals.

Bears are intelligent and resourceful wild mammals that deserve our respect. A greater knowledge of the behaviour, ecology and habitat needs of bears is crucial if we are to learn to co-exist peacefully with these magnificent creatures. 

The Myths and the Factual Truths

  

Myth: Bears are unpredictable. 

Fact: Bears use body language and vocalizations to show their intentions. Learning about bear behaviour can be beneficial to people who live or recreate in bear country.

Myth: Bears can’t run down hill. 

Fact: Bears can run more than 60 kilometers an hour, and they can do it up hills, down hills or along a slope. To put that in perspective, that’s 15 m/sec or 50 ft/sec – more than twice as fast as we can run. Further fact, a bear can outrun a racehorse over short distances; but, has little endurance.

Myth: A bear standing on its hind legs is about to charge. 

Fact: Actually, a bear standing on its hind legs is just trying to better identify what has caught its attention. As I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s much easier to see, hear and smell things from a standing position, than down on all fours.

Myth: Once a bear has tasted human food, he won’t eat wild food any more. 

Fact: Bears prefer natural, wild food unless it is difficult to find and human food is too easy to get. Even the worst food-conditioned bears still eat natural foods whenever they’re plentiful. Conflicts usually increase when natural foods run out – a good time to be more vigilant of bear attractants on your property; such as bird feed, pet food, fruit trees/berry bushes, barbecue grease and compost. 

Myth: Bear bells are the best way to avoid a surprise encounter. 

Fact: It’s best to alert bears of your presence by talking loudly, singing songs or breaking sticks. Try to hike in a group, on established trails, during daylight hours.  

Myth: If a bear charges you, climb a tree. 

Fact: Despite all their timidness on the ground, black bears seem to feel more courageous in trees. Bears sometimes kill each other by throwing their opponents out of trees. The bear below has the advantage because the bear above cannot easily hang on and face downward to fight back. Also the lower bear seems confident of these advantages and some bears have even come up trees after people who thought climbing was prudent. Grizzlies, too, can climb – perhaps not as quickly, but they have been known to attack people who climbed trees to escape. 

Myth: Bears are carnivores.

Fact: Although classified in the order carnivora, grizzly and black bears are omnivores because they eat both plants and animals. Only a small percentage of their diet consist of meat, which includes fish, insects and other mammals (the exact percentage is dependant on the type of food is available in their habitat).The only truly carnivorous bear in the entire world is the polar bear and even that is changing, due to human interference.

Myth: Bears have poor eyesight.

Fact: Bears see in colour and have good vision similar to humans. Their night vision is excellent and they are particularly attuned to detecting movement. Like many animals, bears’ eyes have a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum lining the back of the eyeball. This layer reflects light back through the retina, allowing light to stimulate light-sensitive cells in the retina a second time, thereby improving night vision. This is what gives dogs, cats and many nocturnal animals that distinct, bright green eye shine when they are flashed with a light at night.

Myth: Bears that wander into inhabited areas such as camp-sites, rural towns or cottage communities are dangerous

Fact: It is nearly impossible for a bear to make its daily excursions without walking through someone’s private property. Bears may travel hundreds of kilometres in their search for food. If you have stored your food and garbage properly, the bear will likely move on. Remember, problem bears aren’t born, they’re created through mismanagement of human food and garbage. If bears are hanging around, something is attracting them. Removing the attraction will usually solve the problem. 

Myth: Shooting or relocating a ‘nuisance’ bear will solve the problem

Fact: Removing the bear and not the attractant will only create an opportunity for another bear to move in, creating a vicious cycle of conflict and killing.

Myth: Carrying a rifle is safer than bear pepper spray

Fact: A person’s chance of incurring serious injury from a charging grizzly doubles when bullets are fired versus when bear pepper spray is used (Dr. Stephen Herrero). Those injured defending themselves with bear pepper spray experienced shorter attacks and less severe injuries than those who chose to use firearms (US Fish and Wildlife Service). Click here to read the full report. Bears are actually attracted to pepper spray residue if it is sprayed on the ground or on objects. Never spray it around a tent or on yourself. When used defensively, pepper spray must be sprayed directly in the attacking bear’s eyes or nose. Click here for more information.

Myth12: One of the most dangerous encounters is getting between a mother black bear and her cubs

Fact: Because black bears can tree their cubs, it is rare for them to attack a person in defence of cubs. However, if you are anywhere near a mother grizzly’s cubs, she might very well perceive you as a threat. The chances are good that she will just bluff charge and stop well short of physical contact. You need to do whatever you can to show her that you are not a threat, otherwise the consequences could be tragic. Be quiet, make yourself smaller and retreat.

Myth: People travelling in bear country are often attacked.

Fact: Bear attacks are extremely rare. Bison are the animal that kill most humans -each and every year. Although there are thousands of human-bear encounters every year, only a very few result in personal injury. Most bears will actually retreat before you are even aware of their presence. It is still important, however, to stay alert and know what to do.

Myth: It is dangerous for a woman to go into bear country when menstruating

Fact: Current evidence suggests that menstruation does not increase the likelihood of an attack by a black, or grizzly bear, but tampons are recommended over pads. They may be disposed of by burning and then packing out the remains. 

Myth: Play dead during an attack.

Fact: Playing dead will work if you’re being attacked by a mother grizzly defending her cubs.

But it is the wrong thing to do if you’re being attacked by a predatory bear. If a bear attacks (particularly a black bear) in an offensive manner and physical contact is made, fight for your life. Kick, punch, hit the bear with rocks or sticks or any improvised weapon you can find. 

A predatory bear usually stalks its prey and attacks from behind. It is often silent and the bear does not exhibit any defensive behaviours like huffing or slapping the ground. Its ears may be laid back and its head held low, with its intent focused directly on you. 

Bears are normally shy, retiring animals that have very little desire to interact with humans.Black bears will often live near human settlements, whereas grizzly bears prefer to stay as far away as possible. .

Understanding bear behaviour is an essential part of creating safe environments for both bears and people. More often than not, bear behaviour is misinterpreted. People all too often interpret what a bear does in terms of their own fear. To truly understand bear behaviour, you must interpret bear postures and vocalizations in terms of what the bear fears.

Bears have fascinated humans for millennia. As one of the most adaptable and versatile mammals on earth, their behaviour stirs fear, awe, wonder, and curiosity in us. Unfortunately, there are still many myths surrounding the lives and behaviour of bears that negatively impact our relationships with them.

Always Remember:

Bears are predictable. In fact, bears are usually more predictable than people. If you learn more about bears and how to interpret their behaviour, you will be able to react appropriately when you see them and avoid a negative encounter.

Bears are NOT ferocious. They are NOT mean, or malicious. Bears are normally shy, retiring animals that have very little desire to interact with humans. Unless they are forced to be around humans to be near a food source, they usually choose to avoid us.

Bears, like humans and other animals, have a “critical space” – an area around them that they may defend. Once you have entered a bear’s critical space, you have forced the bear to act – either to run away or be aggressive. The size of the critical space is different for every bear and every situation.

Although black bears and grizzly bears do share some common traits, it’s important to understand the difference in the way they react to perceived threats. Each species has evolved different strategies for survival. Black bears, for instance, are usually less aggressive and more tolerant of people. They often live near human settlements, whereas grizzly bears prefer to stay away from human settlements and are often extirpated from heavily used or populated areas.

Black bears are excellent climbers. When a black bear is threatened he usually runs from the perceived threat or goes up a tree. With cubs out of danger, female black bears don’t have to make vigorous defences that risk potential injury. Although black bears tend to retreat from people, they are still incredibly strong animals that can cause injuries.

Today, grizzly bears tend to live in coastal or mountain forests, but they evolved in treeless habitat that influenced their behavioural response to perceived threats. For instance, they are more likely than black bears to defend themselves when threatened. A black bear’s first line of defence is retreat, but grizzlies, especially sows with cubs, can be very aggressive towards other bears and people they perceive as threats.

While grizzlies especially adults are not good tree climbers, it’s important to note that they can climb trees. However, a mother grizzly will usually aggressively defend her cubs on the ground rather then send them up a tree as a black bear sow will.

Bears are very curious and will inspect odours, noises and objects to determine if they are edible or playable. Standing up on its hind legs allows a bear to get more information from its senses of smell, sight and hearing. It is a sign of curiosity, not aggression.

Bears are usually active from dawn to dusk, but they may be seen any time of day or night. Bears in many places of high human use have become nocturnal in order to avoid people. While others have become habituated to people in order to gain access to their plentiful buffet of improperly stored garbage and other attractants.

Bears can be very social. Bears are often described as asocial when compared to wolves, chimps or lions, but to use the term “asocial” to describe bears is incorrect.

While bears do not live in extended family groups or join in hunts, they can co-exist in very close proximity to each other and in fact form alliances and friendships – some adult bears have even been known to mentor younger unrelated bears; young unrelated adolescents hang around in pairs and even groups (likely because there is strength in numbers). The bears of a region are usually familiar with one another and meetings consist of complex social exchanges. Some bears like each other and other simply don’t tolerate one another in their respective home ranges – not unlike people’s relationships with each other.

Bears are not territorial. Being territorial means keeping other members of your species away from a given area. Wolves and primates(including all the, so called, HUMAN species)are territorial – bears are not. 

Bears,share home ranges. This mutual use of land and resources is a basis for bear social behaviour.

Bears habituate, or become accustomed, to people just like they do other bears. Because plentiful food resources can be localized – salmon in a stream or berries on a mountainside – bears have evolved behaviour that allows them to tolerate each other at close distances. This behaviour is transferred to their relationship with humans. If they are not shot or harassed, bears habituate to people the same way they do to each other.

Bears live in a dominance hierarchy based on age, size and temperament. Mature males are at the top of the hierarchy, and sub-adults and cubs at the bottom. Bears establish and maintain their social position and place in the hierarchy by posturing or acting aggressively. Single females and sub-adult adolescents are almost always submissive to mature males but have a loose hierarchy within their own group.

Bears react to new things in their environment. New objects or situations often frighten bears. Behaviourists call this “strange object response.” After an initial fright, bears will often investigate what alarmed them. This is not an aggressive act and shouldn’t be regarded as one.

Bears are not always aware. Bears, particularly adult brown bears, are not always aware of what is going on around them. A bear following a trail doesn’t always look ahead. He may be distracted by a yummy food source or may not be able to hear over the loud sounds of rushing water or blowing wind. A bear can literally blunder into an unsuspecting person.

Relation Between Humans and Polar Bears:

The interactions between humans and Polar Bears have a long existence. Some of them have been good relationships and others seem to threaten the well being of the other. Early writings and oral stories passed along from generation to generation indicate that many cultures were very respectful of Polar Bears. They understand these large creatures were dominant in their world. They also believed that human souls could take on the form of Polar Bears. Many of their rituals involved honouring the Polar Bears as well.

On the other side of that you have those cultures that found Polar Bears to be a great source of food. They would hunt them and use all but the liver from these animals for their survival. They too were very thankful for the Polar Bear, and only used what they needed to in order to survive.

It wasn’t until much later that Polar Bears and humans started to have huge conflicts. As humans began moving into the territory of these animals, the fights ensued. Humans have always felt they could take over any area they wanted regardless of the natural habitat it would destroy in the process. The Polar Bear was willing to stay and fight for their own survival. Even when they did move to other locations, they often found themselves stepping on the toes of humans in that region too.

The commercial hunting of Polar Bears almost drove them to extinction. The misconception was that there were very powerful bears with a taste for human blood. Therefore they were to be hunted and destroyed so they couldn’t kill humans. With advanced tools and hunting techniques, these efforts were successful at slaughtering huge numbers of them. Many avid hunting fans took part in such expeditions simply for the challenge of killing such a large animal.

Polar Bears have found their way to the list of Endangered Animals.

However, most humans don’t see to care that they are on there. They would like to see such conservation efforts go towards other animals. 

Paranoid humans, especially those with an extreme persecution complex, don’t like the fact that such a predator is out there-- being protected. Yet, we all need to understand that the Polar Bear remains at the top of the food chain. Should they be destroyed that entire pyramid of balance will come crashing down. ~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan.

More Chickens 101-First Chickens in Americas Were Brought From Polynesia

 Of Course you Already Know, Fried Chicken is Really Chinese Food.

That is right, not a typo. The original ancestors of all domestic chickens came from China.

The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the red junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, with a population of more than 19 billion in 2011. There are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird or domestic animal. Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food, consuming both their meat and their eggs.

The earliest known domestication occurred in Northern China 8,000 BCE determined from archaeological chicken bones

Why did the chicken cross the Pacific Ocean? To get to the other side, in South America. How? By Polynesian canoes, which apparently arrived at least 100 years before Europeans settled the continent. Such is the conclusion of an international research team, which reported that it had found “the first unequivocal evidence for a pre-European introduction of chickens to South America,” or presumably anywhere in the New World. The researchers said that bones buried on the South American coast were from chickens that lived between 1304 and 1424. Pottery at the site was from a similar or earlier time. A DNA analysis linked the bones, which were excavated at El Arenal on the Arauca Peninsula in south central Chile, to chickens from Polynesian islands. The presence of the South American sweet potato in pre-European sites in Polynesia also indicates some prehistoric contact between the Americas and the Polynesian islands.

The findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The lead author Alice A. Storey, an anthropologist at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and other team members are from American Samoa, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Much later; in Northern Italy, near the port of Leghorn, were found a landrace of fowls, known as Livornese. Smallish in body, but which lay very many eggs. In 1852, Captain Gates entered the harbour at Mystic, CT, and arrived with the first importation of Leghorn chickens that were to be ancestors of today’s flocks. The birds were what we now call Brown or Red in colour. In 1853 F.J. Kinney received an importation of Brown/Red Leghorns at Boston Harbour, while Mr. Simpson received a shipment of White Leghorns. From this point, forward Leghorn chickens began to win the hearts of North Americans. The Best Egg-Layer of the older most familiar breeds: They’re generally friendly, though they can be noisy and a bit aggressive at times. Leghorns are good layers of white eggs, laying an average of 280 per year and sometimes reaching 300–320. Better egg layer than brooder

Rhode Island Red: The Best Dual-Purpose Bird: Easy to care for and a good layer! Theyare a popular choice for backyard flocks because of their egg laying abilities and hardiness. Although they can sometimes be stubborn, healthy hens can lay up to 5–6 eggs per week depending on their care and treatment.

Rhode Island Red hens lay many more eggs than an average hen if provided plenty of quality feed.

Buff Orpington: The Best Pet Chicken:

The one caution on this breed is that their docile nature will often make them a target for bullying from other birds.

Bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality. They can go broody very often, and make great mothers. Due to their build they do well in very cold climates. If you choose to raise a Buff Orpington, be careful not to add aggressive breeds to your flock.

Delaware: The Meaty Bird: Delaware’s are inquisitive and friendly, and generally low maintenance birds. They do tend to have tough moults though, and while most have mild dispositions, some can be a bit cranky.

Delawares are hardy birds that mature quickly. Hens are good layers of large to jumbo brown eggs and will go broody. Not the friendliest bird in the yard but a good layer.

 Ameraucana (sometimes mis-spelled Americana): AKA the Easter-Egger: This breed makes wonderful backyard chickens. They will thrive well either in confinement or free-ranging. They have a calm, non-aggressive disposition, and are very easy to handle. This is possibly the best bird for a family with kids.

The Wyandotte

is a docile, dual-purpose breed kept for their large brown eggs and for meat. Wyandotte hens are devoted mothers. The Wyandotte is a versatile chicken and can adapt to different temperatures. These chickens do fine on free range or in a fenced in yard. The hens will lay around 200 eggs a year. The Wyandotte is a hen that will need her vent checked regularly because of the thickness of her tail feathers she is prone to become clogged if not kept clean.

True Meat Breed: It's not the breed, it's the strain.

Jersey Giant-Weight: TEN POUNDS-a capon of course, would be even larger.

Big, sweet and a truly gentle giant, this ten pound bird is the least economical chicken out there. It is not a good enough layer, though it is a fair layer, to be worthwhile there and it simply eats too much to make it worth while on the dinner table. But, if you're looking for a sweet and loving bird that loves to be picked up and petted, this is the best bird for you. And even though they aren't great layers, the hens are robust and hardy, and quite willing to work steadily through the winter.

Brahma: Weight: 9 Pounds

The origins of the Brahma have been in dispute for more than 150 years. They were introduced in the 19th century to either London or New York and were probably imported from Shanghai, however it is also possible they came from China, India or some other East Indies port. They have also been called Chittagongs, Shanghais, and Brahmapootras. They are fair layers of brown, average sized eggs and very robust and cold hardy. They are very gentle birds which is good as their size could make them quite formidable.

Cochin: Weight: 8 1/2 lbs.

An uncommon chicken, this bird hails from China and shared a name with the Brahma, Shanghai. This breed launched interesting poultry shows as they resemble a large ball of fluff and feathers. Interestingly, the bantam version of this bird is known as a Pekin instead of a Bantam Cochin, though you can certainly find them for sale under the Bantam Cochin moniker. They lay a small, yellowy brown egg and are robust and cold hardy. They are calm, docile and easily handled.

Cornish Game: Weight: 8lbs.

These are the meat birds of the poultry industry and with a solid 8 lbs, it's not hard to see why. They were developed in Cornwall and are often breed with Plymouth Rocks to make the excellent birds we all love to eat. They are a poor layer of small eggs but cold hardy and early maturing. Easily contained, they are less active and more docile than most other game birds.

Orpington: Weight: 8 lbs.

A dual purpose bird, the Orpington is a bit small on the weight side but definitely not on the appearance side. The loose feathering makes the Orpington appear much larger (nearly two times) the size of some other hens and when they are brooding or aggressive they fluff out and appear even bigger. The Orpington is a good layer of above average sized eggs and hardy in all weather. Cold doesn't faze them so you can expect them to continue laying during the cold seasons!

Before the onset of the Cornish Cross broilers, the meat breeds were usually Delaware, New Hampshire, or White Rock. Chosen mainly because the light coloured feathers gave a prettier carcass plucked. You can see the dark pin feathers much easier than the light coloured ones.

But, these breeds were bred and maintained for maximum meat production. Unless you reinforce certain traits in each generation of chickens by selecting your breeders for these traits, you quickly lose those traits. Hatcheries do not select for those traits that give you good meat production. They are in the business of mass producing chickens for backyard flocks, not specialty meat birds. That's what the Cornish Cross is for. You are not going to find good dual-purpose meat birds from a hatchery. It is not a breed thing. It is purely the way they select their breeders.~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan.