Like many species, there are several hundred chicken breeds that exist today. Bred for different characteristics, various types of chickens are distinct for various reasons, including geographical origin and their particular heritage.The domestication of chickens goes back several thousand years. They come in various types that show their unique qualities in a variety of ways. Chickens are bred for either meat production, egg-laying, or a combination of both. They are also produced to tolerate the weather from the region where they are from. It is typical for a chicken to thrive in either a warmer climate or a cold one, but not usually both.
Different Types of Chicken Breeds & Species
1) Plymouth Rock
The Plymouth Rock chicken is an excellent option for first-time chicken keepers and is one of America’s most common breeds. They are sought after for their high egg output and easy-going demeanor. Their kid-friendly personality and laid-back attitude are a great addition to any back yard coop. This breed goes back as far as the 1900s when they were introduced and quickly grew in popularity.
These calm and patient chickens will tolerate cold weather well and produce large brown eggs. They are curious and sweet and will get along with other chickens and family members alike.
2) Barnevelder
People will quickly fall in love with this unique and attractive breed, with their gorgeous plumage and unique “chocolate” colored feathers. Barevelders have an iridescent green tinge in their feathers and stand out in any coop.
Rich in personality, the Barnevelder will come across as sassy and laid-back – almost appearing lazy. Also known as “Barnies,” these relative newcomers originally come from the Netherlands. Once popular within the Dutch egg industry, this breed is now a preferred breed for smaller, backyard chicken flocks.
3) New Hampshire Red
Developed in the early 1900s, as a descendant of the Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire farmers wanted to focus on breeding a chicken that they could call their own. Beyond egg-laying skills, farmers were after a fast-growing breed that was robust to tolerate the frigid winters of the North-Eastern United States. These gentle hens bond well in groups and are reliable egg producers. New Hampshire Reds are easy to tame and make excellent pets, with their warm and friendly personalities. This intelligent species also makes great mothers, if allowed to nest.
4) Brahma
Calm, docile, and hardy, the Brahma is an excellent addition to a backyard coop. Their egg-laying schedule is a great addition to any flock, as most of their production happens between October and May when most other breeds are winding down for the season. This large breed cannot fly and are known for their calm demeanor. This high egg producer will keep you well-stocked with large, brown eggs.
The Brahma was developed in the US in the early 1800s, and were known as the “King of Poultry” due to their large size. These massively sized birds were the focus of the “Hen Fever” of the 1850s, where a national obsession of chicken rearing took hold.
Brahma need to be kept cool, as they can easily overheat due to their large size.
5) Buff Orpington
While this British dual-purpose breed was originally bred with egg production in mind, it often was used for show, as their popularity soared. These fluffy, courteous birds are a great addition to any flock, with their courteous manner and excellent mothering skills. They are a hardy breed and can easily tolerate England’s bitterly cold winters.
Appearance: The Buff Orpington hen features feathers with golden yellow colors. Its golden-yellow feathers give it a regal demeanor as a British heritage hen. Moreover, its fluffy feathers safeguard it against cold weather.
Temperament: The Buff Orpington hens have a tame and highly social disposition. In the past years, this breed of chickens got listed as endangered. But with the growing popularity of backyard raising of chickens, the diminishing number of Buff Orpington has been reversed.
EGG Production: The Buff Orpington hens are inclined to have babies during summer. They also tend to have a lower number of eggs annually. They could lay up to 150 sizeable brown eggs yearly.
Orpington will be high egg producers and take good care of their flocks, as they are typically good mothers. They also enjoy attention very much and will like to be cuddled. With their tolerance for handling, they are also great and being friendly with kids.
6) Chantecler
As the first Canadian breed, the Chantecler was born in 1918, from Brother Wilfrid Châtelain, who sought to create a breed that is tempered to Canada’s unhospitable climate. This calm, gentle-natured breed is productive during winter months and produces brown colored eggs.
The world of chickens offers us a lot of choice, depending on what we might be using them for. Chickens are valued as pets and provide value to commercial poultry operations.
7) Araucana Hen
The Araucana chickens can be distorted through the presence of tufts along their cheeks. With its array of long, colorful coverings that ranges from white to gold, these breeds surprisingly do not have tail feathers on. The energy level of Araucana is both a boon and a bane among fowl breeders. Its eggs are among the highly- prized ones, with approximately 150 eggs annually. Some might find this trait an irresistible attraction while other breeders might take careful consideration on this hens’ temperamental outburst.
8) Australorp Hen
With a record high egg production of up to 364 eggs per year, the Australorp Hens are considered as heavy breeders by genes.
This breed boasts of a gentle temperament that can withstand small spaces coupled with glossy feathers of black, green, and purple.
9) Bielefelder
This breed is a product of extensive selective breeding done in the 1970s among the Cuckoo Malines, Amrock, Wyandotte, and New Hampshire. If there is a list of top-rated chickens in terms of attributes, this breed can be at the pinnacle as it was able to absorb all the positive qualities of the breeds selected. Hence, the creation of this breed is considered a success in the breeding industry.
It is relatively easy to identify the sexes of this breed even at an early stage. their distinct strip linings found at their backs enables growers to easily spots males and females. As such, males have light colors and yellow spots while the female counterparts have chipmunk- like strips that run along their backs. Ther feather lines are referred to as cuckoo red partridge.
These gentle birds are perfect for free-ranging and can produce up to 230 large, unique, and brownish pink eggs annually. They are on the meaty, large frame side that can reach up to 12 pounds.
10) Maran
The Marans are known for their active yet gentle nature. There are about nine identified color varieties, two of which are the most common: the Black Cooper or the Cuckoo. These chicken breeds are originally from France and were introduced to the market around the 1930s. As egg producers, Marans are capable of bringing in 150- 200 eggs per year.
11) Buckeye
Buckeyes are the first and only woman-developed chicken breed. The experiment that resulted from this cross-breeding is a product of the research of Nettie Metcalf, an Ohio- based researcher in the late 19th century.
Buckeyes are the result of Buff Cochins, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Black-breasted Red Game birds. The resulting creation is striking red-colored hens that are capable of weathering unfavorable weather conditions. An added bonus to this modified breed is its hunting ability, as it can smell pests such as rodents around.
12) Jersey Giant
As the name suggests, the Jersey giant is a large variety of hens weighing as heavy as 13 pounds for rooaster and 10 pounds for Hens. These are indeed known as the largest breed of chicken developed as far back as the 1890s in New Jersey. In terms of egg-laying features, these hens can lay up to 260 brown- colored eggs annually and can also withstand cold and harsh weather conditions.
13) Java
With its development that can be traced as far back as 1835 in America, Java chickens are considered the second oldest breed of purebred chickens, with its origin rooting from Java’s remorse islands in the far east. Some color varieties of these breeds are auburn, white, black, and mottled. Being an old breeds, Javas are still known for their excellent breeding capacities. Also, they have a distinctive glossy, beetle green plumage.
14) White Leghorn Hen
Appearance: The White Leghorn Hen gets prized for its bright red comb and white body. Leghorns, however, come in various colors. However, the most common color of this chicken breed is white. This breed can also either be a rose comb or a single comb. Rose comb breed thrives well in the United States, considering they could deal well with the northern states’ harsh winters.
Temperament: Leghorns are a shy, nervous, independent, and flighty breed. These hens are not lap-chickens. They also love free-ranging, and their roosters are overly protective. Because of this nature, many think these chickens are unfriendly. However, they are friendly but don’t like human contact.
Egg Production: Leghorn hen lays anywhere between 280 to 320 eggs. So, if you want to raise chickens for eggs, go for white leghorns. Leghorns can lay four eggs weekly.
15) Silkie Hen
Appearance: Silky hens are not prolific layers of eggs. As such, they are not best for raising chickens for eggs. However, they compensate for this with their flamboyant style and manner. Besides, this breed has a smaller size than other breeds. But it sports overwrought feathers in various colors.
Temperament: If you’re a beginner at raising chickens, you would surely love Silkie Hen. This breed is charming and very attractive, with a likable demeanor.
Egg Production: As mentioned above, the Silkie Hen is not a breed raised for eggs. It is raised for its flamboyant character. It can lay fewer than a hundred brown eggs annually.
16) Sussex Hen
Appearance: The Sussex Hen is beautiful and is larger than many breeds. It also sports eight colors; the most common type is the one with a black tail, neck feathers, and white body.
Temperament: The Sussex Hen has been here for several hundred years. This breed is docile and friendly. It is also easy to handle and is confident in itself. It is curious about anything and can follow you when you walk around.
Egg Production: Different varieties of Sussex may exhibit varying egg-laying behavior. However, they generally lay four to five brown eggs weekly. Besides, they will go on laying eggs even during winter. The only time they don’t lay eggs is when they molt.
17) Rhode Island Red Hen
Appearance: Rhode Island Red Hen is a chicken breed with a medium size. Its feather may vary from black to rusty color.
Temperament: This chicken breed is hardy and can adapt quickly to its environment. It is also docile and calm and can fend for itself.
Egg Production: You can expect up to 250 brown eggs from the Rhode Island Red Hen. You can also raise this chicken for its meat.
18) Faverolle
Appearance: Faverolle is a beautiful breed of chicken. It got a short neck, and its head is round and broad. It also has reddish bay eyes. Moreover, it looks fluffy, making it very huggable.
Temperament: Faverolles are calm, friendly, and gentle. Thus, they become favorites as pets. Besides, they are alert and active.
Egg production: They are prolific layers of eggs. Besides, they even lay eggs during winter. They could lay up to 200 eggs per year.
What Species Is A Chicken?
Chickens are one of the most widely consumed meats in the market. At the same time, they are considered a healthy contribution to man’s dairy and egg diet. Scientifically speaking, chickens fall under the category of medium-sized poultry fowls whose ancestors( Gallus gallus domesticus) are from India’s jungles. These fowls, with the scientific name Gallus gallus, belong to the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes. But jungle fowls are also considered to be any of the four known varieties of the Gallus species that belong to the Phasianidae family.
Its ancestors, the red jungle fowl, is a locally found tropical bird whose homes are located in free-ranging parts of Southeast Asia and South Asia. Though the original genes are contributed by the Asian Red junglefowl, Sri Lankan ancestral varieties can also be traced in its lineage.
Studies conducted through molecule screening shows than there are linkages between the domesticated fowls and the native chickens. Tracing as far back as up to 8,000 years ago, it was found out through scientific genome sequencing and outlining that there was a correlation among the mentioned varieties. Hence, even before chickens were domesticated for game and consumption, its origin has adapted continuously as well.
Another possible source of genes of this domesticated fowls is the ones from Southern India, known as the gray jungle fowl ( G. sonnerati). The presence of the traits carried by this fowl is evident among other varieties, such as its patterns of whites and gray coverings.
The gray jungle fowl (G. sonnerati) of southern India may also have contributed to the domestic fowl’s ancestry, which shows a similar grayish and white pattern in some breeds. This breed, however, was also found in some parts of Sri Lanka and other Indonesian areas.
Red jungle fowls (g. gallus) are the direct ancestors of the chickens. Its body structure is not far from the original breed, which sports glossy feathers of varying complexion from the head going to the back up to the feet. The necks and combs are also distinctive features of the wild jungle fowls in these cases but are also spotted among the domesticated varieties. Naturally, males are armed with sharp claws that are used in the modern world as an accessory for cockfighting, which could be manmade or by natural means.
What makes jungle fowls ( the ancestors of chickens) differ from varieties such as pheasant lies on the placement or presence and absence of combs, wattles, and tails in each creature.
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