The Best Chickens & Roosters for Laying and Breeding

In an agricultural climate where heritage chicken breeds are disappearing at an alarming rate, choosing a breed for laying eggs and breeding can be an act of conservation as well as a decision based on purely practical motives. Many lesser-known and rare breeds, while not as productive as more widely available laying breeds like Leghorns, offer other advantages that make them ideal for small producers and backyard flocks.

  1. The Leghorn

    • The Leghorn is the gold standard of large-scale egg production breeds, averaging about 275 white eggs per year under intensive husbandry. It is a small-bodied bird, generally not broody, and starts laying at 5 months of age. Leghorns convert feed into eggs very efficiently, but do not produce a meaty carcass. They are known to be a flighty breed, and can be hard to work with for beginners. Leghorn chicks are widely available from hatcheries and relatively inexpensive.

    The Ameraucana

    • The Ameraucana is better known as the Easter egg chicken, because it lays pastel green-and-blue tinted eggs. The breed was extensively outcrossed by hatcheries in the late 1970s in an attempt to meet burgeoning demand for colored eggs, making it somewhat challenging to find purebred Ameraucana stock commercially. However, locating a reputable breeder and buying a few high-quality birds to start a flock is a worthwhile venture for anyone interested in supporting a unique breed.

    The Welsummer

    • Welsummer chickens are a Dutch breed developed in the Ysel River area of Holland. They have recently gained popularity for their extremely dark brown eggs, described as being a rich terra cotta color. They were first imported to the United States in 1928, and their distinctive eggs often sell for premium prices. Welsummers are also prized for their docile, friendly temperaments, which make them an excellent choice for families with small children.

    The Buckeye

    • The Buckeye is a dual-purpose breed that is listed as "threatened" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. It holds the honor of being the only American breed of chicken that was developed entirely by a woman: Nettie Metcalf from Warren, Ohio. The dark red birds are good layers and also yield a meaty carcass. They are friendly and don't tend to pick at the feathers of their flock mates, unlike many chickens. Buckeye roosters also make a wide range of noises beyond the usual crowing.