Got chickens or thinking about getting a few? Got an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch? Well, have I got the app for you!
GRIT Blogger Michelle Hernandez and her friends at Funny Farm Industries have updated the Pickin’ Chicken Breed Selector by Mother Earth News. They’ve added more breeds (expanded to 82 breeds and more than 100 varieties), new photos and expanded search options.
Put together with expert breed advice from the American Livestock Breeds Association and the APA, the app helps you to find the ideal chicken breed for eggs, meat, personality, or any combination, now using more than 16 “Eggspert” search options.
“We’re pleased and humbled by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our user community,” Michelle says. “We enjoy getting photo submissions from our users’ flocks. We get some funny ones as well as ones we share in our app.”
Here’s a quick overview of the Pickin’ Chicken app:
Someone new to the game can find breeds best for them by simply answering a few questions.
If you’re a little more savvy or just interested in looking a little deeper, the built-in “Eggspert” search allows you to choose exact combinations from 16 different characteristics, including temperament, climate and housing suitability, growth rate, and broodiness. The new update adds comb type and APA status to the list.
If you’ve got a particular niche that you want to fill, you can filter matches to only heritage or endangered breeds as identified by the ALBC, while hybrids still appear in the list of available options.
Each breed also has a profile page that offers specific info and one or more full body photos. The number of photos is always increasing, because Michelle and co. are always looking for more birds to add to the collection. If you’d like to share a photo of your own photogenic chicken, you can share your photo under the “More” section.
A few additional features of Pickin’ Chicken include: an editable Favorites library, a Browser function, a Glossary of terms, educational Resources, Tips on chicken care, an integrated Twitter link, and an opportunity to subscribe to a free newsletter.
Don’t have an iPhone or an iPad? Check out similar information in our Perfect Chickens article or other chicken information here on GRIT.com or at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Wherever you get the information, raising chickens makes for fresh eggs and hours of laughs. Enjoy the journey!
