Healthiest chicken breeds

[Perris]

I've had chickens for just under a year now, and I've already had to learn some tough lessons: production layers get reproductive issues and eventually need to be culled, some breeds are prone to health issues, older chickens don't lay as much, and some just don't live that long. I started my flock by purchasing full grown hens of unknown age with abuse/neglect backgrounds, so I guess that probably made things a little tougher.

I am looking to add some youth to my flock this spring or summer and don't know what breeds to get.

My question for all of you is: what, in your experience, has been the overall healthiest breed you have kept? I'm talking in terms of health issues, cold hardiness, consistent egg laying over time, and a long life. It's probably better if you only share your experience if you've had more than a couple birds of a breed you recommend, because we know there are also exceptions. Please try to share where you got the chicks as well, because that seems to matter as well.

Thanks!!!

If you're going to confine them like production breeds, you should probably get production breeds. Heritage breeds don't do so well in confinement.

If you do let them range, I recommend Swedish Flowers. To illustrate their potential to meet your requirements, last July a clutch of six eggs from my five year old hen (who laid over 120 eggs that year despite her age) produced five chicks (all still thriving), three of which have started laying already, all demonstrating good productivity, fertility, longevity, and general health. They are great foragers, very predator-aware, and pretty on the eye to boot:

 

[SmiYa0126]

My hens I raised from chicks are my healthiest, RIR and Olive eggers. The hens I bought as pullets, my easter eggers and RIR are the healthiest.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Never had any type of problem with RIReds or any of the Rocks. Now have Lorps and expect no problem. Predation is the only malady and was easily cured.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I think my Cornish bantams (with the exception of one of my gals) are the healthiest I've had in a long while. Rarely do mine have foot issues here and I've not lost one to unknown circumstances unlike a good deal of the breeds I've had

Where did you get your Cornish bantams? I think I've heard you (or someone else) on BYC talk about what surprisingly good layers they are. I've been looking into bantams but have been hesitant because of egg production not being great. And every time I see Cornish bantams being sold, they seem to be labeled as "poor" layers. How many eggs per week for your birds?

I think source is the most important factor in getting a healthy breed with the exception of high production and meat birds like Cornish Cross. I have had birds for over ten years and without fail the ones I have purchased from backyard breeders are the ones that wind up having the most issues. I raise my own chicks now. From there I decide who to keep based on temperament and haven't had health issues with any of my hatched birds which currently are Delawares, Lavendar Orpington, Naked Necks, Marans and Olive Eggers. I have sent numerous birds (entire flocks actually) to retire at my mom's house and she just recently lost the last Buckeye from one of my first flocks. She still has several healthy Welsummers and Marans I gave her as pullets. I think if you steer clear of meat birds, high production birds and questionable breeders you will do well with almost any breed. I have heard bad things about the latest Cream Legbars flooding the market but don't own any personally to speak on that.

Thanks for your input! Are Marans broody? Also, I've been interested in Buckeyes (I'm from Ohio after all!). Was that a fairly healthy breed in your experience?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

If you're going to confine them like production breeds, you should probably get production breeds. Heritage breeds don't do so well in confinement.

If you do let them range, I recommend Swedish Flowers. To illustrate their potential to meet your requirements, last July a clutch of six eggs from my five year old hen (who laid over 120 eggs that year despite her age) produced five chicks (all still thriving), three of which have started laying already, all demonstrating good productivity, fertility, longevity, and general health. They are great foragers, very predator-aware, and pretty on the eye to boot:
View attachment 3386590

Wow! That many eggs at 5 years is really good, and they are really beautiful. I do free-range so being predator-aware is also important to me. Where did you get your Swedish Flower Hens from?

 

[TillyPeeps]

Interesting about the hatchery vs. breeder thing!

So sorry to see poor Slowpoke I am still interested in EEs, but I will have to look out for crossbeak or other physical deformities.

Barnyard classics sound good. Something's telling me I need to try an Orpington in this next chick batch. Several people have mentioned them and they seem to be a very common chicken. As long as they aren't TOO broody, maybe they will be good for my flock.

I have a Buff orpington from Meyer. She is super broody! And a bad broody too. She went broody every month when she is laying, and will go to roost at night when she's broody. She is overall very hardy though. Doing great in -10° degree weather while other chickens were struggling. She lays about 6 eggs per week when she is not broody or molting. Very friendly and calm. My splash marans from Meyer is super sweet and cuddly, but she has lots of health issues. I think Sussex and Wyandote are better choices for you, but I don't have them.

 

[3KillerBs]

Another thing that occurred to me overnight,

I can't prove anything about this, but I have a hunch that longtime standard, common breeds are likely to be healthier than any recently trendy breed because of greater genetic diversity and longer selection.

Any trendy breed is likely to have had it's population explode by breeding even "iffy" quality birds so as to cash in on the trend -- breeding birds who really *ought* to have been culled just to get the numbers up.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Where did you get your Cornish bantams? I think I've heard you (or someone else) on BYC talk about what surprisingly good layers they are. I've been looking into bantams but have been hesitant because of egg production not being great. And every time I see Cornish bantams being sold, they seem to be labeled as "poor" layers. How many eggs per week for your birds?

Thanks for your input! Are Marans broody? Also, I've been interested in Buckeyes (I'm from Ohio after all!). Was that a fairly healthy breed in your experience?

I have only had one Maran well into adulthood-a Golden Cuckoo. She did go broody and was a good mom. I usually raise them to pullets for my mom but Butterball went broody when she was just over one and I decided to let her hatch chicks then gave them all to my mom. My Buckeyes I had for at least two years and they were wonderful birds. They retired to my mom's where she had mouse problems and she said they were mouse slayers! They are cold hardy and the mouse slaying is a bonus. I think most chickens will go after a small rodent but the Buckeyes are known for it and seem to excel from my mom's experience.

 

[Perris]

Wow! That many eggs at 5 years is really good, and they are really beautiful. I do free-range so being predator-aware is also important to me. Where did you get your Swedish Flower Hens from?

I got them from a breeder a few hours from here - and a very long way from Ohio - but there may be people on the Swedish Flower Hen thread that are near to you
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/swedish-flower-hen-thread.375288/

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Another thing that occurred to me overnight,

I can't prove anything about this, but I have a hunch that longtime standard, common breeds are likely to be healthier than any recently trendy breed because of greater genetic diversity and longer selection.

Any trendy breed is likely to have had it's population explode by breeding even "iffy" quality birds so as to cash in on the trend -- breeding birds who really *ought* to have been culled just to get the numbers up.

This is what I have read on here about Cream Legbars because they have recently gotten very popular. I had one but lost her to a predator when she was still a pullet so don't know from experience. It makes sense to me though because I have seen some trendy breeds being sold online that don't look up to standard which makes me think people are breeding indiscriminately especially since the pandemic.