10 Brown Chicken Breeds for Beginners
Chickens come in dozens of colors. Some are white, blue, gray, lavender, and buff. Of all the chickens, brown chickens are an outstanding staple fowl on any homestead.
Brown chickens have beautiful colors ranging from reddish brown to light brown and dark brown.
Many brown chicken breeds have other notable features like laced feathers and barring. As with raising any chicken breed, adding brown chickens to your flock can be challenging, mainly if you haven’t raised a brown breed before.
There are countless brown chicken breeds, making it difficult to tell which brown breed is excellent for beginners.
Here is a comprehensive rundown of the ten best brown chicken breeds for beginners.
1. ISA Brown
ISA Brown chickens are a fantastic choice of brown breed for beginners who want lots of brown eggs. These are medium-sized birds with rectangular bodies and slight dips to their backs.
These brown birds have upright tails, and most have white tail feathers. They have honey-brown feathers, although some ISA Browns have reddish-brown feathers.
ISA Browns have yellow beaks, feet, legs, and skins. Their wattles and single combs are red. Roosters weigh around 6lb., and females weigh approximately 5 lb.
They lay between 300 and 350 brown eggs yearly, making these chickens great for beginners looking for exceptional egg-laying dynamos.
However, these chickens aren’t suitable for beginners searching for terrific meat-producing fowl because they produce relatively smaller quantities of meat.
These chickens are also ideal for beginners because of their docile and super-friendly temperament.
They are non-aggressive, making them extraordinary backyard chickens. ISA Browns have a lifespan of around 5 to 8 years.
2. Rhode Island Red
Rhode Island chickens are extraordinary brown chickens for beginners interested in raising laid-back layers.
The color of these chickens can vary from red-brown to light brown. They have yellow feet and legs, while the eyes can be orange or red. Rhode Island Reds have brown or red beaks.
They are exceptional for beginners looking for a giant brown breed. Rhode Island Red roosters weigh around 8.5 lb., and females weigh approximately 6.6 lb. Bantam Rhode Island Reds are less popular than the standard Rhode Island Reds.
These chickens can lay about 250 extra-large brown eggs. Rhode Island Reds are also extraordinary brown chickens to raise for meat because of their giant size. Beginners fall in love with these big brown chickens because of their calm and docile disposition.
They are active and make terrific foragers. Rhode Island Reds are some of the hardiest brown chickens and can live for over eight years.
3. Naked Neck Chicken
The brown naked neck chicken is another gorgeous brown variety beginners should consider adding to their flocks. This breed is strange but fascinating.
The chicken is calm, hardy, and suitable for beginners looking for a brown fowl that performs well in hot climates. Brown naked-neck chickens are identifiable from a lack of feathers on their necks and around their vent areas.
They have yellow skin and striking brown feathers. These brown birds have unfeathered legs. These chickens have single combs and large red wattles. Their necks look light-pink or yellow on exposure to sunlight.
These brown chickens are suitable for meat production. Although most naked-neck brown chickens aren’t valuable layers, they are steady layers that produce impressive numbers of light-brown or brown eggs. These birds are excellent table fowl because they are impressively large.
These chickens are easily tamable. Their good-natured and calm personality makes these brown birds worthy for inexperienced chicken keepers. The hardy brown chickens can live for up to a decade.
4. Orpington Chickens
Brown Orpington chickens are also ideal giant chickens for beginner chicken keepers.
Mature brown Orpington chickens are heavy, oversized birds weighing 7 and 8 pounds. These brown chickens have broad and deep bodies. They have ample feathering and single combs.
They also have muscular unfeathered legs. Orpington chickens lay around 170 large brown eggs yearly. These chickens are some of the best brown chickens for meat production because they are way more massive than most large-sized breeds.
Brown Orpington chickens are extraordinary for beginners who want to raise a productive brown breed. They boast a great personality, for they are easy-going and calm. These chickens are also excellent pets for children.
Their average lifespan is between five and ten years.
5. Brahma Chickens
Brown Brahma chickens are among the best brown breeds for beginner chicken keepers.
Like other Brahma varieties, brown Brahmas have large heads and overhanging brows. These chickens have brown feathers on their toes and shanks. They have pea combs and short and strong beaks.
Their foreheads hang over their eyes. These chickens have dense brown plumage with a thick layer of brown feathers extending downwards, making the brown chickens suitable for colder climates.
These chickens measure 12 pounds for cockerels and approximately 9.9 pounds for hens. Although brown Brahma chickens aren’t the most appropriate Brahma variety to raise for eggs, they produce around 150 large brown eggs annually.
Brown Brahma chickens are extraordinary for beginners who want a terrific meat-producing brown breed. Notwithstanding their size, brown Brahma chickens have calm and pleasant personalities, making them excellent for families and beginners.
Like many Brahma varieties, brown Brahmas live for around 5 to 8 years.
6. Legbar Chicken
The brown Legbar chicken is another impressive fowl for beginners. Legbar chickens have compact brown feathers fitting closely to their bodies, making them somewhat smaller than other Legbar varieties.
Brown Legbars have triangular bodies with long flat backs. They also have upright and elongated tails. Brown Legbars are medium-sized brown chickens weighing around 7.5 lb., for roosters and 5.5 lb., for hens.
Brown Legbars are ideal for beginners interested in decent layers. Hens lay around 180 medium-sized light-brown to dark-brown eggs.
Brown Legbars are easy to handle, pleasant, and friendly, which are excellent traits for beginners to look for when selecting a brown breed for their backyard flock.
Legbar chickens are hardy, and most can live for over eight years.
7. New Hampshire Chicken
The brown New Hampshire chicken is a gorgeous and relatively new brown fowl. These chickens have unique red-brown plumage.
Some New Hampshire chickens have beautiful chestnut red or golden-red brown plumage. Overall, New Hampshire chickens have blacks along their tail feathers. Hens have black spots along their neck feathers.
Brown New Hampshire chickens are medium-sized to giant chickens. Males weigh around 8.5 lb., and females weigh approximately 6.5 lb.
Bantam New Hampshire chickens weigh less than a gram, although bantam versions of these chickens are pretty rare. New Hampshire hens are excellent layers because they can lay over 280 eggs annually.
Hens also lay large brown eggs and aren’t broody. New Hampshire chickens are also incredible meat producers, producing a good supply of tasty meat. New Hampshire chickens are great family birds because they are calm and friendly.
They are easily tamable, an aspect you should look for when selecting a brown breed if you are a beginner.
8. Lohmann Brown
The Lohmann Brown chicken breed is a lovely brown breed for beginners venturing into poultry farming, specifically for egg production.
Lohmann Browns are some of the best hybrid layers. These chickens have a dense orange-brown plumage with cream highlights. They have typical combs, short tail feathers, and long necks.
Lohmann Browns have light-brown tail feathers. These chickens have horizontally-oriented bodies. These medium-sized chickens weigh around 3 kg for hens and 4 kilograms for roosters. Lohmann Brown hens are exceptional layers. These hens can lay up to 320 eggs annually.
They also start laying relatively earlier than other brown breeds since young hens start laying when they are around 19 weeks old. Lohmann Brown hens are nonetheless not the best meat birds, although their meat is quite tasty.
Lohmann Browns have a calm, docile and sweet temperament. You can easily hand-tame these chickens, and they aren’t flighty. Lohmann Browns are hardy fowl that can live for over ten years.
9. Welsummer Chicken
The Welsummer chicken is a famous Dutch breed that has been around since the start of the 20th century. These brown chickens have dark brown plumages with white or light brown feather shafts.
They have golden brown nape and neck feathers, giving the birds a golden mantle. Roosters look stunningly beautiful because of their radiant dark brown plumage.
Welsummer chickens are also among the relatively large brown chickens because they weigh around eight lb., for males, and approximately six lb., for females.
Welsummer chickens lay about 180 large, dark-brown eggs. People breed these chickens for eggs but not strictly for meat.
Welsummer chickens are friendly, intelligent, and calm. They can live between six and nine years.
10. Cinnamon Queen
Cinnamon Queen chickens are a cross of Rhode Island Whites and Rhode Island Reds.
Although Cinnamon Queen chickens are new to the poultry world, they are becoming famous hybrid brown chickens for beginners. These chickens are gorgeous, thanks to their spicy brown shades, which have white patches and tips.
Their tail feathers are light-brown, while their combs are red. Male Cinnamon Queens weigh around 6lb., while females weigh approximately 5 lb.
Cinnamon Queens lay between 250 and 300 eggs annually. They also provide their owners with tasty brown-skinned meat. Cinnamon Queens are docile and sweet birds. They are some of the most adorable brown chickens you can add to your flock.
However, Cinnamon Queens don’t have an impressive lifespan since these chickens have a lifespan of below five years.
Conclusion
Brown chickens are gorgeous. These chickens are friendly and most have a calm and docile temperament, making them exceptional chickens to add to the flock.
You can pick any of these ten brown chicken breeds if you want a lovely brown breed to include in your flock for eggs, meat, or aesthetics.
