Are you interested in the best American chicken breeds? If so, we’re not surprised! There are many brilliant breeds out there which have played a role in the development of the United States. Here we wanted to celebrate these brilliant breeds.
Most American breed can trace their roots back to Europe and Asia. Then many breeders used these chickens to create their own American breeds which we know and love today. Let’s find out what they are.
Best American Chicken Breeds
As well as looking at the characteristics and history of these American chickens, we’ll also give them a backyard rating for those planning to raise one of these breeds. Let’s get started.
1. New Hampshire
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Medium to large
- Egg Laying: 3 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
The New Hampshire is a dual-purpose chicken, and you’ll see that with most of these American breeds. It means they are equally good for both meat and eggs, with many American chickens being bred for the needs of early settlers.
Often confused with the Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire shares many similar qualities with its appearance, friendly nature, and excellent egg production. However, New Hampshire is a little wider with a more triangular-shaped body.
While not the most prolific of egg layers, this chicken will give you at least three eggs per week which are nice and large in size. They are medium-sized chickens with the hens weighing around 6.5 lbs, and roosters around 8.5 lbs.
These days, New Hampshire is rarely used for its meat and is instead a great option for backyard coop enthusiasts who want a plentiful supply of fresh eggs.
2. Brahma Chicken
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 3-4 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 7/10
The Brahma is one of the biggest chickens in America with even some hens growing to be over 10lbs. Despite their huge size, these are gentle giants of the chicken world and quite docile around humans.
There are many different color variants for these chickens. While they can have other colors, you’ll mainly find them with a mixture of white, buff, and black feathers. While mostly known for being meat birds, they are also excellent egg layers.
Along with this, the Brahma is an ideal addition to any backyard flock. They have calm and gentle personalities, can’t fly over low fences due to their size, and are hardy chickens in winter climes. Perhaps their most appealing quality is that they frequently lay eggs from October to May.
That means your Brahmans will continue to produce large, medium-brown eggs throughout the winter. This is even while the other hens may slow or perhaps stop their production.
3. Java Chicken
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 3-4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 10/10
While they may have an Asian name, Java is very much an American bird. Not only is it one of the oldest American breeds, but it also has been partly used to create many other breeds of chicken.
Another dual-purpose chicken, they are medium-to-large birds with hens weighing 7 lbs. and males 9 lbs. While they may have been important for the early development of American breeds, Java is now in danger of extinction as other chickens are preferred for meat and eggs.
They make great backyard companions due to their friendly disposition so if you wanted to play your part in keeping a breed alive, getting a Java is a great call. You’ll also get to enjoy a near-endless supply of tasty large eggs.
4. Buckeye
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 3-4 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
This beautiful chicken breed was produced by Nettie Metcalf in Ohio, during the late 19th century. Interestingly, this chicken is the only American breed developed entirely by a woman.
What Metcalf did was cross Barred Plymouth Rocks and Buff Cochins to produce a large, docile chicken. From there, she added some Black-breasted Red Game birds to the mix to create the Buckeye we know today.
They differ from Rhode Island Reds because they have pea combs, can withstand freezing temperatures, and can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. Also, these lively, amiable birds are renowned for their prowess at pursuing and catching mice!
The broody hens do a great job of raising the chicks, and the roosters and hens of this breed have meaty carcasses and weigh about 9 and 7 lbs, respectively. There is also a bantam variety which grows to around 3lbs.
5. Ameraucana
- Use: Eggs
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 3 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
While the Java above doesn’t sound like an American bird, the same can’t be said for the Ameraucana! This medium-sized bird is loved for many reasons, one of them being its beautiful blue eggs.
Not only do their eggs have a beautiful color, but you’ll also get plenty of them as each hen will lay at least three per week, including through the winter. They come in many different colors but all of them look fantastic on what’s no doubt a beautiful chicken.
There are many reasons to keep an Ameraucana, and not just for their eggs. They are docile and friendly to humans, while also being great foragers, which can cut down on your feeding costs. If you want a kind, productive, and attractive chicken, you can’t go wrong here!
6. California Gray Chicken
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Small
- Egg Laying: 5 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 10/10
This breed was developed in California, as its name suggests, and was produced by Horace Dryden sometime in the 1930s. By breeding a Barred Plymouth Rock and a White Leghorn, he was able to create a chicken that could be used for both egg and meat production.
His breed resulted in an auto-sexing chicken, which means that the chicken’s gender can be determined from birth. However, the APA never recognized the breed, and for this reason, the California Gray Chicken is a rare breed today. Additionally, it is not listed by the Livestock Conservancy.
Today, these chickens are sometimes crossbred with the White Leghorns. This is done to produce the standard commercial chickens, the California White.
7. Wyandottes
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 4 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 6/10
Almost any hatchery you visit is likely to have Wyandottes, but their prevalence isn’t something you should take for granted. Wyandottes aren’t your typical breed of chicken as they have stunning plumage which makes them one of the most attractive chickens out there.
Generally, this breed is regarded as a true American chicken breed and is thought to have originated through crossing Brahmas, Hamburgs, and other chicken breeds.
There are about nine variants recognized by the APA including Buff, Black, Patridge, Columbian, Blue, and Silver. Wyandottes are heavily feathered, and these chickens have red wattles, rose combs, earlobes, clean legs, and yellow skins.
Additionally, these chickens look fascinating with their short heads and large bodies. The roosters are around 9 lbs while the hens are just 7 lbs.
8. Delaware
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Medium to large
- Egg Laying: 4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
As you might have guessed, Delaware is where the Delaware chicken originated. And previously, these chickens were very common and important in the United States. Today, it is gravely endangered, and although it is capable of producing both meat and eggs, its main purpose appears to be meat production.
Hens typically weigh 6.5 lbs, while males often weigh around 8.5 lbs. Based on these measurements, they are regarded as a medium-sized breed. These chickens are all the same color with white breasts and white bodies.
Additionally, the tips of their feathers, wings, and tails are lightly black-barred. Delaware also has yellow skin, and all of its feathers have white quills and shafts, thus, resulting in a body that looks very lean.
These chickens are considered to be on the hardy side, and they mature pretty fast too. The hens are good mothers and layers, producing huge numbers of eggs and getting broody as well. These chickens also do well in free-range operations and are typically calm-natured.
9. Jersey Giant
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 2-4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 4/10
The Jersey Giant is memorable for a variety of reasons. The roosters weigh about 15 pounds, while the hens weigh about 11 pounds. Even if you’re seeing it for the first time, you can tell right away why it’s dubbed the Jersey Giant!
Its body is long and square-shaped. As a result, its eggs are also very large. The APA recognized it in three different colors black, white, and blue, which were certified in 1922, 1947, and 2003 respectively. Of the three, the Black Jersey Giant is always the heaviest chicken.
Aside from their regal appearance and extraordinary egg output, Jersey giant chickens have some of the most endearing personalities ever discovered in a chicken. They are not aggressive despite their size and are among the few chicken breeds you’ll want to keep as a pet. This is all due to their kind and tranquil disposition.
It gets along nicely with other chicken breeds despite being at the top of the pecking order because of its size. As a result, you can combine your flock of hens with Jersey Giants. However, the hens brood rarely as they sit on the eggs and break them.
10. Dominique Chicken
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Medium to large
- Egg Laying: 4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 6/10
This specific breed has a variety of names including the Pilgrim Fowl, Dominique Chicken, or the Dominicker. This is probably the oldest American chicken breed and likely descended from the very first settlers’ chickens taken to New England.
By the 19th century, these chickens became widespread as they were raised throughout the country. These chickens are primarily valued due to them being a dual-purpose breed. The Dominique chickens also had feathers that were sought after for stuffing pillows and mattresses.
These chickens have light gray feathers and a pink comb. The breed matures swiftly and can begin egg production at only six months of age. Additionally, all of its feathers have the barring pattern, which is frequently referred to as “hawk coloring.”
These chickens are quite nice and quiet, sociable, and have a steady disposition. For this reason, they make good pet chickens and exhibition breeds. The roosters, though, might be a little belligerent. They can kill snakes and even tiny carnivores. So, this might be a terrible thing, as they can also get hostile against you.
The hens usually do a good job of raising chicks, with a high success rate, and are extremely resilient and excellent foragers. These characteristics are a result of the birds’ breeding in harsher environments.
11. Rhode Island Red
- Use: Eggs
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 5 medium to large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 9/10
One of the most well-known breeds of chicken in America is the Rhode Island Red. While traditionally known as dual-purpose chicken, modern strains have been bred to have better egg-laying capacities. And as a result, they are now typically just utilized for eggs.
These Rhode Island Reds are ideal options for beginner chicken keepers! These were produced in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the late 1800s, and have long been loved for their friendly nature along with their high productivity.
What’s nice about this breed is that they’re low maintenance. They can also handle less than favorable conditions, and the hens lay around five eggs weekly! This breed is also used to produce many of the most productive hybrids we use today.
12. Plymouth Rock Chicken
- Use: Dual-purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 5 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
The Plymouth Rock chicken is one of the most popular breeds and has been used for creating many other breeds we use today. It was first seen in Massachusetts during the 19th century and quickly became loved as they are easy to keep and highly productive.
With their large, heavyweight bodies, this breed is excellent as a meat chicken. Plymouth Chickens can also resist the cold and are great mothers with a high success rate. Annually, they can lay around 200 eggs.
Currently, seven color varieties of the Plymouth Chicken are recognized but the most famous is the stunning Barred Rock with its striking black and white feathers. As with almost all the chickens on this list, their popularity has declined in recent years, but they are still loved by many.
Conclusion
Most American breeds follow a similar story as they were raised to be dual-purpose chickens but are now declining as other specialty chickens are preferred for eggs and meat. While that’s true, if you’re looking for a friendly and productive chicken that is easy to keep, you’ll find many great options here.
