6 Best Chicken Breeds for the Homestead

There are literally hundreds of chicken breeds to choose from! When it comes to choosing the best chicken breeds for the homestead, there are a few factors to consider in order for your flock to be productive and fulfill the role as a homestead flock. While many of these breeds are popular for backyard flocks, hobby farms, or for showing, they also have some special characteristics that make them excellent homestead chickens. Pick out chicken breeds that will help you be sustainable and self-sufficient on the homestead! And of course, these breeds may just get you started! Your homestead flock will more than likely grow in both size and variety as you continue to enjoy the benefits of raising a homestead flock!

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Your Homestead Choices

Given the nature of homesteading, the best chicken breeds for your homestead may not be the best breeds for my homestead. There are many factors that play a part in choosing the best breeds for your homestead. I go over some things to consider when buying chickens for the homestead in my article Guide for Choosing Chicken Breeds for the Homestead. However, here a few of the basic factors to consider:

• region– northern homesteads will have different breeds than southern homesteads (check out Regional Chicken Keeping Considerations)
• weather considerations- chicken breeds should be chosen based on their cold hardiness, heat tolerance, and ability to thrive in different environmental situations (e.g. super wet or super dry)
• purpose/use– choose breeds based on what you want to get from your homestead flock (e.g. eggs, meat, showing, breeding)
• availability– sometimes what you can get for your homestead is based off of how far you will go to get the breeds you want

These factors should help you narrow down what chicken breeds are the best for your homestead. Picking breeds that will thrive in your region with your region’s weather patterns is probably the most important factor to consider when choosing breeds for your homestead.

So how can I be suggesting these ‘best chicken breeds for the homestead’ when there is such a wide variety? I went ahead and chose some of the best homestead breeds that are also known to be adaptable and dual-purpose. In general, these breeds can adapt to a variety of climates, whether it be warm or cold. They are also considered dual-purpose breeds, meaning they are good layers but can also be raised for meat.

At least a few of these breeds will be a good match for any homestead, no matter where you are located!

#1. Orpington

Pupose: eggs (200-280 eggs per year), meat

Size: cock- 10 lbs., hen- 8 lbs.

Recognized Varities: black, blue, white, buff; Unrecognized- lavender, isabel, lemon

Hardiness: cold hardy

Best Homestead Qualities:

• have a very sweet, docile, and friendly personality (often called the ‘golden retrievers’ of the chicken world)
• are very cold hardy thanks to their robust size, lots of feathers, and small comb and wattles
• mature quickly when fed a proper diet
• hens make good mothers
• can adapt to confinement or are good foragers
• excellant dual-purpose breed that lays well and can be raised for a meaty carcass
• good winter time layers

Notes to Consider:

• Since Orpingtons are a very popular breed, finding quality birds is very challenging. I encourage you to look for quality breeders in your area to source Orpingtons for your homestead!
• Orpingtons are a large breed, so they need lots of coop and enclosure space, roomy nesting boxes, and perches that are low to the ground.
• This breed is pretty easy for beginners to breed, incubate, and hatch.
• Some hens will be persistantly broody, which can get annoying if you have no use for a broody hen at the time.

#2. Wyandotte

Pupose: eggs (200-240 eggs per year), meat, fancy

Size: cock- 8.5 lbs., hen- 6.5 lbs.

Recognized Varities: barred, birchen, black, black-breasted red, blue, blue red, brown red, buff, buff columbian, columbian, golden laced, lemon blue, partridge, silver laced silver penciled, splash, white, white laced red

Hardiness: extremely cold hardy, mildy heat tolerant

Best Homestead Qualities:

• excellant dual-purpose breed that lays well and can be raised for a meaty carcass (have a short back and resemble a commerical cornish cross when butchered and dressed)
• have a wide range of varities to make for a colorful, stunning, and unique flock
• very cold hardy thanks to their robust size, rose comb, and small wattles
• hens will sometimes go broody and make good mothers
• most individuals have a mild, docile temperment
• adapt to both confinement or free-range
• hens often lay throughout the winter

Notes to Consider:

• Bad breeding can lead to some flighty, agressive individuals of Wyandotte.
• Wyandottes are fairly easy to breed, incubate, and hatch on the homestead.

#3. New Hampshire

Pupose: eggs (avg. 240 eggs per year), meat

Size: cock- 8.5 lbs., hen- 6.5 lbs.

Varities: single variety that is a often described as “a lustrous golden bay to chestnut red with some black in the tail”

Hardiness: cold hardy and heat tolerant

Best Homestead Qualities:

• are an excellant dual-purpose breed that lays well and can be raised for meat
• matures and feathers out quickly
• can adapt to confinement or free-range and are very good foragers
• their larger combs and wattles are susceptible to frostbite, but other than that they are both cold hardy and heat tolerant
• hens will occassionally go broody and they make good mothers
• roosters are good protectors
• generally a more active breed, they are also docile and usually calm

Notes to Consider:

• New Hampshires are an assertive breed and will often be at the top of the pecking order in the homestead flock.
• This is one homestead breed that does pretty well in warmer temperatures.
• Find reputable sources since hatchery bred New Hampshires often have a shorter productive lifespan.

#4. Java

Pupose: eggs (180-240 eggs per year), meat

Size: cock- 9.5 lbs., hen- 7.5 lbs.

Recognized Varities: black, mottled, white

Hardiness: cold hardy and heat tolerant

Best Homestead Qualities:

• a good dual-purpose breed that has the build of a Rhode Island Red, produces a meaty carcass, and lays well
• are excellant foragers and will forage for their own food if given the chance
• their personaility is known to be calm, docile, and easy going
• hens make good mothers and will go broody
• roosters are good protectors and mild tempered
• smaller sized combs and wattles make them cold hardy but they are also heat tolerant too
• have a fairly long productive lifespan

Notes to Consider:

• Javas are a rare heritage breed that may be hard to find.
• They are a very active breed and are good flyers despite their size.
• Being a heritage breed, Javas thrive on a high protein diet.

#5. Bielefelder

Pupose: eggs (avg. 230 eggs per year), meat

Size: cock- 6 to 8 lbs., hen- 5 to 6 lbs.

Varities: combination of shades of gold, brown, greys, and reds

Hardiness: cold hardy

Best Homestead Qualities:

• are an auto-sexing breed: the males hatch out with a white spot on their head and the females have a chipmunk-striped coloring
• have good longevity with a lifespan up to 5-10 years when raised correctly
• are good egg layers of large, brown eggs but can also be raised for meat
• their unique coloring helps them camouflage with their surroundings when foraging
• are good foragers and will forage for a majority of their food, but will also adapt to confinement
• roosters are good protectors but are also docile and friendly
• the hens will rarely go broody, but do make good mothers when they are broody
• their personality is docile, friendly, intelligent, and similar to an Orpington
• the rooster’s large comb and wattles may be susceptible to frostbite, but in general the breed is cold hardy

Notes to Consider:

• These birds love to forage, so free-ranging them is a good idea! Feeding them a varied diet to compliment a daily ration of whole grain feed or mash feed is also suitable.
• Bielefelders do take longer to mature and won’t lay their first egg until closer to 24 weeks of age.
• They are not the best winter time egg layers, however, they will still lay when given supplemental light.

#6. Plymouth Rock

Pupose: mostly eggs (200-280 eggs per year), can be raised for meat

Size: cock- 9.5 lbs., hen- 7.5 lbs.

Varities: barred, black, blue, buff, columbian, partridge, silver penciled, white

Hardiness: cold hardy and heat tolerant

Best Homestead Qualities:

• are excellent egg layers but can also be raised for a meaty, white-skinned carcass
• good cold hardy features including smaller combs and wattles and a robust size
• are also heat tolerant
• most individuals are friendly and docile, including the roosters
• roosters make good protectors and the hens will go broody to make good mothers
• adapt well to confinement or free-range
• are good foragers and will forage for their own food
• if bred well, plymouth rocks have a pretty long productive lifespan

Notes to Consider:

• Poor breeding can lead to some flighty, assertive, and aggressive individuals.
• Plymouth rocks are another popular breed that has been overbred due to high demand. Find a quality source in order to get the best birds for your homestead.
• Properly bred birds will mature into large, robust adults. Adequate space and housing is essential!

Why are no hybrids listed?

You may have noticed that there were no hybrid chicken breeds included in this list. While there is nothing wrong with hybrid breeds, I don’t often recommend them for homesteaders because they don’t mesh with the heritage, back-to-our-roots philosphy of homesteading.

Hybrid chicken breeds are usually breeds developed by the commercial industry to excel in certain areas of production. For example, Isa browns are a hybrid known to be exceptional egg layers, cornish crosses are your classic hybrid meat bird, and freedom rangers are a hybrid dual-purpose breed.

When it comes to choosing chicken breeds for the homestead, I encourage you to invest in pure-bred, heritage breeds. Many of these breeds need protecting to keep their gene pool clean and to show breeders that there is still a need for these old, classic breeds. Heritage breeds also tend to have more self-sufficient, natural instincts for surviving on the homestead. They have better longevity and are less prone to conditions such as cancer or organ failure.

What about rare or fancy chicken breeds?

Many of the breeds I listed may be ones you are already familiar with, such as the Orpington and New Hampshire. However, you may also be interested in adding rare or fancy chicken breeds to your homestead flock. Chicken breeds that are rare, hard to find, near extinction, or from a different country can definitely make a unique addition to the homestead. Chicken breeds that are considered fancy also add variety to the homestead flock!

I’d say you most certainly can add rare or fancy chicken breeds to your homestead as long as they adapt well to your region and weather conditions. You may even consider breeding, showing, or selling a certain chicken breed to help preserve the breed and encourage interest in rare breeds.

Check out these Show Chicken Breed Reviews to find out my opinion on several other chicken breeds, including some rare and fancy breeds!

These 6 best chicken breeds for the homestead should give you a few ideas for what to start with on your homestead! Whether you are starting a flock from scratch or looking to add more homestead-friendly breeds to your existing flock, this list highlights some of the most adaptable, dual-purpose breeds in the chicken world. Adding one, or two, or three, or all of these breeds to your homestead will help you raise a sustainable and heritage flock!

Need some extra advice for raising your homestead chickens like a pioneer? Make sure you get our ebook on Raising Chickens Like a Pioneer and join our modern pioneer newsletter community!

by Alexa