Best Backyard Chicken Breeds

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by ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KEVIN EAVES
With so many chicken breeds (plus hybrids and crossbred chickens), you’re sure to find the kind of chickens that are just right for your needs.

Use our survey results to help you choose the best backyard chicken breeds for eggs, meat, temperament, and more.

Chickens are the perfect starter livestock for your homestead — whether you have a small backyard in an urban area or 20 acres in the boondocks. Chickens provide eggs, meat and fertilizer, plus they’re small and easy to manage. We developed a survey of our readers who have lots of experience with various breeds to find the best chicken breeds. (Many thanks to more than 1,000 readers who participated in the survey.) The summaries below include only results from people who have more than three years’ experience raising chickens. And we only included breeds or hybrids if at least three people responded to questions about them.

Our survey didn’t ask which chicken breeds are prettiest. That’s important, too, but it’s subjective. If you’d like to see what each breed looks like, check out Backyard Poultry.

Pick Your Chicks

  • Updated on Apr 18, 2023
  • Originally Published on Feb 18, 2010
Tagged with: Backyard Chickens, chicken breeds
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