Best Chicken Breeds for Eggs, Meat, Exhibition, & More

Chickens come in a wide variety of breeds that not only influence their size and appearance, but also their purpose. Some breeds are great for laying eggs, others for producing meat, while some others are purely bred for their ornamental look. Whether you’re looking for the right breed to bring into your homestead or farm, or simply curious about all the types out there, we’re here to help. In this article, we’re going over the most popular breeds of chickens for eggs, meat, both purposes, and exhibition. Keep on reading to learn more!

What are the different varieties of chicken?

An illustration showing common chicken breeds used for eggs, meat, eggs and meat, and exhibition.

Chickens largely fall into 4 breed categories based on their purpose: egg-layers, meat producers, dual-purpose (egg and meat), and exhibition. Egg-layers include Leghorn and Ancona; meat producers include Cornish Cross; dual-purpose include Plymouth Rock and Delaware; and Exhibition include Polish and Silkie.

Section 1 of 7:

Types of Chickens for Eggs

Download Article

1
Most efficient egg-layers One of the primary reasons people raise chickens is for their delicious eggs. Some chickens are specifically bred and kept for their ability to produce a lot of eggs, with many able to lay more than 300 eggs in a year. Here are some of the highest producing breeds:^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Leghorn (Egg color: White)
- Ancona (Egg color: White)
- Aseel (Egg color: White/cream)
- Barnevelder (Egg color: Brown)
- Norwegian Jaerhon (Egg color: White)
- Maran (Egg color: Brown)
- Minorca (Egg color: Brown)
- Naked Neck (Egg color: Brown)
- Spanish (Egg color: White)
2
White egg-layers White eggs are one of the most common colors of eggs that chickens lay, and can come in bright whites to creamy off-whites. While all eggs taste the same, regardless of color, some people have preferences about the color of eggs they like.^{[2]
X
Research source} Here are some popular egg-producing chickens that lay white or cream eggs:^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Sicilian buttercup
- Sumatra
- Andalusian
- Campine
- Hamburg
- Lakenvelder
Advertisement
3
Brown egg-layers Some chickens lay brown eggs rather than white or cream eggs, which just depends on the pigment the breed of chicken produces. They taste the same as white eggs (and have the same nutritional content), but some people prefer them for aesthetic and cultural reasons.^{[4]
X
Research source} Here are some top egg-producing chicken breeds that lay brown eggs, which can vary from light to dark brown:^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Welsummer
- Australorp
- Sussex
- Langshan
4
Blue and green egg-layers Only a few chicken breeds lay blue and blue-green eggs, which makes them one of the more rare colors. They taste the same as white and brown eggs, but they are a fun way to add a pop of color at breakfast time.^{[6]
X
Research source} Here are the few breeds that lay blue eggs:
- Araucana
- Ameraucana
- Cream Legbar^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- Note: Chicken breeds that lay blue eggs tend to lay fewer eggs and be less consistent. They are also more expensive to keep, as they require more food.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
- Fun fact: According to Sue Ferreri, the Executive Director of Rockland Farm Alliance, blue eggs actually come from dinosaurs! She says the variety of chickens that lay blue eggs were the same kinds of chickens around with the T. Rex.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Sue Ferreri
  Executive Director of Rockland Farm Alliance
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 2 of 7:

Types of Chickens for Meat

Download Article

The Cornish Cross and Freedom Ranger breeds are raised exclusively for meat. Of course, chickens don’t just lay eggs: their meat is also a delicious delicacy. Some breeds pack on meat quickly, called boilers, so farmers like to choose them if they’re not really interested in egg production. The most common broiler breeds are hybrids: the Cornish Cross and Freedom/Red Ranger.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Broiler breeds, like the Cornish Cross, mature quickly and pack on the pounds fast. It weighs around 4 to 6 pounds (1.8-2.7 kg) by the time it’s 7 weeks old.^{[11]
  X
  Research source}
- There are many more broiler breeds, though they tend to be hybrids that are named after the companies that developed them, such as the Arbor Acres and Ross chicken breeds.^{[12]
  X
  Research source}
- If you’re not interested in a fast-growing broiler breed, don’t worry. There are plenty of dual-purpose chickens that lay eggs and produce tasty meat (however, they tend to grow more slowly). We’ll discuss them in the section below.

Section 3 of 7:

Dual-Purpose Types of Chickens

Download Article

Dual-purpose chicken breeds are quality egg layers and meat producers. Dual-purpose chicken breeds are a popular choice for people who want the best of both worlds. They are good egg layers and grow large and quickly enough to produce great meat. They’re not as quick as producers for either, though, but that just means they’re a great option for smaller farms. Here are some popular dual-purpose breeds:^{[13]
X
Research source}
- Plymouth Rock (Egg color: Brown)
- Rhode Island Red (Egg color: Brown)
- Delaware (Egg color: Brown)
- Wyandotte (Egg color: Brown)
- Brahma (Egg color: Brown)
- Orpington (Egg color: Brown)
- Dominique (Egg color: Brown)
- La Fleche (Egg color: White)
- Chanteclers (Egg color: Brown)
- Jersey Giant (Egg color: Brown)
- New Hampshire (Egg color: Brown)

Section 4 of 7:

Types of Chickens for Exhibitions

Download Article

Some chicken breeds are kept for ornamental purposes. Chickens come in a wide range of colors, sizes, feather types, and comb types (the fleshy growth on the top of a chicken’s head). Some of these birds are so beautiful that they’re not raised for their egg-laying abilities or meat production, but for exhibitions. The American Poultry Association sets standards for what the “ideal” for each breed should look like, and people’s chickens are judged against the standard.^{[14]
X
Research source} Here are some popular exhibition or ornamental breeds:^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Polish
- Silkie
- Cochin
- Sebright
- Phoenix
- Sultan
- Ayam Cemani
- Crevecoeur
- Tomaru

Section 5 of 7:

What are bantam chickens?

Download Article

Bantam chickens refer to a smaller size of chicken. Chickens broadly come in 2 sizes: the breed standard and bantam. Bantam chickens are about ¼ the size of the standard breed, and almost every chicken breed has a bantam size. However, there are also a few chicken breeds that do not have a standard size, so they’re only bantam-sized.^{[16]
X
Research source} These breeds are commonly called “true bantams."
- True bantams include the Silkie, Sebright, Belgian bantam, Pekin, Serama, and Rosecomb.

Section 6 of 7:

Types of Chickens by Place of Origin

Download Article

Chicken breeds are commonly classified by their place of origin. Besides their use (laying eggs, meat, dual-purpose, and exhibition), types of chickens are often divided by the country they come from. According to the American Poultry Association, they’re split into 6 broad categories. Below are some examples:^{[17]
X
Research source}
- American chicken breeds: Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, Wyandotte
- Asiatic chicken breeds: Brahma, Cochin, Langshan
- English chicken breeds: Orpington, Sussex, Australorp, Cornish
- Continental chicken breeds: Polish, Hamburg, Faverolles, Campine
- Mediterranean chicken breeds: Leghorn, Ancona, Minorca, Spanish
- Other (All Other Standard Breeds): Sumatra, Phoenix, Araucana, Ameraucana

Section 7 of 7:

How many types of chickens are there?

Download Article

There are around 400 breeds of chickens. While there are around 200 or so “recognized” chicken breeds, there are officially around 400 chicken breeds in the world!^{[18]
X
Research source} All domesticated breeds descend from the red junglefowl, which is native to Southeast Asia. New types were created through genetic selection so chickens could be bred for special uses, like laying eggs and producing meat.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- Most scientists believe the first chickens were domesticated around 7,000 to 10,000 years ago.^{[20]
  X
  Research source}