Laying hens are chickens bred to lay eggs, and they can be kept indoors and outdoors as long as they have access to a sheltered area.
They come in many different breeds, each with its unique characteristics, but some types of laying hens are hybrids of more than one breed.
Here are 16 different types of hybrid chicken breeds you may want to consider when choosing your chickens.
1. Bovans Goldline
The Bovans Goldline is among the types of hybrid chicken breeds developed in the United Kingdom, and it crosses the Rhode Island Red and the Plymouth Rock chicken breeds.
The Bovans Goldline is a popular choice for egg production, as they are known to lay large brown eggs.
They are also good for meat production as they grow to be large birds.
The Bovans Goldline is a hardy breed and can withstand cold weather well. These chickens require less space than other types of hybrid chicken breeds.
The Bovans Goldline has an attractive appearance with its deep yellow-red feathers.
However, these chickens are not ideal for ornamental purposes because their body shape does not resemble the typical rooster or hen shape.
2. Copper Black
A Copper Black is another of the types of hybrid chicken breeds across a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Plymouth Rock.
This chicken is black with copper-colored feathers on its back and tail. Copper Black is a good layer of brown eggs and is also known for being a friendly bird.
This chicken can live in hot and cold climates and does well in free-range conditions.
The Copper Black was developed by Dr. Tracy A. Morgan, who used the popular Golden Buff to get the base color down before adding the black to create this hybrid chicken breed.
Copper Black is still relatively new but has been accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection as recently as 2012.
You can tell if your chickens are Coppers because they should have a nice copper sheen across their entire back and tail.
3. Black Tail
A Black Tail is a hybrid chicken breed that crosses between a Rhode Island Red and a New Hampshire.
This chicken is known for its black tail feathers, which give it its name.
Black Tails are good egg layers and are also known for being friendly and docile.
The Black Tail is a great option if you’re looking for a hybrid chicken that is good for eggs and meat.
It is best suited to those who want a bird that is hardy and easy to raise.
The Black Tail will thrive in all climates, so whether you live in an area with cold winters or hot summers, this breed will do well for you.
4. Blue Maran
The Blue Maran is a chicken breed developed in France in the late 1800s, and it is a cross between a Croad Langshan and a Coucou de Malines.
The Blue Maran is known for its dark blue-gray plumage caused by a genetic mutation.
The breed was brought to the United States in the early 1900s and has since become one of the most popular chicken breeds.
The Blue Maran is a good egg layer, producing around 200 eggs annually, and the eggs are brown or tan.
The Blue Maran is also known for its docile personality and can be easily trained to do tricks.
5. Amber
One of the most popular types of hybrid chicken breeds is the Amber. Ambers are a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a White Rock.
They are known for being hardy, having good layers, and having a calm disposition.
Amber chickens can lay up to 200 eggs annually and are brown with white splotches on their feathers.
The Amber is known for being able to withstand cold weather well and has a sturdy build.
They will usually be more docile than other hybrids, but they do not tolerate confinement, as well as some other types of hens.
6. Warren
The Warren chicken is a popular hybrid breed known for its egg-laying abilities.
These hybrid chicken breeds can lay up to 280 eggs per year and are also known for being friendly and docile.
In addition, the Warren chicken has many feathers on their backs, which protect them from predators.
7. Bovans Nera
The Bovans Nera is a hybrid chicken breeds created by crossing the Rhode Island Red with the New Hampshire chicken.
This chicken is a good egg layer known for being winter hardy, and it can also use them for meat production.
8. Leghorn
These hybrid chicken breeds are known for their excellent laying abilities and lay up to 325 eggs yearly!
They have been bred to convert feed into eggs, a great option for egg production.
9. Calder Ranger
The Calder Ranger is a hybrid chicken developed in the United Kingdom.
This chicken crosses the Sussex and Rhode Island Red chicken breeds. The Calder Ranger is a large bird weighing up to 12 pounds.
This chicken is known for its brownish-red plumage and ability to lay large brown eggs.
The Calder Ranger is an excellent choice for a versatile chicken breed that can be used for egg and meat production.
They are good producers of both types of food and can lay anywhere from 260-290 eggs per year.
They are also well adapted to cold climates due to their genetics, making them a great option for farmers in colder climates or countries where winter temperatures may not provide ideal conditions for some chickens.
10. Black Rock
A Black Rock chicken is a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Plymouth Rock. The result is a chicken that is good for both egg production and meat.
Black Rocks are known for being calm and friendly, making them a good choice for backyard chickens. They also have the potential to produce around 100 eggs per year.
It would help if you kept these chickens in groups because they enjoy interacting. If they are left alone, they may become bored and destructive.
Like most hens, Black Rocks will lay eggs until their first molt, when hormones decrease egg-laying activity.
They can reach full size at about 6 months old, so make sure you have room before you bring them home!
11. Hebden Black
A popular choice for backyard chicken farmers, the Hebden Black is a friendly bird known for being quiet and docile.
This chicken breed is a great layer, producing large brown eggs. The Hebden Black is a hybrid of the Rhode Island Red and the Plymouth Rock chicken breeds.
This breed can be free-range or cooped up in a cage, as with most chickens.
It’s also easy to find this breed at your local feed store because it’s so common among backyard chicken farmers.
If you are looking for a dual-purpose chicken, this might not be the best option because it’s only moderately good at egg-laying and meat production.
12. Rhode Rock
The Rhode Rock is of dual-purpose types of hybrid chicken breeds used for eggs and meat.
It’s a popular breed because it’s cold, hardy, and has a calm temperament. Rhode Rocks are also known for being good foragers.
This chicken was developed in the United States in the early 1900s by crossing the Rhode Island Red with the White Rock.
The resulting chicken had the best traits of both breeds: hardiness, good egg production, and good meat quality.
Rhode Rocks are available in various colors, including blue, partridge, silver-laced, and white.
If you’re looking for a versatile chicken that can do it all, the Rhode Rock is a great choice!
13. Lohmann Brown
A reliable layer of brown eggs, the Lohmann Brown is a good choice among the types of hybrid chicken breeds for backyard flock owners and those wanting to sell eggs.
They are docile, easy to handle, and have a good feed-to-egg conversion ratio. Some drawbacks of this breed include susceptibility to Marek’s disease and blackhead.
The Lohmann Brown has also been bred so that it cannot survive outside its native climate of Central Europe.
The other downside of the Lohmann Brown is their difficulty adapting to weather changes.
For example, when there was a sudden drop in temperature from summer to winter in southern Ontario in 2009-2010, there was an increased mortality rate among these chickens.
14. Speckled
The Speckled is a hybrid chicken created by crossing the Rhode Island Red with the White Leghorn.
This chicken is known for its red and white speckled feathers and is a popular choice for backyard chicken keepers.
The Speckled is an active chicken that likes to forage and is a good layer of brown eggs.
Another cross that produces similar chickens is the Speckled Sussex, bred from a New Hampshire rooster crossed with a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen.
Another popular hybrid chicken breeds are the Jersey Giant, bred by crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks with New Hampshire.
15. White Star
The White Star is a hybrid chicken developed in the early 1900s. This chicken is a cross between the White Leghorn and the Plymouth Rock.
The White Star is a white chicken with black spots on its feathers. This chicken is known for its egg production and meat quality.
However, it can be slightly skittish and may not be as suitable for backyard living as other breeds.
It is best to feed them high-quality food such as grains, corn, barley, oats, wheat, and vitamin-fortified water.
This breed may also have temperament issues such as aggression or shyness towards humans or other animals.
They are good at flying up to roosts, so you will need to watch out for your eggs being stolen by these birds!
16. Sussex Chicken
The Sussex is a British type of hybrid chicken breeds developed in the county of Sussex in the southeast of England.
The Sussex is a dual-purpose chicken used for egg and meat production. The Sussex is a large chicken, with roosters weighing up to 9 pounds and hens weighing up to 7 pounds.
The Sussex is available in various colors, including white, brown, buff, silver, red, and blue. The most common variety of Sussex is the Speckled Sussex.
The Speckled Sussex was first developed in the 1920s and is characterized by its black and white plumage.
Conclusion
Many different types of hybrid chicken breeds are available, each with unique characteristics. Some common hybrid chicken breeds include the Rhode Island Red, Sussex, and Orpington.
While each breed has its specific traits, all hybrid chickens have some qualities in common, such as being friendly and having good layers of eggs.
If you’re thinking about getting chickens, research the different types of hybrid chicken breeds to find the best fit for your needs.
