When you finally decide to pull the trigger and get those chickens, you go online to order some chicks, but with over 100 breeds of chickens out there, how are you ever going to be able to choose, especially if you're a beginner? If you're just starting out, you're going to want your first flock to run on easy mode. I've compiled the following list based on experience and research.
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The chickens on my list share some common traits that are perfect for the first time chicken tender. These traits include hardiness or a natural tendency to be an easy keeper. These chickens all have an agreeable disposition and do equally well in a free range setting or kept confined to a run. And finally, all of the chickens on this list are known to be productive layers of eggs. Let's get into it!
Coming in at number 5 on my list of Top 5 Chickens for Beginners is the Ameraucana.
The Ameraucana is a relatively new breed created in the United States in the 1970s. It's claim to fame is the fact that it lays blue eggs so it's a really fun chicken to have in the flock, especially if you have kids or are the type of person who enjoys a little unexpected color in your egg carton.
It was a breed of chicken called the Araucana from Chile that carried the egg laying gene, but had some severe genetic flaws. To try to keep the blue egg laying gene, but fix some of the flaws of the Araucana, breeders crossed the Araucana with various breeds here in the United States. As a result, the Ameraucana is a beautiful chicken that comes in a variety of colors and feather patterns, but they almost universally share a "pea comb" and a "beard" of feathers around their beak which is unlike most other chickens. And while the Araucana contributed to the early generations of Ameraucanas, today they are two very distinct breeds.
Ameraucana chickens are on the smaller size of a medium sized bird, weighing on average between 4 and 7 pounds. They are extremely hardy and tend to thrive in just about any living conditions provided that their basic needs are met. Active and curious birds, they enjoy foraging in a free range setting, but will also do well if confined to a run. They are friendly birds and tend to enjoy the company of humans, making them great if you are looking for a chicken that can double as a pet. If socialized from a young age, they can become "lap" chickens and enjoy being held and pet, but it's not a natural trait in this breed.
All of the Ameraucana chickens that I've kept have been extremely easy to keep in the flock. My hens have always fallen somewhere in the middle of the pecking order in my flock of mixed breed chickens, making it easy to mix them with other breeds of chicken. They tend to be average layers, laying about 3-4 eggs per week, but the good news is that they tend to lay year round with just a little break during the molt in the fall/early winter.
These beautiful little chickens are not known as a "broody" chicken, but any chicken can go broody and decide to raise a family if the conditions are right. I did know a fellow chicken tender who had an Ameraucana hen who was a wonderful mother and raised a clutch of chicks almost every year for years (this hardy chicken was still hatching eggs at 7yrs old). But this is definitely not what this breed is known for.
If this is your first time with chickens, go ahead and add one or two of these colorful birds to your flock. They also come in bantam size if you're tight on space or just prefer a smaller egg size. Ameraucanas are a fun breed of chicken to have in the flock and they are one of the easiest chickens to take care of as they are just so hardy and low-maintenance.
The Leghorn
The Leghorn chicken normally doesn't make it on to a lot of top whatever lists for beginners because this breed has a tendency towards a "flighty" nature. These chickens do not make the best pet chickens and you would never expect your Leghorn chicken to want to cuddle up on your lap for attention. But it's been my experience that most people get into chickens for the eggs, and this breed of chicken is an egg laying machine! Which is why it makes it onto MY list of Top 5 Breeds for the Beginner.
Originally from Italy, the Leghorn comes in several varieties with the White and Brown Leghorn being the most popular here in my part of the US. They are a small bird, weighing between 2-5 pounds on average and are recognized solely as a layer chicken, meaning their only purpose is for eggs. They lay a large white egg and it was my understanding that the White Leghorns were the chickens most widely used for white egg production in most commercial farms. Leghorns tend to mature earlier than many of the heavier breeds of chickens with young hens often beginning to lay as early as 4 or 5 months old and they can easily produce over 300 eggs per year. That translates to about 6 or 7 eggs per week! This is truly a very productive bird, but keep in mind that these work horses of the chicken world do the bulk of their laying in their first two years of adulthood. After their second year, you should expect to see a noticeable drop off in their spectacular egg production, however proper nutrition and care should keep your Leghorn laying eggs, even on an abbreviated schedule, well into their 4th or 5th year.
I definitely recommend adding a Leghorn or two to your flock if you're just starting out because this productive little bird will keep you excited about keeping chickens with their daily egg laying and fast maturity. If you are planning to free range your chickens, my advice would be to opt for the Brown Leghorn as in my experience the White Leghorns are targets for hawks and other aerial predators, while the Brown Leghorns tend to blend in a bit better. Leghorns are busy little birds and excel in foraging for their own food if you allow them to free range. Their small size and excellent feed to egg conversion rate makes them very economical chickens who will save you money on the feed bill.
Leghorns are a hardy breed of chicken and do well in a variety of climates and living situations. If you live in a location that gets very cold, I'd advise looking for a Leghorn with a "rose" comb vs a regular comb. My father has some Brown Leghorns with the rose comb, while most of the White Leghorns that I've kept had the regular comb which tends to be large can be more prone to frostbite in the winter. Otherwise, these chickens do quite well in the cold as well as the summer heat when provided ample shade and cool water.
Be advised that if you live in a neighborhood with neighbors close by that are not expecting to hear your chickens, this chicken may not be right for you. Leghorn hens have a tendency to be very loud when laying an egg. It's not quite as bothersome as a rooster crowing, but they will loudly cluck and sing the "egg song" which can be annoying to some people. These chickens are also excellent flyers and, while they won't up and fly away on you, they have been known to roost in trees so make sure that you establish from the beginning that the coop is where they are expected to sleep at night and you should have no problems.
The Plymouth Barred Rock
The Plymouth Barred Rock, or the Barred Rock as it is commonly known is one of the oldest breeds of chicken bred here in the United States, and is easily one of the most popular. It was bred in Massachusetts in the mid-1800s so you know it's a cold hardy breed! It is classified as a heritage breed chicken meaning that it's been bred consistently for generations with an emphasis on hardiness and survivability over mass production. Barred Rocks are what is known as a Dual Purpose breed of chicken because they are equally valued for both their egg production and meat.
Up until World War 2, Barred Rocks formed the basis of the broiler industry here in the US. They are a big, meaty chicken weighing between 8 and 10 pounds and it's said that this breed almost single handedly kept Americans in meat and eggs during the rationing years of World War 2. Broodiness has mostly been bred out of these chickens, but every now and then you will find one that will want to start a family and they tend to make good mothers if the mood strikes.
Barred Rocks lay a medium sized brown egg and will lay consistently year round (except when molting) for many years. You can expect 4-5 eggs per week from your Barred Rock hen once she matures which will usually be in her 5th month of life and if you're butchering these chickens for meat, you can expect them to reach processing weight in the 5th month as well.
These chickens are super chill and usually make good pets if socialized from a young age. It's not uncommon for a Barred Rock to become a "lap" chicken if you start them early. One of the great things about Barred Rocks is their easy going nature and ability to blend seamlessly with other breeds of chickens in a flock. They are not typically aggressive or super bossy with other breeds of chickens and they do equally well if allowed to forage in a free range setting, or kept confined to a coop and run situation.
I think this is a fantastic breed to start out with if you know you want chickens for eggs, but you're on the fence about keeping chickens for meat as well. If you can keep a rooster on your property, the Barred Rock Rooster isn't generally known for being people aggressive or exceptionally loud, so you can keep your first generation flock as layers and incubate some of your fertilized eggs. Process any roosters that hatch out to give you a taste of what it's like to produce your own meat at home. This way, if you find that processing chickens isn't your thing and you want to focus solely on the egg aspect, you didn't have to invest in a separate coop/system for broilers and you don't have to hatch out any more eggs!
While the Barred Rock is the most popular and widely available variety, the Plymouth Rock comes in several different colors (did you know that "Barred" was a color?). Barred just means the black and white pattern that resembles stripes, or bars like that of a jail cell. There are Buff varieties that are more of a yellow color, and White Rocks that are a key genetic component to the commercially available Cornish Cross broilers, as well as a few other fancy colors such as Penciled and Partridge. Whatever color you choose, you can't go wrong adding one or two of these super easy and productive chickens to your flock.
Buff Orpington
This is the chicken that started it all for me here at Dragon Way Farm. It is a dual purpose, heritage breed chicken that originated in England. Today, American Orpingtons differ somewhat in appearance from their English counterparts, but both varieties are known for their beautiful, fluffy feathers and friendly disposition.
If you are looking for a productive pet chicken, I highly recommend the Buff Orpington! From a very young age these chickens show a genuine curiosity and friendliness towards people. It doesn't take much effort at all to turn a Buff Orpington into a cuddly "lap" chicken who will eagerly hop into your lap for cuddles. They are a heritage breed of chicken and that generally translates to extremely hardy which these chickens are! Their very dense feathering makes them an excellent choice for colder climates, and they do reasonably well in the heat of summer too provided they have adequate shade and access to cool water. If you live in a place that gets really hot or experiences oppressive heat waves, the Buff Orpington may need some special attention such as fans in the coop to prevent overheating since their feathers are designed for warmth, not heat regulation.
Buff Orpingtons lay a medium to large sized light brown egg and though they are a slower maturing breed with hens generally not laying until 5 or 6 months old and some not until their 7th month, it's well worth the wait since once they start, these hens lay pretty steadily even throughout the winter months. You can expect 5-6 eggs per week from your hen throughout her 2nd year, then a slight drop off from there. Some chicken keepers have Buff Orpington hens that still lay the occasional egg at 6+ years old! If meat production is your thing, Buff Orpingtons are similar to the Barred Rocks in that category, though slightly less meaty; weighing between 8-10 pounds on average.
In addition to being known for their fabulous temperaments, Buff Orpingtons are a breed known for going broody and being exceptional mothers. If sustainability is something that you're interested in, the Buff Orpington would be a great choice for your flock. Keep a rooster around to fertilize your eggs and many Buff Orpington hens will be more than happy to sit on a clutch of eggs at least once a year to add to the flock.
I've kept Buff Orpingtons in both a free range setting and confined in a coop. They do equally well in either situation, and I've found that the Buff Orpingtons seem to be quite predator smart. Of course, this doesn't mean they are impervious to predator pressure, but compared to other breeds I've kept, the Buff Orpingtons seem to know how to stay out of trouble. They also mix well with other breeds making it easy to add one or two to your flock while experimenting with other breeds. You can't go wrong with this hardy, productive breed of chicken and they are very common and easy to find. The Buff Orpington is the heritage breed, but they now come in several different colors such as Lavender, Chocolate, White and many more. You won't regret adding Buff (or another color) Orpingtons to your flock.
Rhode Island Red
The Rhode Island Red is probably the most popular breed of chicken kept in back yard flocks here in the US and the only reason that it beat the Buff Orpington on my list is that it out lays the Orpington when it comes to eggs. They lay, on average, about 300 eggs per year which is just about 6 eggs per week! Their eggs are large and brown and it's often Rhode Island Red genetics that go into some of the popular production hybrids that are commercially used for egg production.
Rhode Island Reds were developed in Rhode Island in the late 1800s as a dual purpose breed. They are cold hardy and very prolific layers. Today, there are two distinct varieties of Rhode Island Reds: Heritage Rhode Island Reds and Production Rhode Island Reds. If you order from a commercial hatchery, you're very likely ordering production Reds. These are a slightly smaller version that are bred for high egg production and the broodiness has mostly been bred out of them. They will begin laying at around 5 months of age and steadily pump out eggs most days even through winter.
The Heritage Rhode Island Red variety can be a bit harder to find and you may need to seek out a smaller, localized hatchery to find these. The main difference in the Heritage Reds is they are usually bigger, meatier birds that are truer to their dual purpose roots and many maintain their broodiness and chick rearing tendencies. Regardless of which type you end up with, both varieties will keep your family in eggs for many years and both can be processed for the dinner table should you need to produce your own chicken meat.
The Rhode Island Red is a very hardy bird and isn't prone to many health issues. They are also great foragers with predator smarts which makes them ideal in a free range setting, but they can easily thrive in a contained setting as well. Each chicken has it's own personality, but for the most part, Rhode Island Reds mesh well with other breeds of chickens just fine. Some chicken tenders report that their Rhode Island Reds are bossier than their other breeds of chicken and tend to be at the top of the pecking order, so keep that in mind if you intend to keep smaller or more fragile birds in your flock (like Silkies).
Rhode Island Reds made a great back yard or family flock chicken, but don't expect them to be a lap chicken. They are friendly and easy to handle, but are not known to be especially cuddly. These chickens do great in all types of climates, so no special considerations are needed for cold or hot weather. In general, the Rhode Island Red is a low maintenance breed of chicken that thrives in all manner of living situations. That's probably why it's so popular with chicken keepers today!
One word of caution about the Rhode Island Reds: I do not recommend a Rhode Island Red rooster for a new chicken tender. All of the previous breeds listed, I've kept roosters of those breeds and they are, for the most part, not people aggressive. Every rooster is an individual and handling and hormones will dictate rooster aggression, but the Rhode Island Red is the most common type of rooster used in Cock Fighting. So, it stands to reason that these roosters have a known aggressive streak, and while you can have a perfectly friendly Rhode Island Red rooster, why take the chance when there are other breeds that have wonderful roosters not known for aggression?
You can easily mix and match these 5 breeds to make the perfect backyard flock that will be productive and easy to take care of. Let me know in the comments your experiences with these chickens or if you have a favorite breed that you would recommend to the beginner chicken keeper.
