Food Chickens - Chicken Breeds List

Food Chicken Breeds

	Araucana Though they have high mortality rates in the egg, the Araucana breed is a good dual purpose chicken with strong egg producing qualities and enough meat for a meal. No other birds look like the Araucana does.
	Aseel The Aseel is a very strong and aggressive breed, known to fight at all times. However, they are very docile toward humans. They serve as a good foundation stock for meat producers.
	Australorp The Australorp is a hardy dual-purpose breed, capable of laying 5 eggs a week once they reach the age of 5 months. These are a very each breed to handle at any skill level, making them great for beginners.
	Barnevelder A triple threat, the Barnevelder is great for egg laying, meat production, and even has a following as a show bird. A large bird, they are known to be calm and easy to handle, even considered shy by some.
	Belgian Bearded d’Uccle Bantam The Belgian Bearded d-Uccle Bantam functions as a decent layer and makes for a good meat bird, as well as being unique enough to be popular as a show bird. They’re very tame and even ride on your shoulder.
	Brahma The Brahma can do everything, from lay eggs to become a filling dinner to win awards at a breed show. This is one of the largest breeds in the world and is an ideal chicken for newcomers as they’re easy to manage.
	Catalana The Catalana breed loves heat and thrives in it. It functions as a dual purpose bird capable of producing plenty of eggs and meat. They are, however, shy to the point of wanting to avoid humans.
	Chantecler The Chantecler is a native breed from Canada, making them great in the cold but poor in the heat. They’re good layers and hardy enough to be good fryers as well. They don’t enjoy confinement much.
	Cornish The Cornish is the star of the meat production world and as such is used more often in the meat industry than any other chicken. Unfortunately, they are a difficult breed to raise properly.
	Crevecoeur Though once known for being a great dual purpose chicken, the Crevecoeur is now best suited as a show bird as it is considered endangered. Despite this, they are calm and easy to handle.
	Cubalaya Used in Cuba as dual purpose birds but mostly as ornamental in the US, the Cubalaya can do it all. They do great in heat and humidity and make a great choice for first-time chicken owners.
	Delaware Developed originally as a commercial, dual-purpose breed but later replaced by hybrids, Delawares today make excellent backyard chickens. They typically lay four, large, brown eggs a week far into the winter months.
	Dorking Dorkings are best known for their qualities as meat producers, though they are capable of laying 140 eggs a year. They can withstand cold weather without any trouble, making them great in the winter.
	Faverolles A chicken bred in France, the Faverolles is a dual purpose bird and succeeds as such. Their finely packed feathers allow them to withstand cold climates well and are considered the most docile breed in the world.
	Holland The Holland is a dual purpose breed that is bred specifically to lay brown eggs and have yellow skin, as those are preferred here in the US. While not great for the meat industry, they’re excellent for the backyard.
	Houdan The Houdan is loved as a meat bird, loved as an egg-producing bird as they have amazing longevity, and loved as a show bird because of their unique feathering style. They can do it all!
	Java While a dual purpose breed, the Java is best when used for meat production as they grow big and they grow fast. They enjoy warm weather, but will need a well-insulated coup in the winter months.
	Jersey Giant The Jersey Giant is the largest breed of chicken, though because of their huge size it takes them too long to mature to be commercially viable. Regardless, they make excellent chickens on even small farms.
	La Fleche The La Fleche breed is a dual purpose bird with its meat production quality being the main reason for breeding them. They are considered a very wild breed and like to have space to roam and forage on their own.
	Langshan Langshans do great as egg layers and make great food birds as well. First time owners are often surprised with how friendly they are dispute their large size. That can withstand any weather climate.
	Leghorn The Leghorn is a master of egg laying, producing upwards of 280 eggs a year. Their ability to be a good meat production chicken has been overlooked as a result of this.
	Marans Marans lay three eggs a week and produce eggs with a very rich dark brown color. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, even made Marans eggs the character’s favorite. They also produce delicious meat.
	Minorca Though Minorcas used to have mythical-like egg laying abilities, the current breed has slowed down production just a bit, however not enough to make them anything less than one of the strongest laying breeds.
	Naked Neck The Naked Neck breed has no feathers around the neck, hence the name. However, they’re excellent dual purpose birds and are very resilient to most diseases, making them a great choice for beginners.
	New Hampshire Red Consistent with eggs and heavy with meat, the New Hampshire Red is truly a utility bird. They’re considered very tame and friendly with little or no aggressive tendencies when kept with their own breed.
	Orpington Orpingtons can do it all, whether it be laying 200 eggs a year, offering a lot of meat when matured, or being easy to handle and show. These are just a good chicken for all occasion.
	Penedesenca The Penedesenca is unique in that no other breed can produce eggs as dark as they can. They also make great meat birds, but their unrecognized status makes them difficult to act as show birds.
	Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rocks may just be the most popular breed in the US due to their excellent egg laying and hearty frames that make for a good meal. They’re also easy to tame and non-aggressive. What’s not to like?
	Rhode Island Red The Rhode Island Red can be used for anything. They’re prized for their 220 eggs a year production, but are hearty meat birds and popular in shows. There’s nothing this chicken can’t do.
	Russian Orloff Big, strong, and capable of dealing with the harshest winters, the Russian Orloff is a great layer and a great fryer. However, they are considered very endangered, so make sure to breed them frequently.
	Star Stars are very special, working as egg layers, meat producers, and excellent show birds. Their best talent may be as a sex link for breeding purposes. If you want specific characteristics in other breeds, use a Star.