15 Brown Chicken Breeds for Backyard Poultry (With Pictures)

Basically, most chicken breeders choose their chickens based on their level of productivity.

Although it doesn’t really matter, some others choose based on aesthetic purposes such as color.

Whether you want to use your chickens for commercial, ornamental purposes, or as a pet, you will always find a variety of chicken breeds with different colors.

These colors range from black, blue, white, red, lavender, brown, silver, etc.

Nevertheless, in this article, we will be learning about brown chicken breeds.

If you would love to raise this breed, then here is a list of brown chicken breeds you can choose from.

Here is an article you should definitely read after this one; 12 Amazing Red Chicken Breeds (With Pictures)

List of Brown Chicken Breeds.

Below is a list of 15 awesome brown chicken breeds you can add to your flock.

Here we have carefully put together some of the characteristics you will find interesting.

All you need to do is to sit tight and enjoy your reading.

Our list of brown chicken Breeds include;

• ISA Brown chicken
• Buckeye chicken
• Novogen brown chicken
• New Hampshire chicken
• Burford brown chicken
• Brown Leghorn chicken
• Lohmann brown chicken
• Naked Neck chicken
• Bovan Brown chicken
• Buff Brahma chicken
• Welsummer chicken
• Golden comet chicken
• Barnevelder chicken
• Sebright chicken
• Easter Egger chicken

#1.  ISA Brown chicken

One awesome egg layer you can find in the chicken world is the ISA Brown chicken.

These birds are loved by poultry farmers for their egg-laying capacity.

You can totally rely on them to produce up to 300-350 brown eggs in a year.

In addition to this quality, they are also friendly and get along well with humans.

Therefore they make great family pets.

This brown chicken breed has a brown to reddish color and it’s made up of lighter feathers underneath.

Furthermore, they are hardy, very loving, and quiet, and you will find their calm nature very attractive.

The rooster weighs about 6lbs while the hen weighs about 5lbs.

The ISA Brown chicken is also a dual-purpose breed.

Hence, apart from eggs, you can also raise them for meat.

You will love this article about the 15 Black Chicken Breeds You Should Know About (With Pictures).

#2. Buckeye Chicken

Up next is the Buckeye chicken.

Interestingly, this chicken is another cool brown chicken breed developed by a woman.

The name of this woman is Mrs. Nettie Metcalf.

She brought the Buckeye chicken into existence through crossing Barred Plymouth Rock, some Black-breasted Red Game, and Buff Cochins.

Her main aim in creating this breed is to produce a chicken that can conquer and thrive through cold temperatures.

These birds love to forage a lot and love to enjoy their space.

Therefore, if the Buckeye chicken catches your fancy, you should endeavor to provide enough room for them to thrive well.

These unique chickens are made up of deep mahogany-colored feathers, yellow pea combs, skin, and legs.

Furthermore, they are fearless and are not easily scared.

#3.  Novogen Brown Chicken

Another cross-breed chicken on our list is the Novogen Brown Chicken.

They were majorly bred in France for egg production.

The Novogen Brown Chicken can lay up to 5 eggs in a week.

Basically, these chickens were created by crossing Rhode Island Red and Leghorn.

They were made to become hardy chickens that can thrive in most temperatures.

Furthermore, the Novogen Brown Chicken has a calm and gentle personality.

Therefore you can easily get along with them.

Apart from being bred for laying extra-large brown eggs, these chickens also make great farm pets.

Lastly, they are fast-growing birds and can start laying at twenty weeks of age.

Read this article next: Top 15 White Chicken Breeds [With Pictures and FAQs]

#4.  New Hampshire Chickens

Originating from New Hampshire, this chicken breed is one of the oldest breeds you can find.

Usually, they are a small breed with red-brown or chestnut feathers.

They are good dual-purpose breeds and can give you good eggs and meat.

Also, these birds are quite hardy and do well in most weather conditions.

They are normally strong and healthy and make a good breed for starters.

Furthermore, the New Hampshire Hen is moderately broody and can make good mothers.

#5. Burford Brown Chicken

This Burford Brown Chicken is one unique bird that produces old-fashioned dark brown eggs.

In 1980, these birds were commercially bred for egg production in Cotswolds.

These birds are happy to free rangers and can survive basically most weather conditions.

Also, these chickens are quite beautiful and are lovely to be kept as pets.

Under appropriate conditions, the Burford Brown Hen can lay up to 240 thick-shelled dark brown eggs annually.

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#6. Brown Leghorn

The Brown Leghorn chicken is a medium-sized chicken with a slim body.

For this reason, it isn’t an ideal bird for meat.

Nevertheless, they are prolific egg layers and the hens can lay up to 220-300 white eggs in a year.

The rooster is quite beautiful and has orange and black feathers. 

They are also made up of a deep orange body, black wings, and back tails.

On the other hand, the hens are made up of light brown feathers, a light orange neck, and a black tail.

#7. Lohmann Brown Chicken

The Lohmann Brown Chicken is another cross-breed obtained from Rhode Island Breeds and White Rock Breeds.

They have a friendly and curious personality and make good backyard pets.

This brown chicken breed was majorly bred for commercial egg-laying.

They are excellent egg layers and can produce about 300 eggs in a year.

Their egg color is usually brown.

One other thing to note about these chickens is that they love free-range.

Also, they have orange-brown plumage and white highlights.

Although not a fancy birds these birds are large and quite pretty.

#8. Naked Neck Chicken

Just as the name implies the Naked Neck Chicken actually has a Naked Neck.

This distinguishing feature makes them look like turkeys and you can easily pick them out from a crowd.

Nevertheless, more than its looks and bare necks, the Naked Neck chickens have more to offer.

Despite their awkward appearance, they are friendly, cuddly, and loveable.

Furthermore, they are good dual-purpose breeds and are hardy birds too.

They tolerate warmer climates well and their hardiness in cold temperatures depends on their comb size and strain.

Furthermore, Naked Neck chickens are bred for three major purposes namely looks, meat, and eggs.

Read more about the Naked Neck chicken in this article: Naked neck Chicken – Characteristics, Origin, Breed Info, and Lifespan.

#9. Bovan Brown Chicken

These brown chicken breeds are amazing commercial egg producers.

And are loved by most commercial egg producers.

These birds were developed to be a strong and healthy breed by four Dutch families in 1954.

The Bovan Brown hens are quite robust and pretty.

In addition, they have a good appetite and love to be fed well.

Furthermore, these birds are made up of beautiful brown feathers and yellow feet.

Their eggs are of top quality and breeders love them for this.

However, for them to produce top-quality eggs for you, you will have to give them top-quality feed and freshwater.

Nonetheless, these chickens can produce up to 330 quality eggs in a year.

10. Buff Brahma Chicken

Buff Brahma Chicken is known for its good quality meat.

If you know the Brahma chicken well you will agree with me that it’s on the large side.

And because of its large size, it is an ideal breed for meat.

This particular breed called the Buff Brahma has attractive and well-patterned feathers.

You will always love to take a second glance at these chickens.

Moreover, they are also friendly and docile in nature, therefore they easily get along with people.

They also make good family pets for you and your children.

Interestingly these brown chicken breeds are considered giants in the chicken world.

Nevertheless, they love to be cuddled.

Furthermore, these birds are cold hardy therefore they thrive well in cold weather conditions.

You may also like to read about the 17 Largest Chicken Breeds in the World (With Pictures).

#11. Welsummer Chicken

Another elegant brown chicken breed is Welsummer Chicken.

These chickens are attractive birds that are mostly used for ornamental purposes.

They have cool colors that range from copper-tone brown to dusty black along with the tail feathers.

Furthermore, they are really friendly and fun to be with.

In addition, a Welsummer will never be at loggerheads with other chicken breeds in your flock.

These birds do not have excellent laying ability.

However, they lay large eggs.

A Welsummer hen can lay up to 180 reddish-brown eggs in a year.

#12. Golden Comet Chicken

Mainly bred for egg production, the Golden Comet Chicken is one cute chicken you ought to know.

These breeds are made up of red-brown feathers and a fair array of white streaks.

Also, they are hybrid chickens originally developed for the commercial world.

Nevertheless, today they have somewhat found their way into backyards and farms.

Furthermore, these birds do well in what they are created for.

So you can expect a Golden Comet Chicken to lay up to 250-330 brown eggs in a year.

Apart from being one of the best egg layers in the chicken world, they are also very friendly and sweet.

However, if you are looking for a very broody hen to hatch your eggs then the Golden Comet is not for you.

This is because they do not go broody often.

#13. Barnevelder Chicken

The Barnevelder Chicken are good brown chicken breeds that originated from Holland.

These birds are large breeds that are raised for both meat and eggs.

The roosters weigh about 8.5 pounds while the hens weigh about 6 pounds.

Furthermore, the hens can lay about 180 -200 light brown eggs annually.

These amazing chicken breeds have specific colors that are recognized by the standard of perfection.

This color ranges from dark brown to silver varieties.

Barnevelder is calm and active and loves to forage as well.

Nevertheless, they also thrive well in confinement.

#14. Sebright Chicken

Another beautiful brown chicken breed is the Sebright chicken.

The Sebright chicken is popularly known as a true Bantam, which means it has no full-size counterpart.

These birds are mostly used for ornamental and show purposes.

Due to their miniature size, they do not make good foragers as they can easily fall prey to predators.

Nevertheless, they are quite easy to nurture.

These chickens are friendly and get along well with children.

Although they are not excellent egg layers, they can lay about 160 small white eggs in a year.

Furthermore, Sebrights have large wings and can take to flight when frightened by an external force.

If you live in very cold climates then these small chickens could be the right choice for you. 

Because they are cold hardy birds and can easily survive in cold weather conditions.

However, the Sebright chicken hardly goes broody and does not make great mothers.

#15. Easter Egger Chicken

The last brown chicken breed on our list is the Easter Egger Chicken.

These unique birds come in a variety of neutral colors ranging from cream to almost black.

These chickens are distinguished by their blue egg genes.

The hens can lay about 200 blue eggs in a year.

Furthermore, they are dual-purpose breeds raised for both eggs and meat.

Conclusion

If you carefully read to this point, a big thumbs up to you.

Truly, you can see from our list of brown chicken breeds that these chickens are lovable.

Therefore if you want to raise brown chicken breeds, the chickens on our list are up for selection.

Nevertheless, you need to ensure you take good care of them.

Make sure to provide the right environment for them to thrive well.

We hope this article helps you to make a great choice.

If this post was beneficial to you, then you then kindly let us know in the comment section below.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brown Chicken Breeds.

References

• cs-tf– Top 8 brown chicken breeds (Appearance, Personality, and Temperament).
• farmhouseguide– Brown Chicken Breeds.
• petkeen– 33 brown chicken breeds with pictures.