• Blog
  • Predator Proofing
  • The Recipe Corner
  • About Us
  • Submissions
  • Archives
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • The Backyard Chicken Farmer Disclaimer

The Backyard Chicken Farmer

Raising Chickens on the Backyard Homestead

Backyard Chickens – The 6 Best Breeds For Beginners

June 20, 2012 by Nancy 4 Comments

Choosing a Chicken Breed

Chicken breeds break down into three categories: meat chickens, egg layers and dual-purpose. Trying to decide which category of chicken you need and what breed out of the hundreds of different breeds is a daunting task. I hope I can help by narrowing the choices down to what I consider the top six chicken breeds for beginners.

For a beginner backyard chicken farmer, there are certain characteristics to look for when choosing a chicken breed. My top six breeds have at least two of these characteristics:

• Choose a friendly and easy to tame chicken breed

• Pick a breed that is easy to care for

• Look for a common breed. Avoid the fancy and rare breeds until you become more experienced. These should be breeds you can find at most local feed and farm stores or in hatchery catalogs

• For laying hens, choose a breed known for high egg production

• For meat chickens, you need a breed that will gain weight quickly

 4682

 

Orpington

Buff Orpington Rooster
Free shipping on chicken orders

This is my number-one choice for a beginner chicken breed. Orpingtons have a great personality and lay a good amount of large brown eggs. Orpinton chicks like human contact and try to get your attention by jumping on you when you feed them. As adults, they still crave your attention and like to sit on your lap. This makes Orpingtons a great family chicken the kids will love. We owned an Orpington who would climb in our laps and go to sleep.

Orpingtons are a large breed with a standard weight of eight pounds. They are a hardy chicken and tolerate cold weather very well.

Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Reds are the best breed for producing brown eggs, and their laying productivity is far above average. They adapt well to confinement or as a free-range chicken. They are easy to care for and hardy, making them ideal for beginners. Rhode Island Reds are an active breed and fairly calm and docile. However, males are aggressive and not suited around small pets and children. If you want rich, brown eggs, then choose the Rhode Island Red hens.

Leghorn

Leghorn ChickensLeghorns are another superior laying chicken with a lay rate of more than 300 eggs yearly.  These chickens are hardy and heat tolerant, but their combs and beaks are subject to frostbite so petroleum jelly is needed during the winter months.

You can use Leghorns for meat chickens, however, their lower weight of only 4.5 pounds makes them better for laying extra large, white eggs. If you are looking for a dual-purpose chicken, I recommend the Plymouth Rock.

Plymouth Rock

Plymoutc Rock Chicken
Plymouth Chicken – Free Shipping

With an average weight of 7.5 pounds and above-average egg production, the Plymouth Rock makes a great, dual-purpose chicken. Hens typically lay 200 brown eggs each year and males weigh up to 10 pounds. They are a robust and, cold hardy bird.

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.

Cornish  

Cornish Chickens
Cornish Chickens

The Cornish chicken has a quick growth rate and is large, making it popular with people raising chickens for meat. A male Cornish can reach 11 pounds while a hen may weigh as much as 8 pounds. The Cornish breed has white plumage, which doesn’t leave pigment in the skin unlike dark feathered chickens do.

They are cold hardy and less active than other breeds, making them easily contained. Because of their slowness and inability to defend themselves, I don’t recommend these birds for a mixed flock: keep them separated from the other chickens.

Silkies

Silkie Roosters
Silkie Batam Rooster

The Silkie Bantam chicken is an ornamental breed. If you want chickens for pets, then the Silkie is a good choice. They are a tame breed and small and great mothers should you decide to hatch fertile eggs. They also make good foster mothers for new chicks you add to the flock.

Silkies boast some unique features. With a face resembling a Shiatsu dog, these small chickens have black skin and bones and five toes instead of the standard four. They do well in close confinement but should be separated from the rest of your flock.  Take special care during cold weather as their crest feathers may freeze.

Filed Under: Chickens Tagged With: Chickens, how to pick chicken breeds

Comments

  1. Anjan Malapaka says

    December 29, 2016 at 7:40 PM

    Thank you for educating people like me Orpingtons seems to be the choice for animal lovers with the added benefit of eggs.

    Reply
  2. Thomas J McClellan says

    December 24, 2016 at 12:53 PM

    Thanks, the info is great. What about the Golden Comet? Backyard beginner in Mississippi.

    Reply
  3. Kathy says

    April 26, 2016 at 9:36 AM

    I am curious as to why you chose Orpingtons as your favorite breed for beginners? Aren’t they almost predictably broody? This would make it kind of difficult on a newbie who just wants a few backyard chickens for eggs.

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      April 26, 2016 at 12:49 PM

      The Orpingtons are a very docile bird. I have one that if you sit on the ground, she will hop up on your leg. The others follow you around the yard and talk to you. They are great beginner birds because they are awesome layers of big brown eggs and have a sweet nature. Being broody is not difficult for someone new to raising chickens; quite the opposite. Eggs need to be collected every day so the birds won’t be able to nest and hatch new babies. And, if you don’t have a rooster, they won’t lay fertile eggs, plus a rooster is not needed for raising egg layers.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Report, Building Nesting Boxes for Your Laying Hens, when you sign up for our newsletter.
Build a Chicken Coop ebook

Archives

  • May 2018
  • June 2017
  • March 2017
  • November 2016
  • January 2016
  • April 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • April 2014
  • November 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

RSS The Backyard Chicken Farmer

  • Raising Laying Hens: 8 Tips for Lots of Eggs
  • Backyard Chickens – The 5 Best Breeds For Egg Layers
  • Chicken Coops — The Top 5 Requirements
  • Backyard Chickens – The 5 Best Meat Chicken Breeds
  • Baby Chicks: 7 Places to Get Them
  • Raising Meat Chickens – What You Need to Know
  • Preparing Backyard Chickens for Winter
  • Raising Chickens for Fun and Profit
  • I Want More Info Poll
  • Heritage Chicken Breeds

Amazon Associates Disclosure

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The owner of this site is an affiliate of some of the products and/or services recommended herein. Money earned from these products helps maintain The Backyard Chicken Farmer website.

Click here to opt-out of Google Analytics

Copyright © 2023 · The Backyard Chicken Farmer

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT