Are you interested in raising a beautiful yellow chicken? Thankfully you’re not going to be short of options! There are many chicken breeds out there with yellow feathering, which is commonly referred to as buff.
We’ve found 14 chickens that meet that description and they come in all shapes and sizes. So without further delay, let’s check out all the beautiful buff chicken breeds that exist today.
Best Yellow Chicken Breeds
Our list of 14 chickens is just in alphabetical order and with each one, we’ll see what it’s used for and how many eggs they produce. Along with this, we’ve also given it a backyard rating out of ten if you were planning on keeping one of these beautiful buff chickens. Let’s get started!
1. Brahma
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Medium to Large
- Egg Laying: 3/4 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 7/10
The Brahma is a fantastic dual-purpose breed, meaning it can be used for both eggs and meat. This makes it a great choice for anyone looking for a sustainable lifestyle. Along with being good production chicken, they are also a pleasure to keep.
They are known for being gentle with children and people love them for their large size and unique looks. They come in a variety of colors including dark and light but as with many chickens on this list, it has a buff color variant.
They lose a few marks on the backyard rating for a few notable reasons. Firstly, they are large chickens and therefore need plenty of space. Secondly, because they are large, they also cost more to keep and feed than smaller chickens.
2. Cochin
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Large or Bantam
- Egg Laying: 2 small eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 10/10
The Cochin is the perfect chicken for those looking for a little adorable pet. You can either get them in a large size or you can choose the Bantam version instead. Either way, they have a perfect personality you’ll fall in love with.
Along with buff yellow, Cochins come in a huge variety of colors which can also add to their popularity. Whether large or small, these are attractive chickens ideal for any backyard.
While they have no use for eggs or meat, these chickens are loved because of their docile nature. They are wonderful with children and won’t mind getting a lot of attention.
3. Easter Egger
- Use: Eggs
- Size: Small to Medium
- Egg Laying: 5 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 4/10
I debated even including the Easter Egger in this list as they can come in many different colors with buff feathering either being rare or quite pale. However, these chickens are less known for the color of their feathers and more for the color of their eggs.
While they can also come in other colors, many Easter Eggers will lay beautiful blue eggs. Not only that, they are very productive too as many will lay well over 200 eggs per year. If you wanted something a little different and quirky, it makes the Easter Egger very appealing.
That being said, they aren’t the easiest chickens to keep as they can be known to be a little nervous around humans. While not great for families, many find joy in watching these curious chickens forage around.
4. Golden Comet
- Use: Eggs
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 5/6 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
The Golden Comet is a hybrid breed made from a red rooster and a white hen. Due to this mix of red and white, we often get a beautiful golden-yellow coloring on its feathers. But as the breed of their parents isn’t standard, you do get a lot of slight color variants with this breed.
Why is this hybrid made? Eggs! Golden Comets are one of the best egg layers on the planet as you’ll get nearly one medium egg every day. If you want a reliable layer that can save you money on your grocery bill, get a Golden Comet!
Not only that, but these chickens are friendly and easy to keep. Being hybrids, you won’t be able to breed them into more Golden Comets but you’ll have a reliable egg layer for a good few years.
5. Hungarian Yellow
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 3 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 1/10
The vast majority of chickens on this list are either a breed that can come in many other colors or a hybrid. The Hungarian Yellow is a pure breed that has been showing off its yellow feathers for over three centuries.
This chicken is very rare and there are a few key reasons for that. While we have them down as being dual-purpose chickens, they’ve declined in popularity as breeders came to prefer other chickens for their meat and eggs.
They are also difficult to breed and they have low hatch success rates. Breeders just stopped being interested in these chickens but thankfully recent efforts have been made to keep them alive. If you wanted a Hungarian Yellow then the bad news is that they are often very expensive.
6. Japanese Bantam
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Bantam
- Egg Laying: 1 tiny egg per week
- Backyard Rating: 7/10
More accurately called the Chabo, the Japanese Bantam is another adorable chicken. These chickens are what’s called a true bantam breed which means that there isn’t a larger version of them and never has been.
This beautiful chicken has a splendid appearance thanks to their upright posture along with their stunningly large single comb. They also have large wattles which adds to their imperious look. Along with buff, they can come in a huge range of colors.
Interested in owning one? You’ll be happy to know they’re great to keep. These docile chickens are very friendly and have fun personality. The only downside is they don’t cope very well in colder climates and are highly susceptible to frostbite.
7. Leghorn
- Use: Eggs
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 5-6 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 3/10
A Leghorn is another chicken on this list that is much more famous for other colors. In Leghorn’s case, it’s most commonly found in white. That being said, we think it looks incredible with buff coloring.
The Leghorn is one of the most famous birds in the world partly due to its egg production but also due to its classic appearance, which led to inspiring the look of the cartoon rooster Foghorn Leghorn.
The egg production is fantastic here at nearly one per day but they don’t make great backyard pets as they aren’t very friendly and need a huge amount of space to roam around.
8. Orpington
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 3 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
Unlike the Leghorn, the Orpington is perhaps most famous for its buff color. The Buff Orpington is a stunning breed that not only looks great but it’s also great for backyards too.
Known as a dual-purpose chicken, they aren’t as productive as other breeds but you’ll still get at least three large eggs per week. Their meat also tastes great too but not many people keep them for that reason.
Along with being great layers, they are very friendly birds who don’t mind confinement and won’t get skittish. Added to that, they cope very well in cold winters, although they can struggle with hot summers.
9. Plymouth Rock
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 7/10
The Plymouth Rock is another hugely famous and popular chicken. The Barred Rock is probably its most loved color variant but the Buff Rock must be a close second. Whatever color they are, these chickens are perfect for anyone looking for a sustainable life.
They are a true dual-purpose breed, being equally useful for both eggs and meat. Those eggs will come in a range of over 200 per year and are large in size. Many love them as they’re easy to keep and can become friendly and loyal to their owners.
10. Polish
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 2 small eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 5/10
Want a fancy yellow breed? Well, chickens don’t come much fancier than the Polish! These unique chickens have a huge crest on the top of their heads which can sometimes block their vision. They also come in a few colors, but the buff color on the Polish is extra special.
That’s because they have Buff Laced coloring which means their feathers are buff but have a white outline on them. It looks incredible which is why many people love to keep these birds. However, they have quite a nervous disposition and aren’t the friendliest chicken on this list.
11. Silkie
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Bantam
- Egg Laying: 3 small eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 10/10
You’d have to say that the Silkie is in fierce competition with the Cochin when it comes to the most adorable and friendliest bantam chicken in the world. As with the Cochin, they are also available in a huge range of colors.
It’s thought that they get their name from their feathers being soft like silk. They get a 10/10 backyard rating as there are no behavioral or cost downsides to keeping them. The only thing to bear in mind is that, as with any bantam breed, they are no use for eggs or meat.
12. Sussex
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: 4 large eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 8/10
Here we have another famous dual-purpose chicken, but it’s not the last on our list! As with the Plymouth Rock, these chickens are equally useful for their eggs and meat. In terms of egg production, you can expect over 200 large eggs per year.
In the UK, these birds used to be the number one choice for meat until the Cornish Cross was developed. While incredibly productive, these chickens are also great for those wanting to create a small backyard flock.
They love to forage which cuts down on costs and cope well with confinement. Along with that, they are friendly and will even eat from the hand. You can’t go wrong if you want to keep a Buff Sussex chicken.
13. Wyandotte
- Use: Dual purpose
- Size: Medium
- Egg Laying: 4 medium eggs per week
- Backyard Rating: 6/10
Our final dual-purpose chicken is the Wyandotte. This beautiful bird is most famously known for its laced coloring. Usually in either Golden or Silver lace, this feathering makes it one of the most attractive chickens in the world.
Their backyard rating of 6 comes from them needing a lot of space to move around and not being the most docile of chickens. However, they are still quite friendly and won’t be aggressive. They’ll also give you a plentiful supply of eggs.
If you love the look of this chicken, then you’ll have no regrets about adding it to your backyard coop.
14. Yellow-Hair
- Use: Meat
- Size: Large
- Egg Laying: Unknown
- Backyard Rating: 1/10
Our last chicken is a mysterious one. Also called the yellow-feather chicken, this is a Chinese chicken that is almost exclusively used in that country. Due to this, we know very little about it except that it’s commonly used for meat.
It seems as though the reason it’s not become popular in the Western world is that it takes much longer to grow than the broiler chickens we use. We’ve given it a low backyard rating as it’s more or less impossible to find one to buy!
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the best yellow chicken breeds in the world. Everyone will have their favorite but here we’ve seen a fantastic collection. From ornamental bantam chickens to some of the most famous dual-purpose breeds in the world, there’s a perfect yellow chicken for everyone.
Whether you’re looking to raise your own chickens or are just curious, by now you should have all the information you need about the range of yellow chickens out there!
