Did you know that there are a wide variety of chicken colors beyond white, black, red, and brown? Chickens can come in many colors, including less common colors such as lavender, wheaten, blue, and silver.
Are you looking for a beautiful and colorful chicken to add to your flock?
There are so many different pretty chicken breeds to learn about.
While feathers are usually the most eye-catching and beautiful trait about a chicken, this is not always the case. Some chickens have colorful skin that comes in shades of blue or green. Others lay vibrant blue eggs that look as if they had been dyed!
Keep reading for a list of the top 17 most beautiful chicken breeds…
Related: The 15 Friendliest Chicken Breeds That Love People
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17. Sicilian Buttercup
Sicilian Buttercups come in a beautiful golden-buff color with black diagonal spangles on their feathers.
These chickens have a unique buttercup comb that is only found in Sicilian Buttercups.
Their comb is crown-like and takes the shape of a circular cup with many points.
Sicilian Buttercups are also rather rare.
They are best for more experienced keepers because they tend to be very active and loud. They need plenty of space and do not handle confinement well. Hens are also quite flighty, especially if they are not handled regularly.
16. Speckled Sussex
The Speckled Sussex is a beautiful variety of the Sussex Chicken.
They have rich mahogany feathers with white tips.
This breed has ancient origins dating back to the Roman Empire and has been refined over the years to create the chicken we know and love today.
Sussex hens are amazing eggs layers and can lay 4-5 light brown medium eggs per week.
Hens have a kind and gentle temperament and enjoy receiving treats and affection from their keepers. They are also confident and self-assured which makes it hard to startle them.
They can also tolerate a wide range of temperatures and are very beginner friendly.
15. Ameraucana
The Ameraucana is well known for having many beautiful color varieties.
Black, blue, blue wheaten, brown red, buff, silver, wheaten, and white are the most popular colors.
Another colorful surprise is that these chickens lay light blue eggs.
These chickens are independent and self-sufficient.
They carry themselves in a confident manner and are not easily spooked. They are smart and alert, which helps them to avoid predators. This makes them a good choice for beginners.
These hens are friendly and interested in what you are up to, but they are not exactly cuddly.
14. Brahma
The Brahma is a giant chicken that comes in three different colors (light, dark, or buff).
Each variety has tail and neck feathers that are tipped with black. What differs between varieties is the base color. Light Brahmas tend to be white or a very light gray. Dark Brahmas are different shades of dark gray, black, or even dark brown. Buff Brahmas are often considered the most beautiful and can have orange, gold, and cream hues.
Brahmas are the gentle giants of the chicken world.
They are a very docile and peaceful.
Although they are not the most affectionate breed out there, they are very friendly and tolerant of children.
They are a healthy dual purpose breed that lays 3-4 large brown eggs a week. A quality that makes this breed unique is that they tend to lay mostly during the cooler months. Their peak egg laying period is in the winter, which is often when other chickens are laying the least.
13. Wyandotte
The Wyandotte comes in a wide range of fancy color varieties.
While you can find them in solid colors such as black, buff, and white, this breed is better known for the many exciting patterns they come in, such as barred, silver-laced, and even mille fleur!
There are over 30 different varieties.
Wyandottes have a calm and docile temperament.
They are curious and often enjoy checking out what you are up to, but they are not considered to be affectionate. They prefer chickens of their own breed and are prone to acting distant towards other breeds when kept in a mixed flock.
You can learn more about this breed here.
12. Barnevelder
The Barnevelder is a beautiful heritage breed that comes in a handful of different multi-color varieties. The most colorful variety is the double-laced gold.
These chickens have an elegant black arrowhead pattern on top of a gold base.
Barnevelders are a dual-purpose breed that lay a good amount of brown eggs. Originally, they were bred to lay chocolate colored eggs. Nowadays many hens lay light brown eggs but it is possible to find hens that have retained the dark brown egg color.
They make great mothers and excel at raising chicks. If you want to help a rare chicken breed recover, they will pull their weight and help out with the chicks!
11. Thüringian
The Thüringian is a very rare breed of chicken.
These beautiful chickens are often bi-colored and come in various shades of red, white, and black. They also have fluffy beards and a muff that can be either a solid color or speckled.
Hens are known for being good-natured and confident.
They get along well with most other breeds and are very curious. They will be the first to check out anything new in their environment.
However, Thüringians are not the most productive breed. Most people choose to keep this chicken either for their looks or to help conserve a heritage breed.
10. Russian Orloff
The Russian Orloff comes in a few different color varieties, but the Spangled Russian Orloff is a real eye-catcher with their beautiful coloration.
These chickens have deep mahogany feathers that have white and black tips.
Their name is quite misleading because they are not actually from Russia. The breed originated in Persia but was popularized in the 1800s by the Russian Count Orlov.
Russian Orloffs are extremely cold hardy. Their large beard and muff helps to keep their face warm, and their tiny walnut comb, wattle and earlobes help them to conserve body heat.
They are great foragers and are relatively calm and quiet.
9. Cochin
Cochins are another breed on this list that come in many different color varieties.
You can find these chickens in beautiful colors ranging from buff to silver.
These hens are large and fluffy and even have feathers on their legs and feet.
Cochins are very affectionate and love to be cuddled. They are really laid-back too and will get along with all members of the flock.
Because of their fluffiness they have trouble in hotter environments and need plenty of shade to help keep them cool.
8. Cream Legbar
The Cream Legbar has a very distinct appearance.
They are a cream color with gray barring and salmon speckling on their front half. They also have a crest of colorful feathers on the top of their head.
However, their feathers are not the only colorful thing about this breed. They also lay around 4 blue eggs a week.
Legbars are known for being beginner-friendly and low maintenance.
They are very curious and love to explore.
This makes them excellent foragers and pest controllers.
7. Brabanter
The Brabanter breed has a very unique appearance.
The most common color is cream but there are many different color varieties. Other eye-catching color varieties include blue-laced and chamois spangled.
This is a rarer chicken breed that originated in Belgium and the Netherlands in the 1600s.
Hens are great egg-layers and lay 3-4 large white eggs each week. American strains tend to be better egg-layers than European strains and they tend to continue laying throughout the fall and winter.
Brabanters are rather active and self-sufficient. They forage well and love having tons of space. They are quite good at climbing and flying though so you need to keep them in a run. They are also very alert, which helps them to evade predators.
They are best described as goofy and affectionate chickens that love human interaction.
6. Barbu d’Uccle
The Barbu d’Uccle is one of the most beautiful chicken breeds.
They are extremely colorful and can be found in twenty different color varieties.
Whether you are looking for an orange hen with black and white speckling, a cream hen with dove gray and white markings, or even a blueish gray chicken, this breed is sure to have at least one color combination that will catch your eye.
Their fluffy muffs, beards, and feathered feet only add to their looks.
Barbu d’Uccles are small, charming bantams.
They have a sweet and gentle demeanor. They love to explore and will amuse you with their antics. Belgian d’Uccles can also be quite talkative at times and love to chatter softly.
These small beautiful hens are relatively easy to care for due to their friendly disposition and small size. They also lay a decent amount of adorable cream eggs every week.
5. Polish
Polish Chickens are one of the most beautiful breeds and come in a remarkable number of color varieties.
Ten color varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association, but countless unofficial color varieties have been created.
What really makes them stand out is the colorful feathers on their head. It makes them look like they have a quirky hair-do, and some times these feathers can even be different colors.
Their appearance quickly made them more popular as show birds.
Polish are very calm and docile.
They also tolerate handling well and are beginner friendly. If you are new to keeping chickens but want to raise an ornamental breed, Polish chickens might be perfect for you.
4. Swedish Flower Hen
Swedish Flower Hens are an adorable speckled breed.
There is so much genetic diversity that no two hens will look alike, even if they are both the same color variety.
Usually they are some shade of brown with white speckling, but it is also possible for them to have three or more colors. Some individuals are brown with white and black speckling, or brown and black with white speckling.
They are very calm and docile, all while being independent. They are easy to handle and love attention from their owners. However, if you do not have much time to spare, they have no problem with keeping themselves busy.
Swedish Flower Hens are also known for being very hardy.
The one downside is they love to chatter loudly, which makes them better suited for a rural environment.
3. Salmon Faverolle
The Salmon Faverolle is one of the few chicken breeds that is salmon colored.
Their body feathers range from a light pinkish-tan to a darker honey brown. The darker feathers are often located on their head, neck, back, wings, and tail. They typically have a large white muff and beard that give them a cute and beautiful appearance.
Salmon Faverolles are dual-purpose and will provide you with 3-4 medium brown eggs a week.
However, they are best known for their dramatic personality.
This is a very animated breed and watching them is sure to keep you entertained.
2. Houdan Chicken
You can find the Houdan Chicken in either a white or mottled color.
The mottled color is the more beautiful of the two varieties. These chickens have a black body with white spots. Their impressive crests and beards are also mottled. Surprisingly, even the legs of mottled Houdans are speckled!
Historically they were kept as a dual-purpose breed but as modern production breeds were created Houdans became more of an ornamental breed.
Hens tend to be quiet, calm, and affectionate.
They are on the quiet side and can tolerate confinement fairly well. This makes these chickens suitable for urban life.
1. Silkie
Silkies are an adorable fuzzy chicken that come in many color varieties.
They have beautiful blue or black skin. Even their muscles and bones have a blueish black tint.
Silkies are one of the quieter breeds. This makes them a good choice if you have neighbors that would not enjoy hearing your chickens!
They are very broody and make exceptional mothers. They are also extremely affectionate, which makes them the perfect lap chicken or family pet.
Because they are very docile they can get bullied if you have a mixed flock with more assertive breeds, so make sure to keep an eye out for this. Also because of their fluffy feathers they can struggle in bad weather.
Summary
Some chicken breeds have one unique multi-colored pattern that is absolutely stunning. Other breeds have so many different color varieties that you could create one giant colorful flock from all of them alone.
Throw in different markings on top of that, such as speckling or lacing, and there is no end to the color combinations you can find.
Some beautiful breeds make great lap chickens, while others are more suited to be aloof egg producers for your family.
Whether you are looking for a calm, lovable bird with pretty feathers or a hard-willed independent hen, there is a chicken best suited for every type of flock.
Did you find a breed that is perfect for your flock?
Let us know in the comments section below…
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