Which Breed of Chickens is Best for Me?

Thursday afternoon you decided you’re really cut out to raise chickens. What a charming adventure it will be, shuffling around your backyard with your pail of chicken feed and your red wellies, with your new pets clucking around your ankles!

Clearly it’s been decided – think of the lifestyle! Think of the omelettes!

While I’m just as enthusiastic, let me reign you in for a minute and make sure you approach the adventure well armed with what you need to know to get started on your adventure.  Starting here.

Am I allowed to have chickens in my yard?

Raising chickens isn’t so much a matter of ‘do I want to’ as ‘am I really able to?’

Regardless of whether you’re drawn to the egg-gathering-homesteading-country-living lifestyle, there may be factors at play that prevent you from living out this particular dream.  Those factors exist in the form of zoning regulations. It essentially comes down to zoning regulations.

Government. Am I right?

The long and short of it is that if you don’t reside in an agricultural zone, there’s a chance you may run into some opposition for your plucky little friends. However, that doesn’t mean you have to reside on a farm in order to get barnyard fresh eggs every morning.

Simply check with your town’s municipal code and make sure you’re cleared before investing any time (or money) into the purchase of coops, brooders, or reserving any baby chicks.

I have to reserve my chickens?

Did you say reserving?

That I did, my friend. That I did. Oftentimes, chicks are reserved and adopted long before you’re able to take them home – or rather, receive them. Finding chicks at your local farmers store may not require a reservation (if they’re not gone before you get there), but ordering your chicks from a hatchery requires advance notice.

A quick google search may lead you to a local hatchery or vendor – or you could reserve your chicks in advance from a reliable online hatchery, such as Strombergs Chickens, and have baby birds delivered to your local post office.

Still with me? Great!

You’ve decided that Saturday morning you’ll head down to the local hatchery or farm and feed and gather the necessary supplies. And your new feathered friends, of course. Once you decide on which kind to get.

Wait, what? Like red or white ones, you wonder? Oh, my friend. How much you’ve got to learn. Luck’s on your side, it seems, as it’s exactly this subject that I’ve determined to write about.

Which breed of chicken should I get?

Turns out, there are quite a number of chicken breeds, and each come with their own set of pros and cons in relation to your particular situation.

Who knew, right? Well, I did, but I won’t hold it against you if you didn’t.

There are over 400 breeds and varieties of poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and guinea fowl.  400. That’s a lot to choose from.

Let’s narrow that down, shall we?  For purposes of this particular article, I’m assuming that you’re looking into this venture with the end result of raising chickens for the purpose of egg-gathering.

To that end, I’m only including chicken breeds, and I’m excluding any breeds that have a less than ‘good’ egg laying rating, provided by the American Poultry Association.

The list now looks a little more manageable, with 44 varieties known as the ‘heritage breeds’, and are often used for breeding and showing. Yep. Chicken shows.

So this list above? It’s pretty exclusive and doesn’t include any hybrids – which are generally more hardy and productive than their pricier relatives.

You’re thinking ‘can’t I have – like, FIVE to choose from? I’m not a breeding expert!’

Indeed you’re not. And the reason I know that is that you likely wouldn’t have made it this far if you were. I’m sure you have many other redeeming qualities.

Stay with me here, I’ll get you sorted out.  So, now that we know you have a bevy of options for breeding and showing chickens, what about just your run of the mill backyard egg laying hens. What about them?

Well, among those who choose to embrace raising backyard chickens as a hobby or for more practical (health and economics included) reasons, it seems that there to start your selection, you should consider some targeted parameters.

The first choice you need to make helps narrow your choices for the rest of your list.

Hybrid vs. Heritage: What’s the difference?

While I’m sure you can guess the difference between the two, and thus you don’t need any further explanation, you may just be wondering how that relates to your upcoming choices.

Let me help.

Heritage chickens are birds that existed before the massive cross-breeding boom that happened after 1950. While generally lower yielding in size and quantity than their counterparts, they have a tendency to become broody with their offspring, and have shorter laying periods than hybrid chickens.

Hybrid chickens have been engineered to carry the strengths of their predecessors in order to produce to a specific level; i.e. larger eggs, higher quantity, or longer laying time (generally not dependant upon seasons), and don’t generally become broody.

As you can in no doubt guess, Hybrid chickens tend to be significantly more economical than heritage chickens.

While I certainly can’t presume to steer you towards one type or another – particularly as they each have their own areas of excellence, understanding the difference will help you make your overall decision.

And because I aim to please, I’m going to go ahead and make it even simpler for you to find your choice among the parameters below.  You’re welcome.

Productivity

Most people who want chickens also want eggs.  And when it comes to production, not all feathered friends rank equally.  If you’re looking for productivity (meaning consistence and quantity) then you’d do well to consider a hybrid hen.

Hybrid: Some of the most popular are the Hy-line Brown, California White, Golden Comet, Cherry Egger, and Indian River.

If you’re a bit more traditional, there are certainly choices for good producers as well, and while the continued productivity in the short term may not stand up to that of a hybrid, the life span is generally quite a bit longer, which may even the playing field in your book. Who knows? It’s your book!

Heritage: Leghorn, White-faced Black Spanish, Rhode Island Red, Australorps, Rhode Island White and Plymouth Rocks

Egg Size

How important are the size of your eggs to you? If size matters, then breed matters. If you prefer your morning omelettes to be hearty, then consider the following choices.

Hybrid: For large eggs, look towards the Hy-line Browns, Golden Comets, ISA Browns, or Cinnamon Queens.

Heritage:  You can expect to gather extra-large eggs from Jersey Giants, Australorps, Plymouth Rocks, Orpingtons or Rhode Island Reds.

Quickest Production

As clinical (or material handling) this may sound, the truth of the matter is that when you raise chickens you probably want eggs. And if you’re as impatient as – well – the rest of the world, sooner is always better than later.

Hence, the production category.  To that end, were you aware that the range for egg production is anywhere from 17 to 26 weeks dependent upon breed? No?  That’s alright, I won’t tell anyone.

Hybrid: Due to their very nature, if production time is of importance to you, then you may want to consider Cherry Eggers, ISA Browns, Golden Comets or Indian Rivers – you may see eggs as soon as 17 weeks.

Heritage: Again, if you prefer the allure of tradition, there are still breeds that mature quickly enough to get eggs on your table quicker than others.  Look into Red Caps, Anconas, Leghorns, Minorcas, and you’re looking at as early as 21 weeks.

Maintenance and Free-Range

An area where you may not have put much thought is into maintenance: and I don’t mean maintenance of your birds, but rather whether your birds can help you out in the maintenance department.

Following? Well, as it happens, most breeds are welcome house guests as they help keep things neat and tidy – in the yard, that is. Once you procure your fowl-y friends, you’ll likely notice a distinct diminishment in ticks and insects in your yard. An unexpected bonus!

However, this is really most applicable in reference to Free-Range Chickens (for the obvious reason that, if they can’t ‘roam free’ they can’t track down pesky insects).  An additional benefit is that significant research shows that eggs produced by free range hens are not only more flavorful, but also hold significantly higher nutritional value.

Pest-control AND beneficial to your health. Worth a second thought, is it not?

If you’re looking for free-range bug controlling nutritious and delicious egg-laying poultry, then consider the Hamburg, Leghorn, Cornish, Polish, Catalana, Old English Game, or Minorca.

Temperament

As with any new addition to the family dynamic, at least in the form of an animal, you should always consider the difficulty of care. There are some breeds that are more temperamental than others, and for the sake of keeping their hackles under control, you should consider Cochins, Faverolles, Orpingtons or Brahmas.

Climate Control

When it comes to weather, chickens can be just as temperamental as the rest of us – and if you live in a fluctuating climate (particularly with frigid winters or blistering summers), make sure you factor weather fluctuations into your decision.

Breeds that are hardy enough to withstand a winter wonderland are generally Chanteclers, Brahmas or Javas.

If your weather tends to lean more heavily towards the fever-pitch, then consider the Jungle Fowl, Sumatras, or Javas.

Do you find yourself feeling like all of these parameters are areas that you have real interest or concern in? Well, who’s to say you can’t have it all?

The Valedictorian(s)

When you’re just starting out, you want to make sure that you pick a breed that’s easy to care for and well-adjusted to your climate and your level of experience.

To that end, I’ve gone ahead and picked the ‘Chicken U Valedictorian’ on your behalf– these are breeds that do quite well in all areas and are common enough to be found at local farm and feed stores – and as an added bonus, tend to be rather easy to care for.

Orpington

Orpington’s are a popular choice for beginners and experienced chicken owners alike. They’re friendly, good with children, and consistently produce large brown eggs.  They’re on the larger scale of chickens, and generally weigh around 6-8 pounds.

Orpingtons are hardy chickens with an even temperament who do well in cold climates, and are rather easy to care for.

Red Star

One of the most-loved chickens among owners is consistently the Red Star. They are known to be exceptionally friendly and easy to care for, with remarkable production rates of extra-large brown eggs.

Rhode Island Red

If you’re a fan of brown eggs, you’ll want to take a good look at a Rhode Island Red.  They’re  an adaptable chicken, doing well both in confinement or as a free-range chicken.

They consistently yield exceptional numbers of large brown eggs, and are hardy in extreme temperatures.

Their temperament varies dependant upon sex; males can be aggressive and should be watched around small pets or children, while female hens are calm and docile.

Leghorn

Leghorns are an exceptional laying chicken and often lay more than 300 eggs per year. They do quite well in the heat, but aren’t as compatible to more frigid climates (I hear you, Leghorn, I hear you.)

Leghorns are on the smaller scale, with an average weight of only 4.5 pounds, but still produce extra large, white eggs.

Plymouth Rock

If you’re looking for friendly birds that will thrive in the cold, be calm and easy to care for, and able to adapt to either free range or confinement, you’d do well to consider the Plymouth Rock.  Their production rate isn’t as impressive as some of the other birds, but because of how hardy they tend to be, it’s consistent throughout fluctuating seasons.

The Plymouth Rock is friendly, docile and easy to handle, making it a good addition to your flock. They are well adaptable to confinement or free-range.

Well, there you have it, soon to be chicken-owner. It’s a lot of information, I’ll grant you, but I’m sure you’ll admit it was a fascinating read.

There are a lot of things to consider, but hopefully you’re now well-armed with all you need to know to get started on a backyard adventure that will bring a lifetime of fun and many delicious breakfasts and baked goods!