Breed
England Dual purpose
Orpington
A full-feathered English breed with a calm reputation and many color varieties.
Egg color: Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
The Chicken Keepers field guide
Chicken Breed
Almanac.
Meet the breeds. Find your feathered favorites. A little research before the chicken math gets out of hand.
44 introductory profiles · Sources included
Your next flock starts here
Find your feathered fit.
44 breeds and mixed-breed categories
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Breed
England Egg layers
Cream Legbar
A crested British breed combining blue eggs with autosexing chick patterns.
Egg color: Blue; shade varies
Confirm with the breeder
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Wyandotte
An American breed with a rounded shape and a wide range of striking feather patterns.
Egg color: Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Plymouth Rock
A familiar American farm breed available in barred and other varieties.
Egg color: Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Brahma
A substantial feather-legged breed with a pea comb and an unmistakable brow.
Egg color: Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
United States Egg layers
Ameraucana
Blue eggs, a pea comb, and a distinctive bearded face make this American breed easy to love.
Egg color: Blue
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
Asian origins Ornamental & companions
Silkie
Distinctive feather texture and persistent broodiness make Silkies a memorable flock addition.
Egg color: Ask breeder
Confirm with the breeder
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Rhode Island Red
An American farm breed with red plumage and a long history of brown-egg production.
Egg color: Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
England Dual purpose
Sussex
A curious British farm breed with several varieties and a long table-bird history.
Egg color: Tan to Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
Italy Egg layers
Ancona
A lively white-egg layer with black feathers sprinkled in white.
Egg color: White
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
Spain Egg layers
Andalusian
Slate-blue plumage gives this energetic Mediterranean layer its signature look.
Egg color: Chalk-White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
South America Egg layers
Araucana
A blue-egg breed with a distinctive history and different standards around the world.
Egg color: Blue
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
Australia Dual purpose
Australorp
An Australian development of the Orpington, selected with productive laying in mind.
Egg color: Tinted to light brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
Netherlands Dual purpose
Barnevelder
A Dutch breed admired for brown eggs and beautifully patterned feathers.
Egg color: Brown
Confirm with the breeder
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Buckeye
An Ohio original, developed by Nettie Metcalf, with rich red plumage and an inquisitive nature.
Egg color: Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
Belgium Egg layers
Campine
A small, energetic layer with striking barred plumage and a long Flemish history.
Egg color: White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
Canada Dual purpose
Chantecler
Developed in Quebec with Canadian winters in mind.
Egg color: Light to Pinkish-Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
China Ornamental & companions
Cochin
A heavily feathered favorite known for a gentle manner and strong sitting instincts.
Egg color: Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
England Meat breeds
Cornish
A broad-bodied heritage breed with a compact, muscular shape.
Egg color: Tinted
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
France Dual purpose
Crevecoeur
An old Normandy breed with a crest, beard, and unusual V-shaped comb.
Egg color: White
Moderate conditions preferred
Breed
Cuba Dual purpose
Cubalaya
A Cuban breed admired for its sweeping tail and suitability to heat and humidity.
Egg color: White to Tinted
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Delaware
A white-bodied American breed with dark markings and a practical farm history.
Egg color: Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Dominique
One of America's oldest breeds, with barred feathers and a low rose comb.
Egg color: Light to Dark Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
England Dual purpose
Dorking
A traditional British breed recognizable by five toes and a generous body.
Egg color: White to Cream
Adaptable with suitable housing
Mixed-breed category
Mixed ancestry Egg layers
Easter Egger
A diverse group of mixed-ancestry chickens associated with colorful eggs.
Egg color: Varies by parentage
Confirm with the breeder
Breed
France Dual purpose
Faverolles
A French favorite with a beard, feathered legs, and five toes.
Egg color: Tinted to Light Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
European origins Egg layers
Hamburg
A light, active layer with an ornamental appearance and several patterned varieties.
Egg color: White
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Holland
An American dual-purpose breed that brings white eggs to the homestead.
Egg color: White
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
France Dual purpose
Houdan
A crested, bearded French breed with five toes and a gentle reputation.
Egg color: White
Warmer-climate candidate
Landrace
Iceland Dual purpose
Icelandic
A varied landrace shaped by centuries of Icelandic farm life.
Egg color: White to Cream or Light Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Java
An old American farm breed valued for calm behavior and foraging.
Egg color: Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
United States Dual purpose
Jersey Giant
A notably large, usually mellow breed developed in New Jersey.
Egg color: Light Cream to Dark Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
Breed
France Dual purpose
La Fleche
A French breed with a distinctive horn-shaped comb and a history as a table bird.
Egg color: White to Cream
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
Germany and Netherlands Egg layers
Lakenvelder
A small white-egg layer recognized by its contrasting dark neck and tail.
Egg color: White to Tinted
Moderate conditions preferred
Breed
China Dual purpose
Langshan
A tall Chinese breed with a calm reputation and feathered legs.
Egg color: Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
Italy Egg layers
Leghorn
A light, energetic breed with a long history of white-egg production.
Egg color: White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
France Dual purpose
Marans
A French dual-purpose breed especially sought out by brown-egg enthusiasts.
Egg color: Brown
Confirm with the breeder
Breed
Spain Egg layers
Minorca
A sizable Mediterranean layer known for very large white eggs.
Egg color: Chalk White
Warmer-climate candidate
True bantam
Historic origins uncertain Ornamental & companions
Nankin
A small true bantam with an especially useful reputation as a broody hen.
Egg color: Creamy White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
United States Dual purpose
New Hampshire
An American breed selected from Rhode Island Red stock for earlier development.
Egg color: Tinted to Brown
Adaptable with suitable housing
Breed
European origins uncertain Ornamental & companions
Polish
An eye-catching crested breed that also lays white eggs.
Egg color: White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
Persia and Russia Meat breeds
Russian Orloff
A bearded breed associated with cold tolerance and an upright appearance.
Egg color: Light Brown
Cooler-climate candidate
True bantam
England Ornamental & companions
Sebright
A true bantam with finely laced feathers and a lively presence.
Egg color: Creamy White
Warmer-climate candidate
Breed
Netherlands Egg layers
Welsummer
A Dutch breed known for large brown eggs that may carry darker speckles.
Egg color: Brown, sometimes speckled
Confirm with the breeder
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A thoughtful starting point
Good questions.
Better flock choices.
Use these introductory profiles to narrow your choices, then talk with a breeder about their specific birds. Egg output, behavior, and hardiness vary with breeding lines, age, housing, and care.
Explore the breeder directoryA name is only the beginning.
A breed, a feather-color variety, a landrace, and a hybrid are different things. We label them so you can ask informed questions.
Sources, without the guesswork.
Every profile links to its references. Missing information stays open for research. Photographs show individual birds and do not certify breed purity.
Room for more peeps.
This first edition contains 44 introductory profiles. Detailed varieties, chick galleries, and additional breeds are next.