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Are you hoping to start a flock of beautiful golden chickens? With over 21 gorgeous buff-feathered breeds to choose from, you’re going to be spoilt for choice!
But when selecting the perfect chicken breed, it’s not just about the feathering – it’s important to also consider whether it’s suited to your needs. Some golden chicken breeds require specialist care, while others will thrive in any situation.
To help you choose, we’ve got everything you need to know about a beautiful array of golden chicken breeds!
1. Buff Orpington
With their beautifully soft golden-yellow feathers, the Buff Orpington is one of the most iconic golden chicken breeds you’ll come across. This friendly breed is especially suited to cold climates and will lay a steady supply of large brown eggs.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Light Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 200-250
2. Golden Laced Wyandotte
Golden Laced Wyandottes are a popular choice for people wanting to rear chickens for both eggs and meat. Their beautiful golden feathers are edged with black, giving their plumage a distinctive mottled effect.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: Light Brown
- Egg Size: Medium
- Eggs Per Year: 150-200
3. Golden Buff
Golden Buff chickens are excellent egg layers and are adaptable to both hot and cold climates. As they are a hybrid breed, Golden Buff chicks can only be purchased from a hatchery and are not a good choice if you want to breed your own flock.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 250-300
4. Buff Brahma
I definitely have a soft spot for Brahmas, as we have three beautiful golden birds as part of our free-range flock. These large, gentle birds are friendly and easy to manage and produce a plentiful supply of large, tasty eggs.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 150-200
5. Golden Polish
Known for their unique feathered crests, Golden Polish chickens have golden feathers mixed with black. These yellow-golden chickens are primarily ornamental birds and, due to their flighty nature, are best kept in a secure coop and run.
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 100-150
6. New Hampshire Red
This golden-brown dual-purpose chicken breed adapts well to a variety of climates and will thrive in both free-range and confined settings. They are popular with homesteaders as they are prolific layers of large brown eggs.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Medium-Large
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 220
7. Buff Rock
Buff Rocks are a golden variety of the popular Plymouth Rock breed. These medium to large birds are dual-purpose, excelling in both egg-laying and meat production. They are hardy and adaptable to cold weather, making them great for free-range or confined environments.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 200-280
8. Golden Campine
You’ll be lucky to come across a Golden Campine chicken – this rare breed is most likely to be found in warmer climates but has fallen out of popularity due to their flighty nature. They don’t cope well with being confined to a coop but will lay prolifically in a free-range flock.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Small-Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Medium
- Eggs Per Year: 200
9. Golden Sebright
A small, ornamental bantam breed weighing under 2 pounds, Golden Sebrights have striking golden feathers laced in black. These active birds do well in free-range setups, though they can be flighty, but are poor egg layers.
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Small
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 60-80
10. Buff Sussex
The Buff Sussex has beautiful golden feathers with black or white accents. They are great layers of large brown eggs and cope well with hot and cold climates. Their friendly and docile nature makes them easy to handle and they adapt well to free-range or confined setups.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 250
11. Golden Cuckoo Marans
Marans are another breed that I have a huge soft spot for, as we reared them on our family farm when I was a child. However, I’d never come across the Golden Cuckoo Maran until now! This large breed lays gorgeous chocolate-colored eggs and has a calm, friendly temperament, making them a great addition to any flock.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Medium-Large
- Egg Color: Dark Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 150-200
12. Golden Spangled Appenzeller Spitzhauben
This breed definitely wins the prize for the fanciest name! A lightweight, flighty breed, the Golden Spangled Appenzeller Spitzhauben boasts golden feathers spangled with black and a distinctive crest. They are excellent foragers and do best in free-range environments in colder climates.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 150
13. Golden Duckwing Phoenix
Famous for their ornamental long tails, the Golden Duckwing Phoenix has a golden chest and body with black or iridescent tails. These golden chickens are poor egg producers and are mostly kept as ornamental birds.
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: Cream
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 50-125
14. Lemon Pyle Brahma
I think the Lemon Pyle Brahma has just been added to my chicken wish list! This beautiful variation of the iconic Brahma has golden feathers accented with shades of lemon, yellow-ish and white.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Brown
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 150-200
15. Golden Spangled Hamburg
Golden Spangled Hamburgs have golden feathers with distinctive black speckles. They are active, lightweight birds and prolific layers of small white eggs. This beautiful breed prefers warmer climates and free-range environments.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Small-Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 150-225
16. Buff Cochin
The Buff Cochin is an extremely large, fluffy ornamental bird with feathered legs. This breed is famed for its strong mothering instinct, and the hens are often used to hatch the eggs of other chickens, turkeys, and ducks.
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: Light Brown
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 100
17. Buff Silkie
Buff Silkies are adorable little fluffy chickens, often kept as pets rather than for egg production. They are very vulnerable to predation and can be bullied by larger chickens, so are best kept in a separate secure enclosure. Like the Cochin, Silkies are excellent mothers.
- Use: Ornamental
- Size: Small
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 100-120
18. Buff Leghorn
Buff Leghorns are spritely, athletic chickens that lay a plentiful supply of large white eggs. This golden chicken breed is well-suited to warmer climates and loves to forage, making it ideal for free-range environments.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Medium
- Eggs Per Year: 280-320
19. Buff Minorca
You don’t get much more golden than the beautiful Buff Minorca chicken! This large Mediterranean breed is exceptionally well-suited to hot climates and prefers to live in a free-range environment.
- Use: Ornamental & Egg Production
- Size: Large
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Large
- Eggs Per Year: 120
20. Golden Penciled Hamburg
This breed rivals the iconic Golden Laced Wyandotte when it comes to its exotic plumage! The beautiful golden feathers are each edged with a dark band, creating a distinctive mottled effect.
- Use: Egg Production
- Size: Small-Medium
- Egg Color: White
- Egg Size: Small
- Eggs Per Year: 150-225
21. Hungarian Yellow
This heritage golden chicken breed is a tough, resilient bird normally reared for both meat and eggs. It is highly adaptable to harsh climates and is commonly kept in a free-range flock.
- Use: Egg & Meat Production
- Size: Medium
- Egg Color: Light Brown
- Egg Size: Medium
- Eggs Per Year: 150
Other Ideas You Might Like
- 14 Best Chicken Breeds That Consistently Lay Great Eggs
- How to Raise Meat Chickens
- How to Choose a Heritage Chicken Breed for the Homestead
Kate Chalmers
Kate is a passionate gardener who has a keen interest in all things related to homesteading and sustainability. She resides in Portugal with her husband and menagerie of animals and has over 15 years of experience in the UK veterinary industry. In 2020, Kate and her husband took on a dilapidated Portuguese house and abandoned olive grove, turning it into an abundant food forest and home for nature.
Life on the homestead is never the same from one day to the next, and Kate has mastered many skills that she is keen to pass on to anyone with an interest in becoming more self-sufficient. Kate believes that living a sustainable lifestyle is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that everyone can make simple changes that connect us back to nature and reduce our impact on the planet.
