8 Best Chicken Breeds For Beginners

This post is all about the best chicken breeds for beginners.

As the popularity of backyard chicken keeping continues to rise, more and more people are flocking to the idea of raising their own flock of feathered friends. However, for those new to the world of poultry, choosing the right chicken breed can be a daunting task.

With over 60 different breeds to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. But fear not, because in this article, we will guide you through the process of selecting the best chicken breeds for beginners.

By the end, you will have a better understanding of the characteristics and temperaments of different breeds, and be well-equipped to make the right choice for your backyard flock. So let’s dive in and discover which feathered friend will best suit your needs!

According to the American Poultry Association, there are over 60 different chicken breeds, but not all of them are suitable for beginners. Let’s explore the top breeds that are ideal for novice chicken keepers.

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Best Chicken Breeds For Beginners

Orpington

First up is the adorable, fluffy, and friendly Orpington Chicken breed! Often referred to as the “golden retriever of chickens”, Orpingtons make great pet chickens for beginners.

They are bigger birds with thick fluffy feathers making them more cold tolerant than other chicken breeds.

They’re docile nature can cause them to fall lower on the pecking order. So you may want to keep that in mind if you have aggressive chickens in your flock.

Personality: Gentle, Docile and Friendly

Feather Colors: Orpingtons come in a variety of colors including: Buff, Black, Blue, White, Lavender, Jubilee, and Splash.

Egg Production: 170-200 medium light brown eggs/year

Ameraucana

Ameraucanas are a popular chicken breed for beginners and experienced chicken owners. Not only do they have a friendly personality and adorable beards, but they lay beautiful blue eggs! They’re a smaller chicken breed than the Orpington we mentioned above.

But if you’re shopping around for an Ameraucana chicken, be careful with where you buy them! Places like Tractor Supply, and many hatcheries label them as “Americanas” or “Americauna”, but they are not true purebred Ameraucanas. (Notice the slight spelling difference!)

Many beginner chicken owners looking for those pretty blue eggs are tricked by those names. “Americanas”/”Americauna” typically have some Ameraucana in them, but it’s mixed with another chicken breed. So you may get blue eggs from those chickens, but you may also get green, pink, or brown eggs. These chicken breeds are commonly referred to as “Easter Eggers”.

Personality: Friendly, Calm, Curious Nature

Feather Colors: White, Blue, Wheaten, Blue Wheaten, Black, Buff, Silver, Brown-Red, and Lavender)

Egg Production: Roughly 200 blue eggs/year

Easter Eggers

While we’re on the topic of Easter Eggers…they actually make great chickens for beginners as well! Easter Eggers are any mixed-breed chicken resulting from breeding any chicken carrying the blue egg gene (oocyan) with one that lays brown eggs.

They may or may not end up having the cute bearded faces that true Ameraucanas have.

They’re known to be friendly and gentle, and make good backyard companions.

The anticipation of seeing what color egg they end up laying is a fun added bonus. But keep in mind, chickens only lay one color egg their whole life. So if you get an Easter Egger that lays blue eggs, they will only lay blue eggs. Whereas if you get an Easter Egger that lays brown eggs, they will only ever lay brown eggs.

Personality: Friendly, Gentle natured

Feather Colors: There is no breed standard, so you can really end up with any color! It will come down to what chicken breeds were mixed.

Egg Production: 200-280 eggs/year. They may lay brown, blue, green or pink eggs. Just like all chickens, they’ll only lay one color egg their whole life.

Black Copper Maran

When compiling a list of the best chicken breeds for beginners, Black Copper Marans had to make the cute. They are beautiful, and typically easy to handle. They lay stunning dark chocolate colored eggs. Some are even a bit speckled!

They’re a bit curious and would love foraging around your backyard if you allow them to free range at any point of day.

Another benefits of Black Copper Marans are their black colored feathers. While it’s not proven fact, many chicken owners believe that Black Copper Marans help to deter hawks, making it safer for your flock to free range at times. The reasoning for this believe is that hawks hate crows, and hawks may mistake your black chickens for crows, and stay away.

Personality: Friendly, Gentle, Curious

Feather Colors: Black feathers with a gleaming green sheen and copper flecks

Egg Production: 150-200 dark chocolate colored eggs/year

Barred Plymouth Rock

Barred Plymouth Rock chickens are a good beginner chicken as well. They are typically friendly, easy to handle, and will often follow you around softly clucking. They generally get along well with other chicken breeds and would be a gorgeous addition to your flock. If handled as chicks, they often enjoy being held as adults.

Personality: Friendly, Docile, Quiet

Feather Colors: White and Black

Egg Production: Roughly 250 brown eggs/year

Silkies

It doesn’t get much cuter than a Silkie chicken! Silkie is one of the best chicken breeds for beginners because they are among the friendliest of chickens! Silkies typically enjoy human contact and like being held and cuddled by their human family! Silkies are a great chicken breed for families with children. They also aren’t good flyers, so they’re easier to manage.

However, keep in mind that Silkie chickens are more prone to illnesses than some of the other hardier chicken breeds. Silkie are highly prone to Marek’s Disease, which is sadly fatal. There are no cures for Marek’s Disease, although their are vaccines you can give them as preventative measures.

Because of their type of feathering, Silkies should also never get too wet, or that could lead to illness.

Personality: Friendly, Loving, Enjoy Human Interaction and Affection

Feather Colors: Black, blue, buff, gray, partridge, splash, and white

Egg Production: Roughly 100-120 cream eggs/year

Black Australorp

Black Australorp chickens are a great choice for beginner chicken owners. They are great egg producers, friendly, and great with children. While it’s not guaranteed, Australorps are also known to lay well into the winter months! They are very cold tolerant, which is an important factor to consider if you live in an area that gets cold winters.

Just like with Black Copper Marans, there is a chance that the Australorp would deter aerial predators like hawks.

Personality: Friendly, Gentle, Calm

Feather Colors: Black

Egg Production: Roughly 250-300 light brown eggs/year

Brahma

You can’t have a list of best chicken breeds for beginners without including the Brahma chicken breed!

Brahmas are the gentle giant of chickens. They’re a friendly and calm companion for families looking to start a chicken flock, or add to their existing backyard flock.

They are a quieter breed, which is good for those living close by to neighbors. In fact, event he males don’t typically crow as loudly as other chicken breeds.

You’ll want to ensure they aren’t getting too hot in the summer months, but due to their dense feathers and feathered feet, they do fantastic during the winter months. They are also known to continue laying in the winter months which is a huge advantage!

Personality: Friendly, Gentle, Calm

Feather Colors: Light, Dark and Buff

Egg Production: Roughly 150-200 light brown eggs/year (most productive egg laying months tend to be October-May)

Now that you know the best chicken breeds for beginners, it’s time to start your flock!

Why is it important to consider the best chicken breeds for beginners when starting your flock?

With the wide variety of chicken breeds out there, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. But don’t let that intimidate you! Each breed has its own unique personality, temperament, and egg production, as well as specific care requirements. As someone new to the world of chicken keeping, it’s important to choose a breed that will be a good fit for you and your flock. Don’t let challenging chicken breeds deter you from the joys of raising your own backyard chickens! Once you decide on your chicken breeds, don’t forget to check out the fun chicken toys for your coop!

Once you’ve narrowed down your choices from the list of best chicken breeds for beginners…

Check out this Beginners Guide To Raising Chickens! Raising backyard chickens really isn’t as difficult as you may think. In fact…they’re easier than a lot of the other pet options out there! The best thing you can do is be prepared going into it. You’ll be sure to succeed!