Looking to grow your own flock but overwhelmed by dozens of chicken breeds? Our chicken breed finder helps you zero in on the perfect birds for your needs. Whether you’re after cold-hardy egg layers, friendly backyard hens, or even ducks and game birds, you’ll find your match in minutes.
In this guide you’ll learn how to define your goals, match temperament, pick for climate, choose egg colors, explore other poultry options, and get everything ready for your order. Ready to get clucky? Let’s dive in.
Define Flock Goals
Egg Vs Meat Birds
First, decide if you want layers, meat birds, or both. Top egg producers include White Leghorn, Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red, and Australorp (Timber Creek Farmer). If you need dual-purpose birds that lay well and provide meat, breeds like Sussex and Australorp fit the bill—check out our dual-purpose chickens for sale.
Space And Size Needs
How much room do you have? If you’re short on space or love tiny breeds, explore bantam chickens for sale. For larger flocks or fast-growing meat birds, see our meat chickens for sale. Remember to allow at least 4 square feet per bird in your coop and 8–10 square feet in the run.
Filter by Temperament
Friendly Backyard Hens
If you want pets as much as egg layers, look at calm, people-loving breeds. Buff Orpingtons are famously gentle (buff-orpington-chicks). Barred Plymouth Rocks are equally docile (barred-rock-chicks). Wyandottes, Sussex, and Black Australorps also make ideal family flocks—browse wyandotte chicks, sussex chicks, or black-australorp chicks.
Active Or Quiet Birds
Some birds are more flighty or energetic. Leghorns lay lots of eggs but can be skittish (leghorn chicks). Brahmas and Cochins are on the calmer side despite their big size (brahma chicks, cochin chicks). For a deep dive into breed temperaments, check out this table of docile, flighty, and aggressive breeds (Poultry Keeper).
Fit Climate Needs
Cold Hardy Breeds
If you face chilly winters, choose frost-tolerant birds. Easter Eggers, Cream Legbars, Plymouth Rocks, Brahmas, Silkies, Cochins, Dorkings, Wyandottes, Sussex, Marans, Ameraucanas, and Buff Orpingtons all thrive in cold weather (Azure Farm). Find them under cold hardy chickens.
Heat Tolerant Choices
Hot summers call for heat-resistant breeds. Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Welsummers, White Leghorns, Minorcas, and Naked Necks handle heat best (Azure Farm). Shop our heat hardy chickens.
Select Egg Colors
Brown And White Layers
Classic brown-egg layers include Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, and Leghorns. You’ll find these in our brown egg layers for sale and white egg layers for sale collections.
Blue Green Chocolate Eggs
Love colorful eggs? Easter Eggers lay blue and green eggs (easter-egger-chicks), Ameraucanas give sky-blue shells (ameraucana chicks), Olive Eggers produce olive-green eggs (olive-egger-chicks), Cream Legbars yield pale blue, and Marans are famous for dark chocolate brown shells.
Expand Beyond Chickens
Waterfowl And Game Birds
Our breed finder doesn’t stop at chickens. Add ducks or geese for eggs and meat: ducklings for sale, ducks for sale, goslings for sale, geese for sale. You can also raise turkeys (turkey poults for sale, heritage turkey breeds), guinea fowl (guinea keets for sale), quail (quail for sale), and pheasants (pheasant chicks for sale).
Heritage And Rare Varieties
Preserve genetic diversity by choosing heritage or rare breeds. Heritage chickens meet strict criteria—slow-growing, natural mating, long outdoor life—as defined by The Livestock Conservancy (The Livestock Conservancy). Explore our rare chicken breeds for sale to support conservation.
Use Breed Finder
How It Works
- Pick your category—layers, meat, bantams, waterfowl, game birds
- Apply filters: egg color, climate, temperament, purpose
- Browse matching breeds with key stats and images
- Click through to purchase or add to your wishlist
Pro Tips For Selection
- Choose sexed pullets for immediate laying (sexed-pullets)
- Select straight run if you don’t mind a mix of males and females (straight-run-chicks)
- Opt for vaccinated chicks to protect against Marek’s disease (vaccinated-chicks)
- Look for hatchery choice chicks if you want a good balance of breeds at lower cost
- Take advantage of minimum order chicks if you’re starting small
Prepare Your Purchase
Day Old Chicks And Eggs
Ready for new arrivals? Choose from day-old chicks for sale, hatching eggs for sale, or started pullets for sale. If you need fewer birds, our small order chicks low minimums make it easy to start.
Must Have Supplies
Set up a cozy brooder with essentials: heat lamp, bedding, feeder, and waterer. Shop chick brooder supplies, chicken feeders and waterers, and incubators and hatching accessories. For safe arrival, we offer reliable shipping live chicks.
Key Takeaways
- Define your goals—layers, meat, or dual-purpose—before you shop
- Match breed personality to your family and coop setup
- Factor in climate, egg color, and flock size with easy filters
- Don’t limit yourself to chickens—explore ducks, geese, quail, and more
- Use our breed selector to find your perfect match in minutes
Now it’s your turn. Head over to the chicken breed finder, pick your filters, and get ready for a clucking good time. Have a favorite breed or a tip to share? Drop a comment below so everyone can benefit!