🐔 30 breeds, one page

Which breed should you hatch?

Egg production, temperament, hardiness, and size for 10 chicken, 10 duck, and 10 quail breeds — compared side by side.

TL;DR — Most eggs: Leghorn (chickens, 280–320/yr), Khaki Campbell (ducks, 300+/yr), Pharaoh Coturnix (quail, ~300/yr). Best for beginners and families: Orpington and Plymouth Rock (calm, cold-hardy). Fastest to eggs: Coturnix quail — laying by 8 weeks old.
Chickens

🐓 Chicken breed comparison

ImageBreedEgg Production (per year)TemperamentHardiness
Rhode Island Red henRhode Island Red250+AssertiveCold-hardy
White Leghorn chickenLeghorn280–320FlightyHeat-tolerant
Buff Orpington chickenOrpington200+CalmVery cold-hardy
Barred Plymouth Rock chickenPlymouth Rock200–250DocileCold-hardy
Black Australorp chickenAustralorp250–300FriendlyAll climates
Speckled Sussex chickenSussex250–275GentleCold-hardy
Welsummer chicken, layer of dark brown eggsWelsummer160–200AlertModerate
Easter Egger chicken, layer of colored eggsEaster Egger200–280SweetVariable
Barnevelder chicken with double-laced feathersBarnevelder150–200QuietModerate
Marans chicken, layer of chocolate-brown eggsMarans150–200ReservedCold-hardy
Ducks

🦆 Duck breed comparison

ImageBreedEgg Production (per year)BehaviorSize
Khaki Campbell duckKhaki Campbell300+ForagerMedium
White Pekin duckPekin200–250CalmLarge
Indian Runner duck standing uprightIndian Runner250–300UprightLight
Blue Swedish duckSwedish120–180QuietHeavy
Cayuga duck with iridescent black plumageCayuga100–150CalmMedium
Buff Orpington duckBuff Orpington150–200DocileMedium
Ancona duck with broken color patternAncona200–280FriendlyMedium
Muscovy duckMuscovy80–120QuietLarge
Magpie duck with black and white markingsMagpie200–280DocileLight
Saxony duckSaxony190–240GentleLarge
Quail

🐥 Quail breed comparison

ImageBreedEgg Production (per year)Growth RateTemperament
Coturnix (Japanese) quailCoturnix (Japanese)250–300FastDocile
Bobwhite quailBobwhite100–150SlowFlighty
Button quailButton QuailLowFastSkittish
Pharaoh Coturnix quailPharaoh Coturnix300FastFriendly
Texas A&M white quailTexas A&M300FastQuiet
Italian Coturnix quailItalian Coturnix280FastDocile
Tibetan quailTibetan Quail270FastShy
Golden Manchurian quailGolden Manchurian280FastSkittish
British White quailBritish White290FastCalm
Red Coturnix quailRed Coturnix260FastBold

Picked a breed? Get the exact incubation settings in the hatching guide, then find the right machine on our best incubators page.