New Hampshire Chicken Facts, Characteristics, Profile

New Hampshire Chicken Information Guide

Today, let us get into details of New Hampshire Chicken breed.

Breed  Profile: 

• Name: New Hampshire and New Hampshire Red.
• Varieties: this breed chicken mainly comes in red color.
• Chicken Weight: Male chicken weighs about : 3.9 kg (8.5 lb), Female chicken weighs about : 2.9 kg (6.5 lb)
• Eggs:  150 to 200 Eggs per year.
• Cost: chicks cost US $ 3.63 to US $ 4.37.
• Rarity: Common.
• Purpose: Dual-purpose breed.
• Egg Laying: Medium.
• Egg Color: Brown.
• Egg Size: Large.
• Comb Type: Single.
• Feathered Legs: No.
• Number of Toes: 4
• Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter.
• Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy.
• Personality: Docile and friendly chickens. They are not aggressive and very tolerant breed.
• Uses: Dual purpose breed, and more selected for meat production than egg production.

Introduction To  New Hampshire Chicken Breed:

The New Hampshire chickens are from New Hampshire State in USA. They are developed from RhodeRhode Island chicken and over the time they changed so much from selective breeding and originated as a new breed. The New Hampshire Reds are different from Rhode Island, this breed chicken produces more meat, lay a medium number of eggs, grows fast and feather out, fast maturity and very vigorous bird.

Matured New Hampshire birds comes with rich chestnut red, of a somewhat lighter and darker shade than the Rhode Island Reds. The chicks of New Hampshire are in lighter red.

The New Hampshire Chicken breed is the best dual-purpose chicken,which is  an excellent meat producers, look no further than the copper-bright New Hampshire chicken.

New Hampshire chickens are highly Productive, robust and tolerant of most climates, this breed is a good go-to for both the new and experienced chicken keeper.

Read: Kadaknath Chicken Farming Project Report.

Origin Of New Hampshire Chickens:

The New Hampshire Red is a relatively new breed and was listed as Standardized breed in 1935. They are derived from Rhode Island chickens, but they are very different in color, shape from Rhode Island Red.  Historically, the New Hampshire have their presence in World War II lore.

The New Hampshire chicken basically from the New Hampshire state in the United States. It is not a pure chicken breed, but a cross breed from Rhode Island Red chicken breed around 1915 in New Hampshire. This chicken breed was initially produced as  a  commercial breed for meat production. And they produce more meat and fewer eggs than the Rhode Island Red chickens. The New Hampshire Red was first standardized by the American Poultry Association in 1935.

And it also became popular in some other countries such as UK, Germany, Netherlands etc. New Hampshire chickens become mature early and their feathers grow quickly compared to other chicken breeds.

Physical Characteristics of New Hampshire Chickens: 

The New Hampshire Red chickens have a deep, broad body. The feathers of the birds grow very rapidly, and it goes broody very fast and they are very good mothers.

They have pin feathers in a reddish buff in color and they do not detract from the carcass appearance very much. They have a deep and rather flat on top with prominent eyes, a single comb with five points, smooth face, large wattles and oval red earlobes. The legs of the Hampshire will be yellow color, and the lower thighs are large and muscular with feet that have four toes.

They come in medium to light red and often fades in the sunshine. They have a single comb in medium to large size; in the females comb often lops over a bit. These chickens are good, medium sized meat chickens and have fair egg laying ability.

Some chickens lay eggs of a dark brown shell color. New Hampshire’s are highly competitive and aggressive. At the initial stages these chickens are used in the Chicken of Tomorrow contests, which led the way for the modern broiler industry.

Read: Broiler Chicken Farming Project Report.

New Hampshire Poultry Bird Behavior:

• New Hampshire chickens have different personalities, some of the chickens are aggressive and some of them can be calm, docile and curious. This breed chickens are good for raising in both confined and free-range systems.
• New Hampshire chickens are Robust and reliable, the New Hampshire breed of chickens are hardy towards winter. New Hampshire chickens are the perfect choice for a backyard chook that will flourish in the most frigid conditions.
• New Hampshire hens stay happy in free range, but they are less brave birds huddle in their coops. Their full and fluffy feather coats and heavyset bodies will protect from the chill of winter and their small single combs handle the cold better than the larger combs of more showy breeds.
• They should have a warm and insulated coop, with proper ventilation, and a good supply of absorbent and dust free bedding like hemp. And the coop should be dry, regardless of your flock’s hardiness, as moisture is the number one culprit for frostbite in hens.
• Female chickens are quite the robust ladies, and they are gentle and elegant hens that just want to take it easy and peck away at their own pace.
• They are highly energetic and happy-go-clucky outlook on life. They just keep running. They love to be free range. They stay happy in a group of two or a feathered flock. The female chickens are not disturbed the behavior of other chooks, the antics of other pets or the attention of overly affectionate kids. They stay very confident in her friendly nature and her subtle charm, both in the coop and in the garden.
• If you’re planning to raise chooks from eggs, New Hampshire chickens can be best choice, when it comes to picking a feathered foster mum.
• The females are very good mothers to their own chicks or any baby balls of fluff that need a gentle beak to guide them into the hen-hood. They are very caring and natural brooders.
• The New Hampshire chicks feather up and mature quickly. The hens are medium egg layers and are placid and friendly and are therefore easy to tame.
• They just a run or wander free and as they are not good fliers, they do not need particularly high fencing.
• They are a bit aggressive towards other poultry birds and are tolerant creatures. They do not go broody although it can occur occasionally and are good winter layers.
• New Hampshire’s can be raised in confinement or free ranged and will tolerate either environment well.

Advantages of New Hampshire Chickens:

• This breed chickens are best dual-purpose chicken breed.
• This breed best choice for meat production.
• They very friendly towards humans.
• The New Hampshire chickens are one of the most beautiful chickens with Brownish-red feathers.
• They support confinement.
• These chickens are Intelligent, docile and very calm.
• They are Hardy to all the temperatures.

Disadvantages of New Hampshire Chickens:

• New Hampshire chickens are unfriendly towards other chicken breeds. The reason can be their size, they feel authoritative and like to bully other chickens.
• They have large body, they don’t suits for some coops. Their chicken coop is not big enough for their large body. And smaller coop can make the uncomfortable and that can lead to bullying and feather pecking in the flock.
• New Hampshire hens are very aggressive towards those chicks that don`t follow them or if they notice a chick from a different breed among their own chicks. If you have a New Hampshire hen in your flock it is recommended to monitor her behavior when the hen is with her chicks.
• And they are heavy feeders.

Read: Pet Pygmy Goat.