The Ultimate Homestead Chicken Showdown: Comparing 8 Popular Breeds for a Dual-Purpose Flock
Raising chickens on your homestead can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, providing you with fresh eggs, meat, and the joy of caring for these wonderful creatures. With so many chicken breeds to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which one is best suited for your homestead. In this blog post, we will share our experiences and insights on eight popular chicken breeds: Plymouth Barred Rock, Columbia Rock Cross, New Jersey Giants, Delaware, White Leghorn, Araucana, Ayam Cemani and Cornish Cross. We have raised all these birds ourselves and while some of them are not considered a dual-purpose breed, we still want to offer the information we have on them for you to compare. We will compare their characteristics, pros, and cons to help you determine the best overall dual-purpose bird for your homestead complete with a chart below to help you make your own decision.
Breed Overview:
Plymouth Barred Rock
Columbia Rock Cross
New Jersey Giants
Delaware
White Leghorn
Araucana
Ayam Cemani
Cornish Cross
Plymouth Barred Rock
Appearance: Barred Rocks have a distinctive black-and-white striped pattern, with a bright red comb and wattle.
Egg Production: Good, producing around 200-280 large brown eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Good, known for their tender and flavorful meat.
Temperament: Friendly, docile, and easily handled, making them great for families and children.
Columbia Rock Cross
Appearance: White feathers with black accents on neck and tail feathers, red comb and wattles.
Egg Production: Good, producing around 200-280 large brown eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Good, known for their juicy and tender meat.
Temperament: Friendly, calm, and adaptable to various environments.
New Jersey Giants
Appearance: Large, black or blue-feathered chickens with a bright red comb and wattle.
Egg Production: Good for around 200-240 eggs per year, large brown eggs.
Meat Quality: Good, known for their substantial breast size and quality meat.
Temperament: Docile and friendly, making them good for families and mixed flocks.
Delaware
Appearance: White-feathered birds with black markings on necks and tails, with a bright red comb and wattle.
Egg Production: Good, producing around 200-280 large brown eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Good, known for their quality meat and large size.
Temperament: Friendly, calm, and adaptable to various environments.
White Leghorn
Appearance: White-feathered birds with a tall and slim build, featuring a bright red comb and wattle.
Egg Production: Excellent, producing around 280-320 large white eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Moderate, not typically bred for meat production due to their slender build.
Temperament: Skittish and flighty, requiring more secure housing and handling with care.
Araucana
Appearance: Comes in various colors, with rumples, and tufted.
Egg Production: Moderate, producing around 180-240 medium-sized blue or green eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Moderate, not typically bred for meat production due to their smaller size.
Temperament: Friendly, docile, and cold-hardy, making them great for families and cooler climates.
Ayam Cemani
Appearance: Unique, entirely black appearance, including their feathers, skin, bones, and organs.
Egg Production: Moderate, producing around 150-200 medium-sized cream-colored eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Moderate, not typically bred for meat production due to their smaller size, but their meat is considered a delicacy in some cultures.
Temperament: Friendly and easy to handle, making them suitable for small backyards and families.
Cornish Cross
Appearance: White-feathered birds with a stocky build, featuring a bright red comb and wattle.
Egg Production: Poor to moderate, producing around 100-180 medium-sized brown eggs per year.
Meat Quality: Excellent, bred specifically for meat production due to their rapid growth and large breast size.
Temperament: Docile and calm, but not typically kept as pets or in mixed flocks due to their primary purpose as a meat bird.
A flock of mixed Araucanas we inherited
Now that we have a brief overview of each breed's characteristics, we can compare them based on their egg production, meat quality, temperament, and overall suitability for a homestead.
Egg Production:
Best: White Leghorn (280-320 large white eggs per year)
Good: Plymouth Barred Rock, Columbia Rock Cross, Delaware, and New Jersey Giants (around 200-280 large brown eggs per year)
Moderate: Araucana and Ayam Cemani (around 150-240 eggs per year, with Araucana producing blue-green eggs and Ayam Cemani producing cream-colored eggs)
Poor to Moderate: Cornish Cross (around 100-180 medium-sized brown eggs per year)
Meat Quality:
Excellent: Cornish Cross
Good: Plymouth Barred Rock, Columbia Rock Cross, Delaware, and New Jersey Giants
Moderate: White Leghorn, Araucana, and Ayam Cemani
Temperament:
Friendly & Docile: Plymouth Barred Rock, Columbia Rock Cross, New Jersey Giants, Delaware, and Araucana
Skittish & Flighty: White Leghorn
Friendly & Easy to Handle: Ayam Cemani
Docile & Calm: Cornish Cross
Here’s a chart with a breakdown
| Breed | Egg Production | Meat Quality | Temperament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Barred Rock | Good (200-280 large brown eggs per year) | Good | Friendly & Docile |
| Columbia Rock Cross | Good (200-280 large brown eggs per year) | Good | Friendly & Docile |
| New Jersey Giants | Good (200-240 large brown eggs per year) | Good | Friendly & Docile |
| Delaware | Good (200-280 large brown eggs per year) | Good | Friendly & Docile |
| White Leghorn | Best (280-320 large white eggs per year) | Moderate | Skittish & Flighty |
| Araucana | Moderate (180-240 medium-sized blue-green eggs per year) | Moderate | Friendly & Docile |
| Ayam Cemani | Moderate (150-200 medium-sized cream-colored eggs per year) | Moderate | Friendly & Easy to Handle |
| Cornish Cross | Poor to Moderate (100-180 medium-sized brown eggs per year) | Excellent | Docile & Calm |
Considering these factors, the best overall dual-purpose bird for a homestead would be the Plymouth Barred Rock or Columbia Rock Cross. Both breeds have good egg production and meat quality, making them a great choice for both purposes. Additionally, they have friendly and docile temperaments, making them ideal for families and easy to handle. They are also adaptable to various environments, making them suitable for a wide range of homesteads.
However, it's essential to consider your specific needs and preferences when choosing the right breed for your homestead. If egg production is a priority, the White Leghorn may be a better choice, but keep in mind their flighty temperament. If you're looking for a unique addition to your flock, Araucanas with their blue-green eggs or Ayam Cemani with their striking black appearance might be a good fit. Ultimately, the best choice for your homestead will depend on your priorities and goals.
This year on the homestead, we are making some changes. Instead of going for a more dual-purpose breed, we have decided to bring in White Leghorns for egg production and Red Rangers for meat. This will be our first time raising the Red Rangers, so we are excited to see how they do. From the research we’ve done, they are more active than Cornish Cross, which we’ve raised in the past, and the Rangers like to forage around for their protein rather than just sitting around waiting to be fed like the Cornish Cross. Stay tuned for that blog in the future!
Throughout our backyard poultry-raising adventure, we've found the Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens to be an incredibly helpful resource. We personally own the 3rd edition, but an updated 4th edition is now available. Both editions offer extensive information on breed selection, appropriate housing, feeding, healthcare, and managing both egg-laying and meat-producing chickens. If you're thinking about raising your own backyard poultry, we highly recommend adding either edition of this book to your collection.
You can find the 3rd edition on Amazon via our affiliate link here: Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition and the 4th edition here: Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition. By purchasing through these links, you'll be supporting our homesteading endeavors at no extra cost to you. Enjoy your poultry-raising journey!
