The 3 Main Types of Chicken Breeds: Broilers, Layers, and Dual-Purpose

When people raise chickens, they usually focus on three types: broilers, layers, and breeds that can do more than one thing. Over the years, each type has been carefully bred to be great at either producing meat or eggs, or both. It’s important to know the pros and cons of these three types of chickens so you can choose the best breed for your needs.

Broiler Chickens: Bred for Efficient Meat Production

As their name suggests, broilers are bred to produce meat. Over the years, broiler chickens’ genes and bodies have been tweaked to help them gain muscle quickly and turn food into meat as efficiently as possible.

Broilers gain weight and muscle the fastest of all the chicken breeds. They can reach slaughter weight between 5 and 7 weeks of age, while other chicken breeds take 12 to 16 weeks. Because they grow so quickly, they need to be carefully managed to avoid health problems, but this makes them perfect for making tender, meaty chicken products.

The most popular broiler breed is the Cornish Cross, a hybrid cross between a Cornish and Plymouth Rock chicken. Cornish Cross broilers have an incredible feed conversion ratio, requiring only 1.99-2.01 lbs of feed to produce 1 lb of body weight. Other breeds like the Red Ranger and Vantress sometimes used as broilers too.

Since broiler chickens dedicate most of their energy and nutrients towards fast muscle growth, they are poor egg layers, producing only 100-150 small white eggs per year. Broilers are also prone to leg problems and heart issues due to their rapid weight gain. Providing the proper diet and avoiding overfeeding is crucial for their health.

Overall, broilers like the Cornish Cross are the go-to for efficient, large-scale meat production. Their rapid growth allows them to reach market weight in just 5-7 weeks.

Layer Chickens: Prolific Egg Producers

On the other end of the spectrum, layer chickens have been bred to produce eggs as efficiently and prolifically as possible While they grow slower and have less meat than broiler breeds, dedicated egg laying breeds can produce up to 300 eggs per year

Layer breeds like the Leghorn, Isa Brown, and Australorp come into lay around 18-20 weeks of age. In their first year, it’s common for layer hens to produce over 250 eggs. After the first year, annual production drops slightly to 200-220 eggs as the hen ages. However, a quality layer breed can continue laying over 150 eggs per year for several years.

Layer breeds are very good at turning food into eggs so they can keep up with their high egg production. But while they lay a lot of eggs, they don’t produce as much meat as broilers or breeds that can do more than one thing. Layers can also have problems like prolapse and fatty liver syndrome if they don’t take care of their health and diet.

Since eggs are their priority, typical layer breeds like the White Leghorn have a very slender body type optimized for egg production rather than meat. If you’re looking to fill cartons with eggs, a good layer breed is the way to go.

Dual-Purpose Chicken Breeds

For small-scale farming or backyard flocks, dual-purpose chicken breeds offer the flexibility of both meat and egg production from a single bird. Dual-purpose breeds don’t grow as fast as broilers or lay as many eggs layers, but they produce respectable yields of both.

Some examples of dual-purpose heritage breeds include Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, and Orpington chickens. These breeds mature in 16-24 weeks and hens lay around 200 eggs per year. The hens weigh 5-8 lbs at maturity, making them large enough to produce a decent carcass as well.

The longer growth period of dual-purpose breeds results in more flavorful meat and stronger bones compared to broiler chickens. Their egg production, while less than a dedicated layer, still provides a steady supply for small farms. The ability to utilize the same breed for both eggs and meat makes dual-purpose chickens ideal for self-sufficient backyard farming.

Dual-purpose breeds are also frequently docile, cold hardy, and make good mothers, making them excellent all-around homestead chickens. Their hardiness suits them well for small farms and preppers looking for versatile poultry breeds.

Key Differences Between The Types

To summarize the key differences:

• Broilers grow extremely fast but don’t lay many eggs. Best for large-scale meat production.

• Layers are prolific egg producers but don’t yield as much meat. Optimized for maximizing eggs.

• Dual-purpose breeds offer flexibility for small farms to raise the same breed for both eggs and meat.

Choosing the Right Chicken Type For You

When deciding which of the three main types of chickens to raise, first consider your priorities. Do you want to maximize egg production, meat yield, or have a balance of both?

If developing a large-scale poultry operation for meat production is the goal, a high-performance broiler breed is likely the best option. For small hobby farms focused on a steady egg supply instead, a dedicated layer breed makes more sense. And for diversified homesteads, dual-purpose breeds offer the flexibility of both products from a single breed.

Other considerations are growth rate, cost of feed, and health management. Broilers are the most feed-efficient for converting feed to meat, but require diligent oversight to prevent health issues. Layers devour calcium-rich feed to support egg production. And dual-purpose breeds strike a balance while requiring less intensive management.

With hundreds of chicken breeds to choose from, there’s a type suitable for every niche. Whether you’re after tender broiler meat, a basket of colorful eggs, or want to raise a classic dual-purpose breed, understanding the qualities of these three main types of chickens is key to picking the right fowl for your farm.