Baby Chick Breed List 2022
Below is a list of the breeds we anticipate having in the Spring of 2022. We select breeds carefully, looking for birds that are friendly, beautiful, cold hardy, and that lay well. I have posted a description for each breed to help explain differences in these characteristics across the different breeds. If you have any questions about any of these breeds or are looking for advice for a first flock, please don’t hesitate to call or email.
Easter Egger
Easter Eggers are a flock must. Each one looks unique… they can be pure white or solid black but most end up having some orange, black, brown, or slate blue coloring. They usually lay blue eggs, although occasionally you will get a bird that lays light green, pink, or brown. They are friendly and curious.
Buff Orpington
Buff Orpington are without a doubt the Cape Cod favorite, and for good reason. They are one of the most docile and sweet breeds. The baby chicks are light cream colored and are so cute they always sell out. Buff Orpingtons make a great addition to any flock.
Black Australorp
Black Australorps are very often rated the number one best backyard chicken breed for families with children. They are sweet and mellow and have beautiful iridescent black feathers. They are also very productive layers of large brown eggs.
Barred Rock
Barred rocks are one of the most popular breeds of chicken. They are very cold hardy, friendly, and lay very well. They are tough and tend to stick up for themselves, so they are a good choice to add to a flock of Red Star or Wyandottes.
Golden Buff/ Red Star
The Golden Buff is a hybrid that goes by many different names. These birds are sex-linked, which means the males and females are different colors at birth. This unique quality removes any question about gender, so if you need 100% girls, the Golden Buff is the breed for you. They are the absolute best layers of any birds we offer, although tend to have a shorter life expectancy than some of the purebreds.
Light Brahma
Light Brahmas are one of my favorite breeds. They are very large, sweet, cold-hardy birds with feathered legs. The only downside is their beautiful white feathers can attract the attention of hawks and other predators if you plan to free- range your flock.
Barnevelder
Barnevelders are docile, hardy, good egg layers. They are one of our specialty breeds, meaning they are a bit more expensive, but if you are looking for a solid all-around breed, Barnevelders are a great addition to any flock.
Speckled Sussex
Speckled Sussex are very popular backyard birds. They are friendly and beautiful and lay well. Due to their small combs, they are also very cold hardy. They can be raised for their egg laying ability or for meat.
Black Copper Maran
Black Copper Marans are highly sought after birds because of their beautiful egg color. They lay very dark brown eggs which make for a beautiful contrast with the standard light brown of most backyard breeds. They are large birds with subtly feathered legs.
Cuckoo Maran
Cuckoo Marans look similar to Barred Rocks, and are virtually impossible to tell apart as chicks (which is why we never order them together). They lay large dark brown eggs which are not as dark as Black Copper Marans but are still distinct from other brown egg layers. They are a good dual-purpose bird, meaning they can be raised for eggs or meat.
Green Queen
The Green Queen is a relatively new cross. The goal of the breeding program was to create a bird that would lay a light green egg. Because they are a hybrid like the Easter Egger, they come in a wide variety of feather colors. They can have feathered legs or be clean legged and they occasionally have five toes (which comes from crossing with breeds that have five toes like Dorkings and Faverolles)
Buff Brahma
I had to add Buff Brahmas to the list this year, despite already having Light Brahmas and Dark Brahmas simply because I love them so much and isn’t the buff color pretty? Brahmas are large, mellow, friendly birds that lay well (brown eggs) and are cold hardy. Pick your favorite color and add one or two to your flock this year, you won’t regret it.
Silver Laced Wyandotte
Silver Laced Wyandottes are great dual purpose birds. They are very cold hardy because of their small combs and forage well when allowed to free range. They are gorgeous birds and tend to have mild temperaments, although they are known to occasionally have aggressive individuals.
Gold Laced Wyandotte
Gold Laced Wyandottes only differ from Silver Laced Wyandottes in their feather color. They are cold hardy, good dual purpose breeds that lay well. They also occasionally have aggressive individuals but mine have always been sweethearts.
Blue Laced Red
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes have the same temperament and laying ability as Gold Laced and Silver Laced Wyandottes. The Blue Laced coloring is highly sought after which makes these birds more expensive than the other wyandottes. Like most blue feathered breeds, the Blue Laced Wyandotte does not breed true, which means they may be blue laced, black laced (which looks similar to gold-laced) or splash-laced (white lacing on red feathers).
Welsummer
Welsummers are one of my favorite breeds. They are pretty, yet camouflage well in leaf litter and on bare ground with their brown and gold feathers. They lay gorgeous, speckled, dark brown eggs. They tend to be very friendly and make a great addition to any flock.
Dark Brahma
Dark Brahmas are tall, cold hardy, friendly birds with feathered legs. They can be used for meat because of their size, but they are also valuable layers due to their tendency to lay well through the winter months when other breeds have slowed down production.
New Hampshire Red
New Hampshire Reds are excellent layers. They are very similar to Rhode Island Reds, but are a lighter color and tend to be friendlier, making them a better choice for backyard flocks. Their large comb can make them susceptible to frost bite and once in a while you can get a sassy individual, but other than that, you can’t go wrong with this breed.
Cream Legbar
Cream Legbars are productive layers of sky blue to light green eggs. The chicks look different at hatch depending on whether they are male or female, which makes them very easy to sex so your chance of getting a female is almost 100%. They are chatty, charming and inquisitive and love to free range and follow you around the yard.
Salmon Faverolle
Salmon Faverolles are extremely friendly and make a great breed for families with small children. They lay white eggs, or very lightly tinted eggs, and have feathered legs and an extra toe. The only caution with Salmons is that they tend to fall low on the pecking order and can be subject to bullying when put with more aggressive hens.
Delaware
Delawares are a great backyard breed. They forage well, lay well, and are cold hardy. My only reservation with them is the same as with any white bird, which is they can attract the attention of predators more than other breeds. This is, of course, not a concern if you don’t free-range your flock and, if that is the case, I would say definitely add a Delaware to your flock.
Exchequer Leghorn
Exchequer Leghorns are a great choice if you are looking for a productive white egg layer. Leghorns are flightier than most of the other breeds we have, but they make up for it by laying exceptionally well. The Exchequer is the prettiest of the leghorns and is a bit more expensive than the Light Brown or White Leghorns.
Silver Penciled Rock
The newest and rarest of the Plymouth Rocks, Silver Penciled rocks are a good dual-purpose breed. They are cold-hardy and friendly and lay well but their real appeal is in their gorgeous penciled plumage. If you are looking to have the prettiest flock around, you should consider adding one or two of these ladies this Spring.
Partridge Cochin
Cochins are one of the most docile and friendliest backyard birds, making them a great choice for families with kids. They are irresistibly cute with their super fluffy legs. Partridge Cochins are probably the most camouflage of all the cochin colors, making them a great choice for free-range flocks. Cochins tend to go broody, meaning they try to hatch their eggs, which is great if you need a mother willing to sit on eggs.
Lavender Orpington
Lavender Orpingtons are similar to the other Orpingtons, but have received a lot of attention lately because of their beautiful coloring. Lavenders are one of our speciality breeds; they are more expensive than other chicks and will only be available a couple weeks out of the season, so be sure to pre-order them if you are interested.
Light Brown Leghorn
This breed also comes in pure white, although we order more Light Brown Leghorns because they are less noticeable to predators. Leghorns are the second best layers of any of the birds we offer, only surpassed by the Golden Buffs. They lay white eggs and are excellent foragers. Their two downfalls are they are usually flighty, meaning they are a bit standoffish… not aggressive, just not really as interested in human attention as the other breeds. They also have long combs which can get frostbitten in the winter months.
Swedish Flower Hen
Swedish Flower Hens are a very rare breed that was only recently introduced to the United States. They come in a mix of colors, some individuals will have a slight crest and some may have a floppy comb. They tend to have whitish spots on the tips of their feathers which give them a flowered appearance. They are friendly, docile and cold hardy and lay light brown eggs. Like the Lavender Orpingtons, they are more expensive than other breeds and will only be available for several weeks out of the season.