10 Small Chicken Breeds Great For Mini Backyard Area

Small chicken breeds are ideal for raising in small backyards. With many homeowners or renters only having a mini backyard area, scaling back on the size of the animals that live in the backyard will allow you more livestock in a smaller space.

Some small chicken breeds will produce eggs abundantly, some will only lay an occasional egg and some of these tiny fowls will not produce any eggs. Each breed has a unique personality and laying habits, so it’s best to become familiar with the different types before investing time and money into raising them.

Read on to discover the fun facts about 10 of the most popular small chicken breeds we have enlisted for you.

1- Ancona

This attractive chicken originated in Italy but is now popular breed in United States and United Kingdom. It has beetle green feathers tipped with white and will weigh around 3 pound when grown.

This miniature chicken does not make a good pet. They are skittish and have a tendency to fly, so the wings will need to be clipped to keep them from leaving your yard.

Expect around 200 white eggs from the Ancona per year.

2- Appenzeller

The Appenzeller Spitzhauben is the national breed of Switzerland. It has an unusual forward pointing crest, V-shaped comb and featherless legs. This small chicken breed tolerates both cold and heat, plus it loves to climb and roost in trees.

Appenzellers will provide you 200+ white eggs per year. they weight around 5 pound when grown.

This bantam chicken breed needs plenty of space to roam around in and trees for roosting. Related: Egg laying chicken breeds.

3- Barnevelder

Originally from Holland, the Barnevelder is a cross between the Dutch Landrace and Asian jungle fowl.

The glossy black feathers of the bantam breed makes it an attractive addition to the backyard. Non-destructive tendency makes it an ideal garden bird and it will provide you with around 200 medium sized speckled or brown eggs.

Barnevelders are quiet, hardy and don’t mind being in a confined space. Related: rare breeds of chicken.

4- Golden Comet

This breed is a hybrid miniature chicken that has been specifically bred to lay large quantities of eggs and only consume small amounts of food. These are the offspring of a White Rock hen and a New Hampshire rooster.

Golden Comets are cheap to keep and will provide you with hundreds of eggs each year.

Laying almost 300 medium-sized brown eggs per year, these hens are perfect for a small outdoor space.

Golden brown feathers with soft white tail feathers makes this an attractive small chicken.

Golden Comets are a hardy breed that are easy to care for and they adapt to most any environment. They are happy chickens and rarely go broody.

5- Hamburg

Originating in Germany, this miniature chicken shares the same coloration as a Dalmatian dog. The black and white feathers are sometimes tipped with gold color, making it an one of the most attractive breeds. They will provide you with around 200 eggs per year.

This bantam breed does not like to be confined and will become aggressive if not given plenty of space to roam. This small chicken breed is very alert and active and will need a large backyard to move around in. Related: heritage breeds of chickens.

6- Leghorn

Bright white chickens with a thick red comb. This small chicken breed originated in Italy and was brought to the United States in the 1800s.

If you’re looking for a backyard chicken that will grace your landscape with beauty and table with eggs, this is a good choice. Leghorns will produce around 250 white, medium sized eggs per year.

Leghorns are mild mannered chickens, but will not make good pets. They are shy and hard to tame, typically running away when a human approaches them.

7- Marans

These miniature chickens originated in France and are known for their shiny, dark brown eggs and exceptional meat flavor.

Adult hens will reach 7-8 pounds and will tolerate cold well, but they don’t fare well in the heat. They also do well in a small confined space and will provide around 150 eggs per year. When selecting Maran eggs to hatch you should only select the darkest brown eggs to hatch.

Typically gray with white flutters, but can be dark colored. Marans are gentle, but don’t make good pets.

These attractive hens have a thick layer of golden yellow feathers that make them appear very plump, but they will only weigh 3 pounds when grown.

8- Brabanter

Brabanter breed originated in the historic region of Brabant in the Netherlands and is an attractive miniature chicken with cream colored feathers tipped with black.

This small chicken breed is somewhat shy, but friendly, settles in well to a confined space and will attempt to fly when roaming. It will tolerate all climates and produce 150+ large white eggs per year.

9- Sussex

This is another dual purpose breed that provides both eggs and meat. Originating in England, the Sussex chicken made its way to the United States in the 1930s and has been a mainstay among breeders ever since.

This small chicken breed will provide around 250 eggs per years, ranging in color from white to brown. The chicken has eight different feather colors, but most often it will have a white body with black neck and tail feathers.

This bantam breed is non-destructive to gardens and flower bed and will make ideal pets.

10- Plymouth Rock

These gray and whited striped bantam chicken breed is ideal for the beginning chicken keeper. Friendly, easy to tame and well suited to a free range life, Plymouth Rock (also called Barred Rock) hens will lay around 200 medium sized brown eggs per year.

These small chickens are also raised for meat and can withstand cold and hot outdoor temperatures. An adult will weigh 7-8 pounds.

Originally from Holland, the Barnevelder is a cross between the Dutch Landrace and Asian jungle fowl.

Golden Comets are a hardy breed that are easy to care for and they adapt to most any environment. They are happy chickens and rarely go broody. This small chicken breed that provides both eggs and meat. Originating in England, the Sussex chicken made its way to the United States in the 1930s and has been a mainstay among breeders ever since.