Which Type of Chicken Best Suits You and Your Space?
Choosing the right chicken breed is an important part of raising chickens. Do you want lots of eggs, friendly chickens, or just something fancy? There are so many chicken breeds out there; it can be overwhelming! Here are some things to consider when choosing the best breed of chicken for your backyard coop.
Which Types of Chickens Should You Get?
When it comes to choosing your chicken breeds, there are more breeds out there than you can shake an eggbeater at! We’re talking about hundreds of different breeds—lots of choices!
One of the delights of this step is learning some of the types of chickens and their charming names: Silkie, Showgirl, Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Rosecomb, Redcap, and Russian Orloff, to name a few.
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Plus, if you’re raising chickens, you don’t have to choose just one breed! Fortunately, chickens of all different breeds typically get along just fine, and your egg basket will be much more colorful if your flock comprises a variety of chickens.
Maybe you do want colorful eggs. Or, maybe, you want breeds known for their laying prowess. Perhaps, docile, kid-friendly breeds are a consideration. Or maybe you live in a cold climate and want to be sure the breeds you choose will be well-suited to your area.
Choosing Chicken Breeds
The chickens you ultimately choose will depend on what criteria are important to you and your family.
First, let’s consider WHERE you live and your type of climate. Not all chickens like cold climates, and some struggle in heat.
Heat-Tolerant Chicken Breeds
If you live in an area that’s warm and humid for much of the year, then choosing heat-tolerant breeds will be important. Their smallish, sleek bodies and large combs help them stay cool in extreme heat.
- Phoenix
- Minorca
- Andalusians
- Leghorns
- Penedesencas
Cool-Weather Chicken Breeds
Conversely, if you live in a cold climate, then a larger-bodied chicken with a smaller comb will do better. Here are good choices:
- Brahma
- Chantecler
- Australorps
- Barred Rocks,
- Buff Orpingtons
- Cochins
- Wyandottes
Besides weather and climate, it’s important to know if you need a breed that is a super-productive egg layer, especially if this is for a small business.
Medium-production layers are plenty for a family. Bantam chicken eggs are small; to complement their yolks, you’ll need more whites than most angel food cake recipes call for.
Most Productive Egg-Laying Chickens
While no chicken lays an egg daily, a good layer will supply your family with five to six eggs a week during the spring and summer months. If maximum egg production is important to you, then you can’t go wrong with these breeds known for their egg-laying prowess.
- Australorp
- Barred Rock
- Delaware
- Leghorn
- Rhode Island Red
- Sussex
Friendly Chicken Breeds
If you have small children, or just desire a flock of friendly chickens who will love to sit on your lap and eat out of your hand, then consider these chicken breeds:
- Australorps
- Brahmas
- Buff Orpingtons
- Cochins
- Faverolles
- Silkies
You might also consider raising bantams. They’re about half the size of standard breed chickens, so they can be less intimidating for little kids, and they come in a wide variety of different breeds.
Chicken Breeds and Egg Color
There’s nothing more exciting than a multi-colored egg basket! While egg color shouldn’t necessarily be your first consideration, choosing some breeds that lay different-colored eggs is always fun.
Most chicken breeds lay brown eggs, although most of the Mediterranean breeds lay white eggs.
Brown Eggs
Marans lay dark chocolate brown eggs.
Blue Eggs
Ameraucana, Araucana, and Cream Legbar lay beautiful blue eggs.
Green Eggs
Isbar chicken produces a light green egg. Olive Eggers lay olive green eggs.
Easter Eggs
And Easter Eggers are the most fun of all. Each Easter Egger will lay a different color egg, anything from blue to green to pink or cream. You don’t know what color egg you’ll get from a hen until she starts laying.
Fancy Chicken Breeds
If you want pretty chickens, then choose some fancy chickens for a visually pleasing flock! While not known for being the best layers, these fancy breeds will entertain and delight with their unique appearance.
- Cochins (feathered feet)
- Faverolles (feathered feet)
- Marans (feathered feet)
- Ameraucanas (cheek muffs and “beards”)
- Polish (crazy hairdos)
- Frizzles (feathers pointing every which way
A Few Favorite Chicken Breeds
As longtime experts in raising chickens, we’ll also share our favorite breeds
- I kept Rhode Island Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, both of which are usually available from a local hatchery. These are docile, not particularly noisy, high-laying, dual-purpose chicken breeds that take confinement well. They gave me 75 percent egg production—that is, a dozen chickens produced nine eggs a day while they were laying.
- Another favorite of mine is the Jersey Giant. It is black or white, and large. (My black Jersey Giant rooster was 16 inches at the saddle!) The hens are medium- rather than high-laying chickens, but the eggs are larger than those of the Plymouth Rock or Rhode Island Red. This breed is calm and docile but needs more room because of its size.
- Araucanas tend to be flighty (not docile), but they thrive in almost any climate, take confinement well, and are quiet. If you want to make them more calm and docile, try hypnotizing them (and no, we’re not kidding!) Plus, the green-shelled eggs are a novelty. (One of my Rhode Island Red hens mated with an Araucana cock and gave me a hen that laid olive eggs!)
- My dream team would include Easter Eggers. They are similar in temperament to Araucanas and lay those blue or green eggs. It may take me a while to track them down, but—hey!—the dream team is worth it.
In the end…
No matter which breeds of chicken you choose to raise, you will be rewarded with baskets full of delicious, fresh eggs and hours of relaxing entertainment, watching your little flock roam the yard softly clucking, chasing bugs, and scratching for weeds.
What kind of chickens do you raise in your backyard? Tell us in the comments below!
More of Raising Chickens 101
See more of our beginner’s guide to raising chickens:
Lisa Steele
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Here’s a post about cleaning the hen house: https://www.almanac.com/blog/celestes-garden/spring-cleaning-hen-house
Honestly. Before we got our hatchery chicks. I read, "Raising Chickens for Dummies" . We had EVERYTHING lined up before we even considered preceding our little flock. We started small. Most chicks survive their baby-ness. Some don't. Don't be shocked if all don't. Circle of life. We have done well for our family needs, with excess eggs for extended family. They're amazing, pasture chicken eggs. Protect your flock from predator 's. Protect your garden's from your flock! Good luck!
Love the article. Just wanted to add that we had a younger chick who was pecked to death when we added her and several others her age to the older flock of 15. Just to be safe, if I mix ages now, I watch them very closely together for a few days before they're left alone with the older ones.
I'm trying to do my research on raising chickens. I'd like to get about 3 or 4 hens that produce a lot of eggs. I'd also like a variety of eggs, so can I get 3 or 4 different breeds and will they get along?
My 3 year old grandson wants a pet chicken. I told him we would get two in the Spring, I am more interested in chickens that are sociable and like to be held and petted rather than having lots of eggs. Which breeds to you recommend?
Vicki--in addition to the RI Reds and Barred Rocks we had, my wife bought three black bantams, two hens and a rooster. Bantams are small, specialty breeds and are acquired for pets. The hens were sweet and laid tiny eggs. The rooster was cute enough, but he did tend to attack you (without serious injury) when you weren't expecting it. If you get your boy a couple of hens, you can do without the rooster since the hens will lay infertile eggs without benefit of masculine attention.
One of the breeds said to be affectionate, friendly, and likes to be held and petted are Silkies, although they are not good layers. Other breeds include Faverolle, Cochin, Orpington, Australorp, and Sussex. (Of course, every individual within a breed will have its own quirks.)
Thanks
I raised some bannie chicks. I have a hen and a rooster that both love to be held and carried around. Best is to raise them and handle yourself. The attach to one person usually. I have pics on Facebook of me and my chickens and rabbits in the house.
Hey I have 8 Rhode Island reds chickens this is their first year laying eggs and so far doing great. I'm concerned about up coming weather so far it's been very warm but I'm January it's supposed to be cold We keep them in a coup with solid walls on two sides with laying or brooder boxes on one side and the other two sides are solid half way up and open with chicken wire the rest of the way up with a metal roof.
My concern is in Jan and Feb the weather usually gets cold and I don't know how to protect my eggs or my chickens. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.
