Best chickens to lay eggs
Every farm dream should involve chickens. Chickens are the easiest way to start homesteading with livestock for a few simple reasons.
They are…..
Easy to maintain
Great for food production
Low maintenance
Beginner level livestock
Amazingly, chickens require very little space when choosing a chicken coop set up, however, for the best tasting eggs and healthiest chickens you’ll want to provide them with room to free range or a place to have an outdoor flight pen.
For more specifics check out my article on adding poultry to your homestead.
Important factors for chicken breed selection
The best chicken breeds for beginners starts in my personal opinion with Orpingtons.
Lavender Orpingtons
Now if you know me you know that I’m a diehard fan of lavender orpingtons. They have such a sweet and calm demeanor, are consistent egg layers, and always come back to the coop to roost.
Why I think lavender Orpingtons are my number one on the best chickens list is that they have a beautiful soft grey feather color. In my experience they have been large healthy birds. They are not aggressive to humans or the rest of the flock and bring a peaceful presence to the coop.
Egg color: light brown
Salmon Favorelle
Definitely one of my favorites and a breed I will always include in my flock is the Salmon Favorelle. This breed may not be very popular or easy to find but oh my goodness the cuteness factor is worth making the extra effort to find one.
They have fluffy cheeks and a soft butterscotch color. Their stature resembles a dinosaur with feathered feet. Although they have a bit bolder personality over the Orpingtons they still have a sweet disposition and will follow you around the yard.
Egg color: pink
French Copper Maran
If you haven’t seen the deep chocolate color eggs Marans lay then you need to check it out. I have a half a dozen of these in my flock this year and I’m overly impressed with them so far. Marans come in many varieties and to me generally are consistent with personality and egg production.
The French copper maran however is a large friendly bird. Their feathers are primarily solid black with gray skin.
Egg color: dark brown
Wyandotte
Wyandottes come in so many different varieties and I’ve owned many of them. In my personal opinion they are mostly indifferent to affection, but at the same time are not aggressive at all.
Regardless of what variety you get, I find them to be beautiful birds coming in all different colors and feather patterns. My personal favorite is the silver Wyandotte. They have gorgeous black and white feathers. They make wonderful free range chickens are wonderful at always coming back to the coop at night to roost.
Egg color: light brown
Best chickens to lay eggs
My guess is that the main reason you are considering chickens is to bring home a fresh basket of eggs every day to feed your family. That’s exactly the drive I have when I’m choosing my backyard chicken flock.
This year, my biggest goal was to create a colorful egg basket.
This is why it’s important to research before you purchase your baby chicks. Certain breeds and hybrids produce different colored eggs shells.
Most commonly you’re going to have….
Green (olive)
Blue
Dark brown
Light brown
Pink
White
These can also be accompanied by a speckled bloom
A few examples of a breed selection for a colorful egg basket would include
Blue
Cream legbar
Auracana
Americana
Green
Olive egger or easter egger
(A hybrid chicken…. a chick born of a blue egg gene and a dark brown egg gene)
Sapphire olive egger
Dark brown
White maran
French copper maran
Wheaten maran
Mystic onyx
Light brown
The most popular group
Wyandottes
Orpingtons
Rhode Island reds
And so many more….
Pink
( a rosier version of the light brown group)
Salmon Favorelle
Silkies
Frizzles
Need advice for starting your new batch of chicks in a diy brooder? Find my article here….
Best chickens for pets
I always have a dual purpose goal. Being a mama to a toddler, safety and well tempered chickens are a must. Right along with that it’s important that I organized the best chickens to lay eggs.
Always figure out what your purpose for raising chickens in the first place and make sure you’re collecting all your resources for raising chickens for beginners.
Chickens are so much fun! With a little guidance and organization you’ll be able to create your dream flock of backyard chickens.
