Chicken Breed Chart: 30 Backyard Breeds With Pictures
Thirty popular breeds with a photograph and the stats that actually matter: eggs per year, egg color, climate tolerance, temperament, and whether they're beginner-friendly. Filter by egg color to compare the breeds that lay blue, green, chocolate or cream eggs, or sort by output to find the heaviest layers. It works both ways — a breed identification chart for a bird you already keep, and a shortlist for the ones you want next.
Standard
Mid-sized dual-purpose breeds. The backbone of most backyard flocks.
Rhode Island Red
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 260
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
One of the most popular dual-purpose breeds in North America, prized for consistent egg laying and exceptional hardiness in cold climates. Rhode Island Reds are reliable producers and forgiving for first-time keepers.
Plymouth Rock (Barred)
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 220
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
An American heritage breed with the iconic black-and-white barred plumage. Calm, sociable, and a steady layer through cold winters — a backyard classic.
Australorp
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 280
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- calm
Holder of the historical egg-laying record (364 eggs in 365 days). A glossy black, even-tempered, productive layer that thrives in nearly any climate.
Sussex (Light)
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 240
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
An old English dual-purpose breed: white with black neck and tail markings. Curious, hardy, and a dependable layer of brown eggs even through winter.
Wyandotte (Silver Laced)
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 200
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- calm
Striking laced plumage and a compact, rose-combed body that handles bitter winters with ease. Calm, self-reliant, and a frequent broody — a great choice for cold-climate hatching.
Marans (Black Copper)
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- dark chocolate brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- calm
Famous for laying dark chocolate-brown eggs — among the darkest in the Marans family. Calm, quiet, and adaptable, with feathered shanks on most strains.
Easter Egger
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 240
- Color
- blue, green, or pink
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
Not a recognized breed but a hybrid that carries the blue-egg gene. Each hen lays a single color from her own palette of blue, green, or pinkish eggs — a backyard favorite.
Ameraucana
- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- blue
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- calm
A true blue-egg breed with a pea comb, muffs, and a beard. Hardy and pleasant, though true Ameraucanas are uncommon — most birds sold under the name are Easter Eggers.
Welsummer
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- dark brown speckled
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- calm
Popularly linked to the Cornflakes rooster — though no breed club or extension source confirms it. Lays beautiful terracotta-brown eggs flecked with darker spots. Friendly, hardy, and a steady layer.
Barnevelder
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- dark brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- calm
Dutch dual-purpose breed with stunning double-laced plumage. Quiet, mellow, and a winter-hardy layer of dark brown eggs.
Olive Egger eggs — the bird itself has no standard appearance
Olive Egger
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 200
- Color
- olive green
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
A cross between a blue-egg breed (Ameraucana, Cream Legbar) and a dark-brown egg breed (Marans, Welsummer). The result: rich olive-green eggs that vary from hen to hen.
Delaware
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 200
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- calm
A conservation-priority American breed that briefly dominated the Delmarva Peninsula's broiler industry in the mid-20th century. Mellow temperament, fast feathering, and reliable year-round egg production.
New Hampshire Red
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 220
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- friendly
Selected from Rhode Island Red stock for faster maturity and broiler quality. Friendly, fast-growing, and a dependable cold-weather layer.
Speckled Sussex
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 240
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
A mahogany-feathered Sussex variety with white tipping that grows more pronounced each molt. Curious, sociable, and a winter-laying favorite.
Salmon Faverolles
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- tinted cream
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- gentle
Beard, muffs, feathered legs, and five toes — and a personality so gentle they're often bullied by more assertive breeds. Best kept with other docile birds.
ISA Brown
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 300
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
A modern hybrid layer (Institut de Selection Animale) capable of 300+ eggs per year. Friendly, calm, and easy to handle — but like most hybrid layers, expect production to decline within a few years, well short of a heritage breed's lifespan.
Black Star
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 280
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
A black sex-link cross (RIR rooster x Barred Rock hen): pullets are black, cockerels have a white head spot. Hardy, friendly, and an excellent first-flock choice.
Golden Comet
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 280
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
A red sex-link hybrid prized by small-flock keepers for early laying (around 16 weeks) and consistent production. Mellow, social, and well-suited to mixed flocks.
Heavy breeds
Big-bodied birds for cold climates and quiet personalities.
Buff Orpington
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 220
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- gentle
Big, fluffy, and famously docile — calm, friendly, and great with children. Tolerates handling well and goes broody often, which makes it a popular choice for keepers who want chicks.
Brahma (Light)
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- docile
A gentle giant with feathered legs and a pea comb that resists frostbite. Slow-growing but exceptionally hardy in cold weather, with a famously easy-going personality.
Cochin
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 160
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- docile
Round, heavily-feathered, and unmistakable. Cochins are calm to a fault and reliable broodies — many keepers use them to hatch eggs from other breeds.
Jersey Giant
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 180
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- docile
The largest breed in the American Class. Docile, slow-growing, and surprisingly steady layers of large brown eggs — even through cold winters.
Lavender Orpington
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 220
- Color
- brown
- Climate
- cold
- Temperament
- gentle
All the Orpington personality with a soft self-blue (lavender) color. Note: lavender is a recessive trait, so hatching from a single-color flock yields all lavender chicks.
Light breeds
Smaller, more active breeds with high egg production and heat tolerance.
Leghorn (White)
- Eggs/yr
- 290
- Color
- white
- Climate
- hot
- Temperament
- flighty
The world's most prolific white-egg layer and the foundation of most commercial laying flocks. Active, alert, and heat-tolerant — but flighty and not fond of being held.
Cream Legbar
- Eggs/yr
- 200
- Color
- blue
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- friendly
An auto-sexing breed (chick down color reveals gender at hatch) that lays attractive blue eggs. Active foragers; need space to roam.
Polish (White Crested)
- Eggs/yr
- 150
- Color
- white
- Climate
- temperate
- Temperament
- flighty
Distinguished by an extravagant feathered crest that often covers the eyes. More of a show breed than a production layer; the crest needs protection from wet, cold weather.
Hamburg
- Eggs/yr
- 200
- Color
- white
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- flighty
A small, alert, beautifully spangled or penciled breed. Excellent foragers with a long laying lifespan, but flighty and not fond of confinement.
Andalusian (Blue)
- Eggs/yr
- 165
- Color
- white
- Climate
- hot
- Temperament
- active
A Mediterranean breed in elegant slate blue. Heat-tolerant and a fine layer, though only about half the chicks from blue-on-blue breedings will be blue.
Bantams
Miniature breeds — lower production, smaller footprint, big personalities.
Silkie
Beginner- Eggs/yr
- 100
- Color
- cream
- Climate
- all
- Temperament
- gentle
Fluffy, fur-like feathers, black skin, and five toes per foot. Famously gentle and persistent broody — many keepers raise Silkies specifically to hatch and raise other breeds' eggs.
Sebright
- Eggs/yr
- 80
- Color
- cream
- Climate
- temperate
- Temperament
- active
A true bantam (no large counterpart) with elegant laced plumage. Mostly an ornamental breed; sparse layers but striking show birds.
No breeds match these filters.
Photo credits
- Rhode Island Red — Vitag, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Plymouth Rock (Barred) — Kevin Prichard, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Australorp — Michael Gäbler, CC BY 3.0
- Sussex (Light) — Bodlina, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wyandotte (Silver Laced) — ripperda, CC BY 2.0
- Marans (Black Copper) — Nienetwiler, CC BY 2.5 CH
- Easter Egger — HZOfficial1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ameraucana — Royale Photography, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Welsummer — Thomon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Barnevelder — Daharja, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Olive Egger — Hustvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Delaware — Linda, CC BY 2.0
- New Hampshire Red — Bodlina, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Speckled Sussex — Chefsbird, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Salmon Faverolles — Fernando de Sousa, CC BY-SA 2.0
- ISA Brown — Joffrey Lartigaud, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Black Star — Nature Whisperer, Public Domain
- Golden Comet — Linda from Chicago, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Buff Orpington — OKFarmgirl, CC BY 3.0
- Brahma (Light) — Ryan Zierke, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cochin — sammydavisdog, CC BY 2.0
- Jersey Giant — DanielPenfield, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lavender Orpington — Idéalités, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leghorn (White) — Jean Ogden, CC BY 2.0
- Cream Legbar — Bodlina, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Polish (White Crested) — Benny Mazur, CC BY 2.0
- Hamburg — Stacy, CC BY 2.0
- Andalusian (Blue) — Konstantin Nikiforov, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Silkie — Aaron Jacobs, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Sebright — monkeywing, CC BY-SA 2.0
