How to Pick Chicken Breeds for Your Flock

A backyard flock of chickens can be a wise investment in homegrown eggs, meat and the peace of mind that comes with self-sufficiency. Getting started isn’t hard. But before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity and climate hardiness and help you meet your goals.

Before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity, climate hardiness and make sure you meet your goals.

First things first, there’s no right or wrong chicken breed. They each have unique characteristics. The trouble is that chicken breeders are savvy and offer lots of breeds that'll suit your needs, so it can be tricky to narrow down the list. And even seasoned backyard chicken keepers, find themselves going back and forth between getting a breed they’ve already had and like versus trying something new. 

It was that way in the beginning for me too. We had moved to some acreage and wanted to have a backyard flock to sell eggs and teach our kids the value of raising your own food and caring for animals. 

I looked up all the chicken breed information I could find. I knew I wanted good egg layers plus cold- and heat-hardy birds since the weather in the Ohio Valley is often extreme. I also wanted fun breeds my young kids would enjoy. Then I tried to find hatcheries that had all the breeds I wanted. It was madness!

In the end, my husband went to the feed store and picked us up four Silver Laced Wyandottes for Easter. I added to that group by standing in the feed store and picking out chicks with my kids. We picked two of everything that looked interesting: New Hampshire, Barred Rock, Partridge Cochin, Black Australorp, White Leghorn and Easter Eggers. Not a bad list to be sure! 

Seven Chicken Breed Qualities to Ponder

Confused about where to start? If you’ve got a blank slate, you can ask people in your neighborhood what they raise or check with your local feed store. 

As you’re planning and buying your flock, it’s good to keep chicken vernacular and ratios in mind. At the feed store and hatcheries, chicks are sold as straight run (males and females) or pullets (females). If you’d like a rooster in your flock so the eggs are fertile, it’s best to keep a ratio of 10 to 12 hens to one rooster.

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Before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity, climate hardiness and make sure you meet your goals.

1. Egg Production

Egg production refers to how many eggs a chicken will lay in a given time. Some hatcheries list production by week, some by year. If you’re in the business of selling eggs, you’ll want to pick the best layers you can. If you just want enough to feed a family, you can pick a variety of egg producers and still be sure you’ve got enough to skip the grocery store's egg section. 

2. Egg Color

Backyard chicken keepers have a choice when it comes to egg color. Brown egg layers consistently top the best egg layer list and their eggs come in a variety of hues from light tan to dark chocolate. White egg layers are some of the most productive around. For fun, why not also fill your egg basket with blue or green eggs

Fun Fact: All eggshells start out white because they consist mostly of calcium carbonate. If you have a blue egg laying chicken, the pigment is added after the white shell is formed and it sinks through the entire shell. If you have a brown egg laying chicken, the pigment is applied fairly late in the shell-forming process and does not sink entirely through. So a brown egg on the outside will be white on the inside. Green eggs get their color from the blue and brown mixing on the outside of the shell, but they are blue on the inside. 

Just remember, egg color is determined by genetics. Egg flavor and nutrition are determined by a hen’s diet. 

Before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity, climate hardiness and make sure you meet your goals.
Leghorns, including this Brown Leghorn, are prolific white egg layers.

3. Temperament

Chicken breeds are often listed by their temperament, but this is a generalization and not a rule. Breed will naturally influence the outcome, but other factors such as socialization with humans, also play a role. For instance, White Leghorns are considered flighty and skittish. Mine were calm and easily handled. Orpingtons are considered the Golden Retrievers of the chicken world. I had one that was a sweetheart and another that was the meanest chicken I’ve ever had.

I have also found that hand-raised chicks become more human-friendly than those raised by a broody hen. A good way to establish a positive relationship with your chickens is to start handling them as day-old chicks. When chicks are that young, they shouldn’t be taken out of the warmth and safety of the brooder for long. Instead, I like to put some food on my hand, extend it into the brooder bedding and hold still. I leave my open hand with the food in my upturned palm there as long as possible and talk to the baby chicks. Their natural curiosity takes over and they quickly learn that I’m a friend and not foe. Pretty soon they’re climbing all over my hand and I’m refilling the food on my hand every few minutes. The chickens enjoy this interaction and learn to look forward to human visits. As a bonus, when you watch them, you can see their personalities emerge. Some are fearless, others are dominant and try to get all the food in your hand, still, others are very shy.

If you’re raising chicks and children, this is a great way to safely get the kids involved. Just remember to always wash hands thoroughly after handling chickens.

4. Weather Hardiness

Making sure to pick the right breed for your climate can mean the difference between a healthy and productive chicken and one that may not make it. Some breeds are hardy in both extremes of heat and cold, while others only thrive in one. This doesn’t always mean you can’t keep certain birds in your area, but use caution. If you’re uncertain, it’s good to talk with your hatchery for recommendations. 

Temperature extremes can happen in any location. Remember to exercise common sense in extremes. For instance, during the polar vortex of January 2019, many brought their flocks, even if they were cold hardy, into their garages and homes because there was no other way to keep the birds safe. 

Before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity, climate hardiness and make sure you meet your goals.
The Black Australorp is a wonderful breed - friendly, prolific egg layer and weather hardy.

5. Meat/Dual Purpose

Some breeds are known as dual-purpose and can be used for both meat and eggs. Many people who raise dual-purpose birds tend to use extra roosters for meat while keeping the laying hens. Other birds are raised only for meat. The Cornish Cross, a hybrid meat bird, grows quickly and has a shortened lifespan. Ranger Broilers grow less quickly than Cornish Cross and are growing in popularity. 

6. Broodiness

The term broody describes a hen that wants to hatch a clutch of eggs and raise the chicks. In today’s chicken industry, the focus is on mass production of eggs so broodiness is not found in many breeds. Luckily, however, there are still breeds available that fit this bill, but you should know that every bird has an individual personality. Even if a breed is described as broody, not all hens of that breed will conform to that standard. 

If you decide to let a hen set eggs and raise chicks, flock owners must be prepared to take up the slack if something goes wrong. If chicken keepers closely watch their birds, problems can be caught quickly and eggs can be hatched with an incubator and baby chicks raised by hand. 

Before buying your birds, some initial chicken breed research can ensure your flock’s productivity, climate hardiness and make sure you meet your goals.
Cochins, like this Partridge Cochin, are broody breeds that can go broody more than once a season.

7. Size

If you’re raising chickens in a small backyard, bantams can fit the bill. Bantams are basically miniature chickens — about half to one-third the size of large fowl — that require less living space. 

Bantams come in two varieties. Some are smaller versions of their large fowl counterparts. Others are true bantams, like the d’Uccle, meaning there's no larger counterpart. 

Bantam eggs are small. Two bantam eggs equal one medium egg. Bantams are known for their broodiness and often kept for this purpose. 

Tip: Most hatcheries do not sex day-old bantam chicks. 

Understanding Breed Terminology

Technically, not all chickens offered at a hatchery are actual breeds. In the chicken world, there are three types of chickens. 

Pure Breed — A breed is a group of animals with particular traits that they'll reliably pass on to their offspring when they reproduce together. In general, pure-breed chickens mature slowly, may go broody and be dual-purpose. Pure breeds are the foundation for a breeding program. 

Heritage — This is a subset of pure breeds. In general, these are old breeds that were raised before the Industrial Revolution. Breeds are regularly added to, moved within and removed from the list of heritage breeds maintained by The Livestock Conservancy so be sure to check for an up-to-date list. 

Hybrid Chickens — A hybrid is an animal produced from a cross of known breeds. When bred, it will not reliably produce traits. In slang terms, a hybrid is a mutt. Hybrid chickens are bred for a specific purpose — egg production, egg color or general appearance. Popular hybrids include Easter Eggers, Olive Eggers and Sex Links. 

Chicken Breed Reference Chart

 

Egg Color

Weather Hardiness

Dual Purpose

(Meat & Eggs)

Broody

Heritage Breed

Best (5+ Eggs Per Week)

 

 

 

 

 

Australorp

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Leghorn

White

Heat

 

 

X (Non-Industrial)

Rhode Island Red

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

 

X (Non-Industrial)

Sex Link

Usually Brown

Cold & Heat

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very Good (4 to 5 Eggs Per Week)

 

 

 

 

 

Delaware

Brown

Cold

X

X

X

Faverolles

Brown

Cold

X

X

X

New Hampshire

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Plymouth Rock

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Sussex

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Wyandotte

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good (3 to 4 Eggs Per Week)

 

 

 

 

 

Ameraucana

Blue

Cold

X

X

 

Barnevelder

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

 

 

Brahma

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Buckeye

Brown

Cold

X

X

X

Dominique

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Easter Egger

Blue/Green/ Pink/Tinted

Cold & Heat

X

 

 

Jersey Giant

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

X

Legbar

Blue

Cold & Heat

 

 

 

Marans

Dark Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

 

Olive Egger

Green

Cold & Heat

 

 

 

Orpington

Brown

Cold & Heat

X

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair (2 to 3 Eggs Per Week)

 

 

 

 

 

Cochin

Brown

Cold

X

X

X

d’Uccle

Cream/Tinted

Heat

 

X

 

Polish

White

Heat

 

 

X


*Breeds listed are commonly found at hatcheries and farm stores. Breed attributes vary from breeder to breeder, so check with your source for specifics. 

As seen in the New Pioneer magazine.

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