Chicken Breeds

Happy Tuesday friends! I am so excited about todays blog post because I get to tell you about each member of my flock. I love each of my chickens so much because they have such unique personalities! No two are similar. You would think chickens are all the same but that is not the case. Perhaps it’s because I have such a variety of breeds or maybe because I have a small flock that I spend A LOT of time with. Nevertheless I hope today’s blog post might give you more insight into certain breeds of chickens. And maybe you’ll want to add one of these breeds to your flock! Let’s jump right in.

Why These Breeds?

Each of the breeds that I chose have something in common, they are known for being docile and friendly. This has always been very important to me since I have small kids. You can read more about friendly breeds or how to raise friendly chickens here.

I also have a mixture of standard size and bantam chickens. This is completely doable if it’s done correctly. I will share a blog post later on how I did this later but for now here is a little about each breed.

My Little Flock: Breed Spotlight

Miss Blanche, Lakeshore Egger

Blanche is the only chicken I have left from my original flock, therefore making her my oldest chicken. I have a very special place in my heart for Blanche because of that. I also love how sweet she is- she has NEVER once tried to peck at me. Lakeshore Eggers are very friendly and great for kids. They are also known for laying beautiful blue and green eggs. She has also been one of my best layers. The only bad thing about Lakeshore Eggers is they are intense foragers. This means they dig up everything! So if you have a beautiful garden and are getting chickens, I would not recommend getting this breed. Or if you do make sure you keep them away from your plants!

• Personality: Active, Friendly
• Broody: No
• Weekly Production: 4-5 eggs
• Egg Color: Blue, Green, Brown
• Egg Size: L
• Laying Maturity: 16-20 weeks
• Hardiness: Hardy in all climates
• Forager: Yes

Miss Pepper, Olive Egger

Oh my little Pep Pep! As a chick, she was the friendliest- always so spunky and fun. She has always an obsession with sitting on my shoulder or head! One time she jumped on my head and ate one of my pearl earrings! Even though she can be friendly it’s all on her terms. Most of the time she’s timid and is my hardest chicken to catch. But she never pecks or has never been aggressive. She too lays beautiful green eggs.

• Personality: Calm, quiet and friendly
• Broody: YesWeekly Production: 4-6 eggs
• Egg Color: Green
• Egg Size: L/XL
• Laying Maturity: 18-23 weeks
• Processing Age: 15-18 weeks
• Hardiness: Hardy in all climates
• Forager: Yes

Miss Dolly, Easter Egger

Dolly is the second Easter Egger I have raised. My first, Dot, was my favorite chicken but was sadly was killed last year. Dolly has a very similar personality to Dot so that leads me to believe all Easter Eggers are wonderful. Dolly is very quiet, athletic and friendly. She’s my most curious chicken and always greets me at the door of the coop. Easter Eggers are known to lay beautiful, colorful eggs.

• Personality: Active and Friendly
• Broody: No
• Weekly Production: 4-6 eggs
• Egg Color: Green, Blue
• Egg Size: L/XL
• Laying Maturity: 16-20 weeks
• Hardiness: Hardy in all climates
• Forager: Yes

Miss Louise, White Cochin Frizzle Bantam

Probably my most beautiful, popular chicken is Louise. She was also the most expensive. Something I have learned about white frizzles is that they are very hard to find. I got mine from a local breeder here in Atlanta that I found in a Facebook group. Louise is something else! She is so clumsy, not very smart but beautiful and hysterical to watch. She has the cutest waddle (watch it here) and easy to handle. The only con to this specific color and breed is that they tend to be delicate and get dirty easily. She’s the only chicken I have the requires baths.

• Personality: Docile, Friendly, Easy to handle
• Broody: Yes
• Weekly Production: 1-2 eggs
• Egg Color: Brown
• Egg Size: Small
• Hardiness: Sensitive to extreme temperatures

Miss Millie, Mille Fleur d’Uccle Bantam

My tiny Millie is hands down the sweetest, cutest chicken I have ever raised! She is very docile, lets me hold her, never pecks at me and makes the cutest little noises! She resembles a little bird more than an actual chicken. But don’t let her little stature fool you, she is sassy and holds her own. At first I was nervous to add such a small chicken to my flock but she does a good job staying away from the bigger girls and protecting herself. If you are going to add a d’Uccle to your flock, I recommend adding another small chicken to be her partner.

• Broody: Yes
• Weekly Production: 3-5 eggs
• Egg Color: Cream
• Egg Size: Small
• Hardiness: Cold Hardy
• Forager: No
• Personality: Friendly, Calm

Miss Gladys, Black Silkie

This picture best describes sassy pants Gladys. Although she is one of my smallest chickens, she has the biggest personality. She is loud, spastic and loud. Did I mention she’s loud? I don’t know how our neighbors haven’t complained! They say silkies are very friendly but Gladys has been nervous since she was a chick. I love her spunky personality but she’s been my least favorite breed so far. I plan to get a few more silkies to see if Gladys is just unique and others will be friendlier.

• Personality: Docile and sweet
• Broody: Yes
• Weekly Production: 2-4 eggs
• Egg Color: Cream
• Egg Size: Small
• Hardiness: Sensitive to extreme temperatures
• Forager: No

Miss Winnie, Red Frizzle

I adopted Winnie and honestly don’t know what type of frizzle she is. I’m guessing she is like Louise and perhaps a cochin frizzle but I’m not positive because she is a lot smaller. Winnie is very docile and is at the very bottom of the pecking order. Check above under Louise for more information on frizzles.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post on my chickens! If you have any specific questions about any of the breeds I talked about today please ask in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out City Yolks YouTube video on chicken breeds where I share all about my favorite breed!

Xo,