Top 5 Backyard Chicken Breeds

[Bullitt]

ive got 2 speckled sussox and im pure alabamian

Hello, you "Alabamian."

Do you think Sussex should be on this list? If so, how would Sussex rank on the list?

 

[Chris09]

This is the list of "breeds" that people say they own in the United States and Canada. Feel free to suggest changes or debate the list.


The Backyard Baker's Dozen

1. Plymouth Rock

2. Rhode Island Red

3. "Easter Egger"

4. Orpington

5. Leghorn

6. Australorp

7. Sex-Link (There are several hybrids, such as Red Sex-Link and Black Sex-Link)

8. New Hampshire

9. Wyandotte

10. Welsummer

11. Cochin

12. Old English Game Bantam

13. Silkies

I would change the Rhode Island Red to Production Reds since most people that think they have a Red in fact have Production.

Chris

 

[Bullitt]

I would change the Rhode Island Red to Production Reds since most people that think they have a Red in fact have Production.

Chris

This list includes the "breeds" that people say they have. Almost everyone says they have Rhode Island Reds and not production reds. And that is also why "easter egger" is on the list. "Easter eggers" can be a variety of types.

I suppose a change could be made to Rhode Island Red/production red.



The Backyard Baker's Dozen

1. Plymouth Rock

2. Rhode Island Red/production red

3. "Easter Egger"

4. Orpington

5. Leghorn

6. Australorp

7. Sex-Link (There are several hybrids, such as Red Sex-Link and Black Sex-Link)

8. New Hampshire

9. Wyandotte

10. Welsummer

11. Cochin

12. Old English Game Bantam

13. Silkies

 

[birdsNbama]

THink the list would depend on what an individual wants in their flock.I have sussex, rir (heritage),red sex links,and I have some babies from the coronation sussex rooster and a heritage rir. they are looking like their going to be white with red hackles. different for sure.rir and sex links out lay the sussex but the sussex are such great momma's and are so gentle.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I've looked in my ABA Standard (2011) and here's a direct quote of one of the breeds: "MALAY BANTAM.... Origin: England. AMERICAN STATUS: Fairly Common."

Here's the published list of bantam breeds in the ABA Standard.

Ameraucana: status not mentioned
American Game bantam: Not common
American Serama: Fairly common
Ancona bantam: Fairly common
Andalusian bantam: Not common
Araucana bantam: Common
Aseel bantam: status not mentioned
Australorp bantam: Available but not common
Belgian Bearded d'Anvers Bantam: Ranks within the top 16 breeds (bantams)
Belgian Bearded d'Uccle Bantam: Ranks within the top 16 breeds (bantams)
Booted Bantam: Fairly common
Brahma Bantam: Shown as early as 1903, ranked in the top 16 breeds at present time
Buckeye Bantam: Not common
Buttercup Bantam: Rare if at all. The buttercup comb needs to be preserved in a bantam
Campine Bantam: Not common
Chantecler Bantam: Rare
Cochin Bantam: 2nd most popular breed (bantams)
Cornish Bantam: Listed in first 10 of most popular breeds. (bantam)
Crevecoeur Bantam: Fairly common
Cubalaya Bantam: Not very common
Delaware Bantam: Fairly common
Dominique Bantam: Fairly common
Dorking Bantam: Not common
Dutch Bantam: Fairly common
Faverolle Bantam: Not common
Hamburg Bantam: Common
Houdan Bantam: Not common
Japanese Bantam: One of the ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Junglefowl: status not mentioned
La Fleche Bantam: Not common
Lakenvelder Bantam: Not common
Langshan Bantam: Fairly common
Leghorn Bantam: Found among the 10 most popular breeds (bantam)
Malay Bantam: Fairly common
Minorca Bantam: Not common
Modern Game Bantam: One of the ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Naked Neck Bantam: Not common
Nakin Bantam: Rare
New Hampshire Bantam: Fairly common
Old English Game Bantam: Most popular breed (bantam)
Orloff Bantam: Not common
Orpington Bantam: Fairly common
Phoenix Bantam: Not Common
Plymouth Rock Bantam: Found among ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Polish Bantam: One of 16 most popular breeds (bantam)
Pyncheon Bantam: Not common
Rhode Island Red Bantam: One of the ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Rosecomb Bantam: One of the ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Sebright Bantam: One of the ten most popular breeds (bantam)
Shamo Bantam: Rare
Silkie Bantam: Ranks in the first 16 breeds in popularity (bantam)
Spanish Bantam: Not common
Sultan Bantam: Fairly common
Sumatra Bantam: Fairly common
Sussex Bantam: Not common
Vorwerk Bantam: New breed
Wyandotte Bantam: Found in first 10 breeds of popularity (bantam)
Yokohama Bantam: Not common



I put "(bantam)" at the end to remind you this is coming directly from the ABA Bantam Standard (2011)... not the APA Standard.

 

[lookyhereboy]

I just started raising chickens this year. I got 2 white leghorns and 2 brown leghorns. The whites are pretty friendly the browns are skittish. These girls are egg laying machines. I get 4 eggs a day unless one or two hit a cycle that skips a day. This does happen as they tend to lay an egg every 25 hours and I have been told once it gets dark they will hold off until the next morning to lay. I am finding this to be true. They are noisy that is for sure. They like to let the whole world know that they are special and are going to lay an egg. Once they lay they get quiet. I don't care about the color of the eggs, white are just fine with me. I will probably add a couple more chickens next spring during chick days. Guess I should give another breed a chance then. But they have to be a good egg layer because I am getting spoiled with these leghorns.

 

[Critterwoman]

I am just beginning with my backyard birds. I live in the country and have a pen where my chickens can free range. I have a Cinnamon Queen that lays brown eggs twice the size (extra large?) of my other 2 hens. One is a RIR cross. She looks like a RIR but has blue legs. I don't know what she is crossed with but her brown eggs would be considered medium size. Any idea's? I have another that is the color of the RIR but has silver around the tips of her feathers from her back all the way to her tail. She is BEAUTIFUL!!! Can anyone tell me what she is? Her eggs are also brown and medium size. I love the size of the eggs from the CQ and would like to get some more 'colored' eggs layers that lay the large to x-large eggs. Any suggestions would be of great help. I am reading everything that I can and am considering the Orpingtons. Do they do well in cold weather. Here in Oklahoma we may have a very mild winter, or we may get 2' of snow. You just never know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dobitus]

We didn't know what we wanted... so we got a couple of everything... We have a modest house and lot in Colorado Springs. We have Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orphingtons, Gold and Silver Wyandottes, Black Rocks, Ameraucanas, Black Australorps, Black Minorcas.... the list was WAY too long. So finally we observed them pecking around our yard and sold off the ones that we just didn't like their personality or that didn't seem to be very colorful or amusing. All of em will lay eggs. In the fall, we were getting TOO MANY EGGS. We wound up with Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, two Americaunas (that lay green eggs, not blue... but BOY are they green), Black Minorcas Silver and gold Wyandottes and one Buff Orpington. My choice for easy to care for, beginners.... depends on your climate. If you need big chickens that are fun and lay big eggs.. get the Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. They will eventually become pets. The Black Minorcas lay white eggs, but shut down in cold weather and are a bit skittish. The Americaunas are funny looking (young ones look like hawks) and lay cool green eggs. The Wyandottes handle cold weather very well, and are consistant layers of nice size brown eggs. The Buff.... is a bit bossy, but is the best mother of the group. She has raised many of the others from feed store chick to full grown layer. But my choice for beginners would be Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds. And I have found that foxes are not picky... they will eat any of them if given the chance. We have no roosters as we live in town. We lost the entire first batch to a single fox except for one Barred Rock.. who was smart enough to fly on a fence and sit very still. We couldn't even find it as we scanned the yard and cleaned up the bodies left by the fox. This is the boss mama of the flock to this day. One day I her her screaming her lungs out, and had the rest of the chickens huddled under an apple tree... A good sized hawk was sitting on the fence, watching the whole thing happen, but the barred rock took care of it well. As far as raccoons are concerned, we have WAVES of them come through the yard at night. They have never bothered our chickens... yet... Partially because they are too busy eating all our GRAPES, Apples, Pears, Pumpkins and so forth. We have trapped raccoons, relocated them, and finally just trapped and shot them. You have to keep the raccoon population under control some how. I know I ramble a bit, but I thought this might help with a breed selection. Thanks for your time.

 

[jrottie]

I would like to see a list of the most friendly/kind breed to the most aggressive/Skittish breeds that everyone has in their flocks. We own several breeds, and I would have to rank our flock in this order from friendly/Docile to Aggressive/Skittish:

1. Cochins
2. Orpingtons
3. Australorp
4 Easter Eggers
5. Speckled Leghorns
6. RIR
7. White Leghorns
8. Brown Leghorns

Thats pretty much how our flock goes in order. If it weren't for the white and brown Leghorns being fabulous layers, I wouldn't own them. We have the speckled Leghorns, and they are a lot calmer, and more docile, but they miss days of laying.

 

[draye]

I would like to see a list of the most friendly/kind breed to the most aggressive/Skittish breeds that everyone has in their flocks. We own several breeds, and I would have to rank our flock in this order from friendly/Docile to Aggressive/Skittish:

1. Cochins
2. Orpingtons
3. Australorp
4 Easter Eggers
5. Speckled Leghorns
6. RIR
7. White Leghorns
8. Brown Leghorns

Thats pretty much how our flock goes in order. If it weren't for the white and brown Leghorns being fabulous layers, I wouldn't own them. We have the speckled Leghorns, and they are a lot calmer, and more docile, but they miss days of laying.

1. Cochins/Brahmas
2. Red Sexlinks (Sometimes they are so around your feet that you can't walk)
3. Easter Eggers
4. Naked Necks (I have had 1 skittish NN before and that was my last rooster that I had, have his son now and he's not skittish)
5. White Rocks ( I've owned 1 rooster that was really aggresive, but that was the only one that has been that way.)
6. Brown Leghorns (pretty skittish)
7. Polish (all varities), (about as skittish as most leghorns that I have ever seen. some worse than others)