The 10 Best Chicken Breeds for Your Backyard

Trying to find the perfect breed to start your backyard flock, or looking to add more? Let’s dive into the 10 best breeds for backyard chicken keepers. We’ll look at temperament, ideal climate, egg color, and laying frequency to help you decide which new breed will suit you and your backyard best!

Classic Backyard Chicken Breeds

ISA Brown

Temperament: Docile, friendly, affectionate

Climate: Winter hardy, but also tolerates heat well. These birds are happy in a wide variety of climates

Laying Frequency: 6 eggs per week

Egg Color: Light brown

Barred Plymouth Rock

Temperament: Sweet, talkative, friendly

Climate: heat and cold tolerant

Confinement: Does well in confinement, but happiest free ranging

Laying Frequency: 4-5 eggs per week

Egg Color: light brown

Barnevelder

Temperament: Lively, active, friendly

Climate: Extremely cold hardy; ideal for cooler climates

Laying Frequency: 3 eggs per week

Egg Color: Varying shades of brown – both light & dark

Australorp

Temperament: Docile, easygoing

Climate: These birds are happy in a variety of climates, and are considered both cold hardy and heat tolerant

Laying Frequency: 4-5 eggs per week

Egg Color: Light brown

Orpington

Temperament: patient, docile, good with kids

Climate: does well in the cold due to fluffy plumage

Laying Frequency: one egg every other day

Egg Color: light brown

Fun Backyard Chicken Breeds

Silkie

Temperament: Calm, friendly, trusting

Climate: These birds thrive in both color or warm climates, but their feathers require protection from dampness since they are not waterproof

Laying Frequency: 2-4 eggs per week

Egg Color: Cream or white

Frizzle

Temperament: Gentle, sweet, easily handled, high maintenance

Climate: Due to their unique feathers, this breed can run into issues into climates that are extremely wet

Laying Frequency: 2-4 eggs each week

Egg Color: Cream or tinted

Naked Neck

Temperament: Docile & Gentle, Tend to fall lower on the pecking order

Climate: Thrives in a hot climate

Laying Frequency: Good layers; 4 eggs per week

Egg Color: Brown

Easter Eggers

Temperament: Big personalities, friendly, curious

Climate: Thrives in hot and cold climates

Laying Frequency: 3-4 eggs per week

Egg Color: Varies; blue

Polish

Temperament: Even tempered, gentle, calm

Climate: Prefer a dry, warm climate. In the cold, their crests can become waterlogged.

Laying Frequency: 3-4 eggs per week

Egg Color: White