People are always asking us which is the best chicken breed–which breed should they get? Of course, we have to explain that it all depends on what you’re looking for in a chicken! We often point them toward our “Chicken Chooser” Breed Selection Tool, an online “quiz” where you can input your criteria, and then receive a list of birds that would work for your situation.
But when you get a list of breeds that would work for your criteria, how do you choose the best chicken breed for your personality? We usually suggest reading the breed descriptions and looking at the photos, just to see if you find one more striking than the others.
This silver-laced Polish Frizzle is striking, but it certainly isn’t the best chicken breed for everyone!
The best chicken breed on your list may be the prettiest, or the best layer, or the most cold hardy, for example, depending on your personality.
For that reason, we’ve made this short list. If you’ve looked at the online tool and need more help choosing between breeds, this post could help you!
Best chicken breed for your personality
You’re utilitarian and efficient
If you want the best chicken breed and you have a mostly practical outlook on life, you may want to consider these birds: Rhode Island Red, Sex link (Stars/Golden Buffs/etc.), Leghorn, Australorp, Plymouth Rock.
Poor Prissy, my Rhode Island Red, sometimes comes outside and only afterwards realizes she doesn’t want to be out in the snow! Here she is trying to perch on an old chair so she doesn’t have to walk in it, anymore.
These are some of the most common, easy-to-find breeds—and they’re popular for good reason! They lay well and tend to be hardy in a wide variety of climates across the country. They’re also less likely to go broody than some breeds, meaning there is little “down” time. Plus, these breeds tolerate confinement well so they’re a good choice for small urban yards. These breeds are also chosen for those who may want to sell eggs, because they produce efficiently.
Chances are good that if a lot of these breeds are appealing to you, you’re someone who doesn’t like to take chances, or who wants to make the most of what they have—both good qualities to have in a chicken AND and human!
You’re assertive and practical
If you want the best chicken breed to address a specific need, you may want to consider these breeds: Chantecler, Buckeye, Fayoumi, Hamburg, Brahma, Andalusian, Spitzhauben, Orpington (buff).
This silver spangled hamburg is heat tolerant and lays large numbers of small white eggs
Birds in this category are often chosen for hardiness in a more extreme climate. Some are quite cold hardy (Chantecler, Buckeye, Brahma), while others tolerate hot climates (Fayoumi, Hamburg, Andalusian, Spitzhauben).
Chances are good that if a lot of these breeds appeal to you, you pay attention to detail more often than others. You may be someone knows exactly what you need, and you make choices to assure you get it.
You’re dependable and reliable
If you want the best chicken breed and you’re someone who has an appreciation for the “good old days” and history, then you may want to consider these classic breeds: Welsummer, Speckled Sussex, Faverolles, Dorking, Dominique, Delaware, New Hampshire.
This Welsummer is a good winter layer
Birds in this category are chosen for a variety of reasons, but often because they offer a little bit of everything: They’re beautiful and unusual, but lay well. They go broody and will raise chicks, but aren’t stubborn about it. They forage well, but will also tolerate confinement. These are older, classic breeds that are well-rounded and time-tested. While these breeds will do well in a small urban plot, they’ll also make the most of a larger suburban yard.
Chances are good that if these breeds in this category appeal to you, you’re someone who likes to grow heirloom veggies or flowers, and save seeds.
You dance to your own beat of your own drum
Silkie, Polish, Frizzle, Turken, Easter Egger, Sultan, Sumatra, Serama, Crevecoeur, various bantams
This white silkie looks more like a kitten than a chicken!
You gravitate toward the most unusual-looking breeds, and are less interested in purely practical poultry. These breeds may go broody a lot, meaning they won’t lay well year-round… or they lay may lay very small eggs, and seldom. (Easter Eggers are the exception: they tend to lay a fair number of large eggs, although they’re not good winter layers in northern areas.) Regardless, birds in this category are chosen for their value as show or pleasure birds (fur-like or curly feathers, small size, large crests, beards, naked necks, blue/green eggs, etc.). Even if you don’t show birds officially, you probably enjoy having birds that don’t look much like stereotypical chickens to show off to your friends and neighbors!
Chances are good that if these are the breeds that most appeal to you, you’re conscious of appearances and presentation—whether it’s because you’re extremely fashionable, or because you bend over backwards to sport your own personal style, regardless of what others are doing.
You appreciate the sophisticated and rare
Marans, Cream Legbar, Penedesenca, Ameraucana, Araucana, Barnevelder, Cochin, Orpington (rare colors), Sussex (rare colors)
This black copper marans hen lays chocolate brown eggs
Breeds in this category are often harder to locate, so it’s most likely that you’ll get (or have) these breeds if you’ve dedicated some effort not only to learning about all sorts of chicken breeds in general, but also because you’ve dedicated significant effort into acquiring the specific rare breeds you want. This category has a lot in common with the beat-of-your-own-drum category above because these birds often have a lot of show value, but these breeds tend to be a little more practical to keep in a small flock. They lay fair numbers of eggs, but have show or pleasure qualities as well. For instance, they may lay dark chocolate eggs, or blue eggs. Or you may like to get the rare, hard-to-find colors of common breeds, like Orpingtons–which also come in plumages like “lavender”–or Sussex which can be found in plumages like “coronation.” In order to get these breeds, you have to be educated enough about chicken breeds to be aware of them… and committed enough to seek them out.
Chances are good that if breeds in this category appeal to you, you may home incubate, as some breeds in this category are available only as hatching eggs. You may consider yourself a chicken nerd or a chicken addict!
If you have breeds in every category, you may also consider yourself a chicken addict!
Chicken addict with flock! (Photo courtesy of the Hot Tomato Pin Up Academy.)
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Tell us, do we have you pegged, or have we got it all wrong?