What Are The Best Breeds of Chickens?

Chickens come in all shapes, sizes, and colors of the rainbow. Choosing the perfect poultry can be a tricky thing to do.

So, 'which are the best breeds' is a little subjective really. Your questions may be - which type of chicken is best with children? Or, what is the best breed for beginners? Which breed lays the most eggs?

When deciding, you should ask yourself the fundamental question, what are you looking for in a bird? If it is eggs (and lots of them) then it’s best to start with a hybrid (see Which hens lay the most eggs). If it’s for exhibiting birds, or as a beautiful-looking pet, perhaps a pom-pommed Poland, fluffy Silkie, or the docile Pekin would be best for you.

If the lawn and flowerbeds are your pride and joy, large breeds such as the Brahma (image is our Brucie Brahma), which are less likely to dig due to their voluminous pantaloons, might be the hen for you.

Also, the larger the breed the larger the henhouse needed. And, are you going to keep them within a Run area or are they going to free-range a paddock or your garden?

Pure Breeds are chickens that fulfill a list of features specific to that bird. The best way to think about Pure Breeds in chickens is the same as you would a Pure Breed dog, they have a particular lineage and are recognizable to that breed.

Hybrids are the more commonly known breeds of chicken. plain brown hens. The more robust hybrids are a great option if you are new to chicken keeping as they are often more docile and less temperamental. They are excellent egg producers and rarely go broody.

Deciding on whether you want, or need, a Cockerel is also not a decision to be taken lightly. On the positive, Cockerels often look stunning (see again  Brucie above) and they do keep the ladies in order, which prevents hen pecking; on the flip side, they usually make a lot of noise, require more space, they don’t lay eggs, and you don’t need them unless you plan to breed chicks.

Below we describe some of the more popular breeds, some rather more unusual, and many of our Flyte so Fancy birds.

Barneys, as they are affectionately known, are friendly robust birds and are great in a back garden flock. They lay dark brown eggs and will give you 3 to 4 eggs per week. A popular bird due to their lovely temperament, hardy nature, and beautiful plumage, and they will lay throughout the winter.

The brown and black laced arrowhead feathers are most popular, but they also come in silver laced, blue laced, chamois, etc. Neck feathers are normally plain. The Cockerel’s feathering is not quite as striking. Barnevelders were recognized as a pure breed in 1923 and classed as a ‘soft feathered, heavy breed’. They have yellow legs and skin, and 4 toes. They do not fly well.

Originally bred in the Dutch town of Barneveld in the 1800s by crossing a local breed with ‘Oriental’ breeds, like Langshans and Malay, to produce dark brown speckled eggs. To give them their distinctive feathering Wyandottes were added to the mix.

Although hardy in most climes, and are not prone to many health issues, they are susceptible to Marek's disease so should be vaccinated at a day old. Otherwise, they love free-ranging, are problem-free health-wise, relatively quiet, rarely go broody, and are non-aggressive.

Eggshell color: Dark brown speckled

Lays: up to 200 eggs per year

Sizes: Large fowl and Bantam

Colors: Black Laced, Double Laced Silver, Double Laced Blue, Chamois, Silver Blue, White

The Black Rock is probably the most popular hybrid breed of egg-laying hen.

It is a cross of the Rhode Island Red and the Barred Plymouth Rock. Both breeds are known for their excellent egg laying and hardy outdoor nature.

Beware of imitations – Crosslee Poultry Farm (Muirfield Hatchery) in Scotland is the only true hatchery to supply Black Rocks to approved distributors in the UK.

Black Rocks are known to be active and energetic, have few health problems, making them popular for commercial producers and back garden keepers alike. They are good foragers (they do like to dig) and their feathers are tight making them hardy for British weather conditions.

Their feathering is black with an almost blue sheen and the neck feathers are generally gold although the amount of gold does vary on each bird. Known as long-lived egg producers, their eggs are light brown in colour, and they will lay around 5 eggs a week for up to 7 years.

Eggshell colour: Light brown

Lays: 250 – 300 eggs per year

Type: Hybrid hen classed as large fowl, light feathered

Colour: Black body with gold neck feathers

The Bluebell is one of the larger hybrid hens and is a cross (usually) between Blue Marans and Rhode Island Red which produces grey-blue feathered bodies, dark neck feathers, and dark legs.

Bluebells are good starter hens for new chicken keepers as they are docile and trouble-free. They are great for free-ranging but can adapt if they have to be confined. As well as this they are good egg layers often laying 5-6 eggs a week. They are known for their friendliness and love of foraging, as a hybrid they rarely become broody.

Eggshell color: Light brown

Lays: approx. 250 eggs per year

Sizes: Hybrid hen

Colors: Grey-blue

The King of Chickens, the Brahma is a very large chicken, which doesn't always make them suitable for small gardens, although they do also come as bantams. The image is our Sir Walter Lemon.

A huge placid bird of Asiatic origin, they are from the Brahmaputra region of India where they were originally known as Grey Chittagongs. Their origins are from the jungle fowl and Cochins.

With their famous feathered skirts, they are primarily ornamental birds, both calm and friendly and rarely make much mess due to their feathery feet.

Their feathered feet can make them susceptible to Scaly Leg Mites, however, the huge underskirt of feathers makes them great broody hens.

As non-flyers they are easily contained and are easily handled, making them a good hen for children.

They are bred in many different colors including Buff, Light, Lemon Pyle, White, Partridge, and more.

They can lay around 120 eggs a year of medium size, which are often lightly tinted in shade and appearance.