The Best Chicken Breeds For Meat And Eggs

It can be tricky picking out the best breeds of chickens for your homestead, especially when you are just starting out. This is why I decided to write this post. My goal for this post is to break things down and make it easier for you when you decide to start choosing which chickens will be the best fit for your homestead. I will be going through what chickens are best for meat, eggs, and chickens that are good for both!

First we’ll go over meat chickens

Meat chickens, also known as Broilers are stocky chickens with a broad breast and thicker legs. These chickens were bred for rapid growth so you can butcher them sooner. Because of this, these chickens may have more health problems. Moat meat chickens are ready to butcher in 6 to 8 weeks, with some ready in 5! Here is a short list of some of the best chickens with their main purpose being for meat. Keep in mind that these chickens will need supplemental food. Typically meat chickens eat starter feed for the first month of life. After this they will switch to grower feed until it is time to butcher.

Cornish Cross Broilers are the first breed that everyone thinks of when we think about meat chickens. If you want a lot of meat without the wait these birds are the way to go. These chickens grow really big really fast In fact they get too big, and unfortunately they cannot hold themselves up. Because of this, they lose a lot of their feathers. These docile birds are not good egg layers. They were specifically bred for meat. Cornish Cross Broilers mature between 5 to 8 weeks and will weigh about 6 to 7 pounds when they are ready for butchering.

Freedom Rangers are a friendly chicken bred for their meat. These chickens grow a little bit slower than the Cornish Cross, but this is a good thing. Waiting just a few more weeks will prevent the health issues in the Cornish Cross. The Freedom Rangers grow to maturity in about 9 to 12 weeks and reach about 5 to 6 pounds.

Red Broilers are the last meat chicken I’m going to talk about here. These chickens grow just a little bit faster than the Freedom Rangers mentioned above. This bird matures in about 8 to 10 weeks reaching about 5 to 6 pounds.

Now let’s talk about great egg layers

Egg Layers are bred for maximum egg production. These chickens are leaner and more active making them not the best choice for meat. Their meat can be tough and not very pleasant to eat. Usually, egg layers start laying around 4 to 8 months. If you are looking to get chickens for eggs and are in a hurry, you can always look at your local online classified ads for laying hens. There are also small animal auctions you can check out. Also, know that egg production slows way down in the winter and is at its peak in the summer.

ISA Brown chickens lay an impressive amount of brown eggs. They are known to lay over 300 eggs a year! These chickens would be a good starter breed on the homestead.

The Buff Orpington is one of my favorite breeds. They are friendly and curious. These fluffy chickens can lay up to 280 brown eggs a year. This breed would be a good one to have on the homestead.

Ancona chickens are beautiful black and white feathered chickens. These birds lay up to 280 white eggs a year!

Plymouth Rock chickens are a popular breed. They are black and white speckled and lay also an impressive 280 eggs a year.

Of course, I have to mention the Easter Egger. These chickens can lay blue, brown, and olive green eggs! Easter Eggers lay around 250 eggs a year.

Lastly we will discuss heritage breeds

Heritage chickens are basically like the heirloom chicken. These are the original chickens your grandparents raised. These chickens are good for both meat and eggs. They don’t have the same health problems as the broilers do. These chickens do well in the heat and also in the cold. They are great mothers and great at forging. These are the perfect chickens for homesteaders who don’t want to have to separate their flock and want to feed and treat their chickens the same. These chickens mature slower than other chickens. They Live long and produce a wide variety of egg colors!

We’ll start with the Jersey Giant. These chickens live up to their name weighing in at around 11 to 15 pounds! They also lay around 300 extra large brown eggs a year, making this breed an excellent choice for your homestead.

Sussex chickens weigh in at about 6 to 7 pounds and lay around 250 light brown eggs a year. The Sussex chicken begins laying eggs around 7 to 9 months.

Delaware chickens I hear taste incredibly good and lay around 200 large brown eggs a year. These chickens usually weigh in at 6 to 8 pounds.

Dominique chickens were brought to America from England. They are good for meat weighing in at about 5 to 7 pounds, but I hear the meat may be slightly chewier than others. They lay about 250 medium-sized brown eggs per year.

You choose what’s best for you.

I just scratched the surface when it comes to different types of breeds of chickens. There are so many to choose from, but I hope you were able to find this post helpful when deciding what breed you would like to start with. My opinion is starting with heritage because there’s no separation involved. They are good egg layers and great for meat. They grow slower so you can have plenty of time to get things in order for butchering day. It takes more than you think to butcher, but I will save that for a different post!