Best Backyard Chicken Breeds - Find The Breed That's Right For You!

I’ve been having a blast this winter gathering information and photographs of more than 75 backyard chicken breeds! We’ve been putting them together into breed profiles, so it’s easy to see that stats of different backyard chicken breeds.

Each chicken breed profile includes history, uses, size, egg color, egg size and laying ability, feather colors, comb type, broodiness, hardiness and more!

Disclaimer: this page may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Find a Backyard Chicken Breed

We are working on organizing backyard chicken breeds onto pages sorted by egg colors, dual-purpose, layer or meat bird, cold hardy, heat tolerant, good setters, top layers, best foragers, etc.

Eventually we hope to create a searchable database of backyard chicken breeds, but for now you can click on a page and view all the chicken breeds with the specific traits you are looking for!

I hope this will be a helpful reference for finding the best backyard chicken breed for you and your homestead!

But the really exciting part? Some of the breed profiles are now live on our new page, “Find a Chicken Breed“!

We already have a number of breeds listed in several categories, including Layers, Dual-Purpose Breeds, Brown Egg Layers, White Egg Layers and Blue & Green Egg Layers (more added since this was written, so be sure to go to the Find a Chicken Breed page for a complete list of categories!)

Most breeds fit into multiple pages.

Backyard Chicken breeds that are already listed or will be soon include:

American Game
Ameraucana
Ancona
Andalusian
Appenzeller
Araucana
Aseel
Australorp
Barnevelder
Brahma
Belgian Bearded D’Uccle
Buckeye
Buttercup
Campine
Catalana
Chantecler
Cochin
Cornish
Cream Legbar
Crevocoeur
Cubalaya
Delaware
Dominique
Dorking
Easter Egger
Faverolle
Fayoumi
Hamburg
Holland
Houdan
Icelandic
Japanese Bantam
Java
Jersey Giant
Le Fleche
Lakenvelder
Lamona
Langshan
Leghorn
Malay
Marans
Minorca
Nankin
Norwegian Jaerhorn
New Hampshire
Old English Game
Olive Egger
Orpington
Penedesenca
Persian Rumpless
Phoenix
Plymouth Rock
Polish
Redcap
Red Ranger
Rhode Island
Russian Orlof
Saipan
Sebright
Serama
Shamo
Silkie
Silverudd’s Blue
Spitzhauben
Star
Sultan
Sumatra
Sussex
Swedish Flower
Turken Naked Neck
Welsummer
White-Faced Black Spanish
Whiting True Blue
Wyandotte
Yokohama

Unless we want something special from a breeder, we purchase new chicks from McMurray Hatchery. We’ve been doing business with them for ten years and highly recommend the company for their excellent customer service and high quality chicks. Be sure to check them out if you want to add some exciting new backyard chicken breeds to your flock! We are not sponsored or affiliated with McMurray, just highly recommend the company!

And finally, if you are new to backyard chickens…

Check out these informative pages and checklists to help you get started!

Backyard Chickens for Beginners

This in-depth article goes through all the basics you need to know before purchasing your first chickens. It will help you decide whether chickens are for you, the cost and care involved, and whether you should start with adult birds or chicks. Learn about chicken terminology, and the best backyard chicken breeds to start with for a small homestead.

What Do You Need to Get Started With Backyard Chickens?

This handy checklist includes both a printable version and an Amazon shopping list to help you get everything you need for your new chicken flock!

I’ve had quite a few backyard chicken breeds in my flock, and have yet to find a favorite (Although I am pretty partial to Ameraucanas!). They are just all so unique and fun! And doing all this research on different breeds makes me want to try all of them!

What is your favorite chicken breed? Share in the comments!