Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds are some of the best dual-purpose chickens for beginners. These offer great egg production of around 200 large eggs every year, and their bodies are large enough to yield plenty of meat.
The most exciting part of starting your journey of keeping chickens is selecting your first chicken breed. With so many fantastic options available, it can be difficult to narrow down your options.
This article will analyze some of the best beginner chicken breeds for your backyard.
Table of Contents
15 Best First-Time Chicken Breeds
1. Buff Orpington
| Eggs per year | 200 |
| Egg size | Medium |
| Egg color | Light brown |
| Lifespan | 5-10 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Buff Orpingtons are known to be incredibly friendly birds, and are perfect in a family setting. They are known to go broody, so they will also be great at raising baby chicks.
2. Rhode Island Red
| Eggs per year | 250 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Rhode Island Reds are fantastic egg-laying hens that are also incredibly cold hardy. Many new chicken keepers love them because they are easy to maintain and have a friendly personality.
3. Australorp
| Eggs per year | 250 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Light brown |
| Lifespan | 7-10 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Australorps are highly affectionate birds that are known to get along well with other breeds and animals. They do great in both cold and warm climates, and will yield a chicken keeper with plenty of large brown eggs.
4. Plymouth Rock
| Eggs per year | 200-250 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 8-10 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | Yes |
Plymouth Rocks are known to be consistent egg layers and also will yield a lot of meat. They tend to do best in smaller flocks, but have a gentle personality.
5. Leghorn
| Eggs per year | 200-250 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | White |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | Yes |
Leghorns are famous for their high energy levels and bright personalities. They are fantastic free-range foragers, and will do great with children.
6. Ameraucana
| Eggs per year | 150 |
| Egg size | Medium |
| Egg color | Pale blue |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Ameraucanas are fantastic egg layers and are known for their brilliant blue eggs. They have lots of playful energy, and their personalities tend to be very friendly.
7. Sussex
| Eggs per year | 200-250 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 8-10 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | Yes |
The Sussex chicken is a dual-purpose bird that is best known for being a good egg layer even during the winter months. Their curious and friendly temperament makes them a welcome addition to any flock.
8. Easter Egger
| Eggs per year | 200 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Variety of blues and greens |
| Lifespan | 4-7 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | Yes |
Easter Eggers are a great way to add some flair to your flock. Each bird looks different from the next, and they lay beautifully colored eggs.
9. Barred Rock
| Eggs per year | 200 |
| Egg size | Medium |
| Egg color | Light brown |
| Lifespan | 6-8 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Barred Rocks, otherwise known as Plymouth Rocks, are a beautiful medium size breed of chicken known for their distinctive black and white coat of feathers. They have a notably docile and friendly personality that makes them great for families.
10. Delaware
| Eggs per year | 200 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Light brown |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Delaware chickens are highly praised for their low levels of maintenance and their ability to lay many beautiful light brown eggs. Friendly, curious, and high in energy, Delawares make for excellent backyard chickens and companions.
11. Cochin
| Eggs per year | 150-180 |
| Egg size | Medium |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Cochins are known to be both docile and quiet, making them one of the friendliest breeds of chicken. They can make excellent mothers when they go broody and are known to even foster chicks from other chicken breeds.
12. Brahmas
| Eggs per year | 150-200 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 5-8 years |
| Climate | Cold |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Though large and highly curious, Brahmas chickens are known as gentle giants that are incredibly calm and sweet to humans. Their high intelligence paired with their docile nature makes them perfect to have around kids.
13. New Hampshire
| Eggs per year | 100-150 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Dark brown |
| Lifespan | 5-7 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | Yes |
New Hampshires are known for their low levels of maintenance and to be consistent egg-laying chickens. As a heritage breed, they were bred to withstand harsh winters, making them easy to handle for beginners who live in colder climates.
14. Black Silkies
| Eggs per year | 100-150 |
| Egg size | Small |
| Egg color | White |
| Lifespan | 7-9 years |
| Climate | Cold and warm |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | Yes |
| Noisy? | No |
Silkies are a small and beautiful bantam variety that brings a lot of personality and entertainment to a chicken coop. Their calm and curious personality makes them wonderful to have around, and their poofy feathers will offer quite the spectacle.
15. Wyandotte
| Eggs per year | 200 |
| Egg size | Large |
| Egg color | Brown |
| Lifespan | 5-10 years |
| Climate | Cold |
| Good with kids? | Yes |
| Good with dogs? | No |
| Noisy? | No |
Wyandottes are famously known for being cold-hardy, dual-purpose birds. Their independent and even-tempered nature makes them great for beginners who want a reliable first chicken.
What Beginners Should Look For
Now that we’ve looked at an overview of the best chicken breeds for beginners, let’s consider a few more characteristics that you should be looking for in a breed. If you’re uncertain as to what you want your chicken to bring to the table, sometimes literally, then you’ll want to choose a breed that has a lot to offer.
Dual-purpose breeds lay a decent amount of fresh eggs but are also worth eating for their meat. Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds are some of the best dual-purpose chickens for beginners. These offer great egg production of around 200 large eggs every year, and their bodies are large enough to yield plenty of meat.
Size is another important characteristic and if you don’t have enough space designated for a large coop, then smaller chicken varieties are ideal. From this list, black silkies are the smallest option and they will still prove to be good layers and perfect friends to have around.
It’s best to find a well-balanced breed that will fit right into your existing lifestyle. If you’re finding that your current or future birds need more space than your yard can offer or that they are laying too many eggs, then look into a different breed.
FAQs
How many chickens should a beginner start with?
It is recommended that a flock should consist of no fewer than 3 chickens. Chickens are incredibly social and will rely on one another to maintain order and continue to regularly produce eggs.
Anywhere between 3 to 7 chickens is a decent size for a beginner flock. If you end up having enough room and time to dedicate to caring for a larger flock, then you can certainly add more chickens as time goes on.
Which breed is the calmest?
If you’re looking for chickens that are calm and quiet, then Wyandottes, Cochins, and Austrolorps are for you. These are all breeds that are known for their calm demeanor and aren’t usually too noisy.
Cochins in particular are regarded as one of the friendliest breeds and aren’t prone to fighting with other chickens or animals. They are incredibly tame animals and often prefer to stay in the coop instead of venturing out into the yard.
What is the best chicken to keep in a backyard?
While all of the chicken breeds listed above will make for a great backyard flock, you will want to consider if the climate of your backyard will be best suited to raising chickens of a specific breed.
For example, some chickens much prefer to stay in warm-weather regions and won’t do so well in the winter. From this list, the Leghorn are the most notably heat tolerant breed.
The same is true for cold climates. Chickens such as Orpingtons, Wyandottes, and Australorps will do just fine through the winter but might need to be monitored during hot summer days.
