Best-of guide

Best Cold-Hardy Chicken Breeds

In a cold climate, hardiness matters more than anything. Every breed here rates excellent for cold tolerance; we rank them by how well they keep laying.

1

Plymouth Rock

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~250/yr.
2

Dominique

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~230/yr.
3

Bielefelder

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~200/yr.
4

Buckeye

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~200/yr.
5

Lavender Orpington

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~200/yr.
6

Wyandotte

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~200/yr.
7

Buff Orpington

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~190/yr.
8

Faverolles

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~180/yr.
9

Jersey Giant

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness, and still lays ~180/yr.
10

Cochin

Excellent in cold

Rated excellent for cold-hardiness.

At a glance

#	Breed	Eggs/yr	Egg color	Temperament	Cold
1	Plymouth Rock	250	brown	docile, friendly, hardy	excellent
2	Dominique	230	brown	calm, docile, hardy	excellent
3	Bielefelder	200	brown	calm, docile, friendly	excellent
4	Buckeye	200	brown	active, friendly, hardy	excellent
5	Lavender Orpington	200	brown	docile, friendly, calm	excellent
6	Wyandotte	200	brown	docile, calm	excellent
7	Buff Orpington	190	brown	docile, friendly, calm	excellent
8	Faverolles	180	cream, tinted	gentle, docile, friendly	excellent
9	Jersey Giant	180	brown	calm, docile, gentle	excellent
10	Cochin	160	brown	calm, docile, friendly	excellent

Specs are compiled from public sources; blank cells mean the figure wasn't available, not zero. Rankings are a starting point — your climate and goals matter too.

Find your exact match in the Breed Finder → Size your coop

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