Best Chicken Breeds for Backyard Chicken Keeping

Welcome back to Farm, where we specialize in raising pullets for individuals who want to keep backyard chickens. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the breeds I have found, through my 15 years of experience, to be the best for backyard chicken-keeping. These breeds are quiet, have good layers, are friendly, and generally don’t fight, making them a great addition to your backyard flock. Let’s dive in and meet the chickens.

Let’s look at the pullets we introduced in an earlier episode. I’ll show you how they’re feathered and then give you a brief overview of the breeds I specialize in raising at Farm. I raise pullets at the farm for individuals who want to keep backyard chickens. I focus on specific species that I have found, through my 15 years of experience, to be ideal for backyard chicken-keeping. These breeds are relatively quiet, have good layers, friendly and social, and generally don’t fight. People often don’t think of hens being aggressive, but certain breeds are more aggressive. Additionally, if you’re going to keep backyard chickens, you usually want a heavier breed.

Let’s take a look at the chickens. Chickens don’t fly well, so sometimes their wings need clipped, but that’s a topic for another video. This is a Barred Rock pullet. The pattern on its feathers earns it the “barred” name, much like a Barred Owl found in Florida. This breed is a good layer of brown eggs and is very friendly and social within the flock. The Barred Rock is one of my favorite types of chickens. This is a Speckled Sussex pullet. I have a few full-grown Speckled Sussex in the flock, and I love them.

I love these chickens for various reasons. They are beautiful, with vibrant emerald green patterning on their wings as they mature. They also lay brown eggs and are very friendly and social within the flock. The Americana is another breed we specialize in at Farm. This breed is known as the “Easter egg hen” because they lay beautiful green and light blue colored eggs. These chickens are interesting because they have black feet, whereas most chickens have yellow feet. The Americana breed originates from Chile.

The Americana breed has a fascinating history. When the Spanish arrived in Chile, they saw chickens with black feet laying green eggs. And referred to them as “Diablo” chickens, meaning devil chickens, as they believed something was wrong with them. However, many people love these chickens for the beautiful color of their eggs. Additionally, the hidden patterning of the Americana makes them excellent for free-range chicken keeping, as they can easily hide from predators on the ground. This is particularly important here at Farm, where all the chickens are free-range.

We have predators such as hawks and owls in our area that may prey on small chickens. I’ve decided to try a new breed of chicken called Production Reds. This breed is known for laying eggs daily, unlike other chickens that lay eggs every other day. I hope to keep these Production Reds in my flock to increase egg production, as they are more likely to lay daily.

I focus on three breeds of chickens here: the Americana, which lays green eggs. The Speckled Sussex, which is a beautiful hen and lays brown eggs, and the Barred Rock. If you have any questions about these breeds, feel free to ask in the comments, and I will be happy to explain why I think each of these breeds is ideal for backyard chicken keeping.

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap on our tour of the breeds we specialize in at Swamp Castle Farm. Whether it’s the beautiful Speckled Sussex, the unique Americana, or the friendly Barred Rock, these chickens are all excellent choices for your backyard flock. If you have questions about these breeds or chicken-keeping, feel free to ask in the comments. Don’t forget to subscribe for more chicken-keeping tips and updates from Swamp Castle Farm. Thanks for watching!