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Breeds

Practical, sourced guides on Breeds for backyard keepers of every level.

Breeds
Breeds guides

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Every guide is sourced from university extensions, USDA guidance and real backyard experience.

White Leghorn, Ancona, and Hamburg hens foraging together in a backyard flock on green grass

Best white-egg-laying chicken breeds: a practical comparison for backyard flocks

Compare the top white egg layers - Leghorn, Ancona, Hamburg, Andalusian, Polish, and California White - on production,…

9 min read
Seven dark brown eggs in a woven basket showing chocolate, mahogany, and speckled terracotta shells

What chicken breeds lay dark brown eggs? A keeper's guide to the darkest shells in the flock

Marans, Welsummer, Barnevelder, Penedesenca, and Empordanesa compared side by side - egg color ratings, production ranges, and why…

9 min read
Basket of blue, aqua, olive, and green eggs from different blue-egg-laying chicken breeds

What chicken breeds lay blue eggs? Ameraucana, Cream Legbar, Araucana, Easter Egger, and Olive Egger explained

Five breeds lay blue or olive-green eggs - and a retrovirus is why. Learn which are APA-recognized, what…

9 min read
Welsummer hen beside terracotta-speckled brown eggs in a straw nest box

Welsummer chicken: breed profile covering eggs, temperament, and care for backyard keepers

Welsummer chickens lay 160-180+ terracotta-speckled eggs per year and forage brilliantly. Full breed profile: origin, size, cold hardiness,…

11 min read
Speckled Sussex hen in a garden, showing full reddish-mahogany speckled plumage and red comb

Speckled Sussex: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and care for backyard keepers

Speckled Sussex hens lay 200-240 light-brown eggs per year, forage actively, and win over beginners with a calm,…

9 min read
White Silkie hen with full round crest and turquoise earlobes, rustic barn setting

Silkie chickens: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and care

Silkie breed profile: ~100 small cream eggs/year, black skin, 5 toes, master broody, gentle temperament. Care quirks, cold/heat…

11 min read
Adult Serama rooster in upright breed-standard posture on a wooden tabletop

Serama chicken: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and complete care guide

The world's smallest chicken, the Serama weighs under a pound and fits in your palm. Full breed profile:…

10 min read
Gold and silver Sebright bantam pair showing distinctive black lacing on a fence rail

Sebright bantam: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and care

Everything you need to know about the Sebright bantam: 22 oz true bantam, 60-80 cream eggs/yr, hen-feathered cocks,…

10 min read
Salmon Faverolles hen standing in garden showing beard, muffs, and feathered feet

Salmon Faverolles: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and care guide

Fluffy, bearded, and five-toed: Salmon Faverolles lay around 180-200 light brown eggs a year and have one of…

9 min read
Rhode Island Red hen standing in sunlit backyard showing deep mahogany plumage and single red comb

Rhode Island Red: breed profile, eggs, temperament, and care for backyard flocks

Everything you need to know about the Rhode Island Red: 250-300 brown eggs per year, dual-purpose toughness, assertive…

9 min read
Live flock planner

Not sure how big to build?

Slide to your flock size and get the coop, run, roost and nest-box numbers in seconds, sized to university-extension standards.