These chicken breeds have a unique coloration, which makes them stand out amongst their ‘normal’ counterparts. Here we have gathered a list of the top 8 white chicken breeds, which not only look beautiful but also offer some interesting benefits for the owner.
Here are some of the most popular white chicken breeds: White Leghorn, Rhode Island White, White Plymouth Rock, White Australorp, Bresse Gauloise, Yokohama, and Sultan.
White chicken breeds are those that have white feathers. While most chicken breeds have brown or black feathers and skin, white ones are quite rare.
In this article, we are going to talk about eight of the most stunning white chicken breeds and everything you need to know about them.
8 Stunning White Chicken Breeds
White Australorp
- Appearance: Australorps appear to be large chickens with soft feathers.
- Color: Australorps come in a variety of black, blue, and white colors. Their sheen appears to be beetle green, especially when directed to sunlight. Legs are free of feathers and should be slate blue or black in hue. Each foot has four toes, and the soles should be either white or light in color. They have red earlobes, wattles, and combs. Their eyes are black, and their beak is a dark color.
- Lifespan: It has a lifespan of up to 8 years.
- Size: Observed as large birds
- Weight: Australrops normally weigh about 8-10 lbs.
- Diet: Greeny foods, seeds, and even small bugs
- Place of Origin: Autralorps originate back in Australia.
- Characteristics: According to official Australian trapnest testing, an Australorp hen produced 364 eggs in 365 days, setting the record for highest egg production in the world. The black birds of Australorps have a striking beetle-green sheen, dark eyes, and deep bodies and are extremely active. Its eggshell is brown in color. The meat from this chicken is also consumed. They also adapt well to cold weather.
White Plymouth Rock
- Appearance: Plymouth Rock chickens are notable for their size and compact body, with large breasts and a central tail. They have hardiness in their feathers and bones that enables them to withstand harsh conditions, so they have been able to survive in many parts of the world.
- Color: Popular colors include white and blue variations, although there are other variations like partridge, buff, silver penciled, and columbian.
- Lifespan: 6-10 years
- Size: Heavy
- Weight: 8-10 lbs
- Diet: Calcium boost food and normal feeds
- Place of Origin: America
- Characteristics: Their docile nature makes them an excellent choice for a small backyard flock or family farm. The birds have good eating quality, and they produce delicious eggs. Plymouth Rock chickens are bred for their meat and their eggs.
Rhode Island White
- Appearance: They have red earlobes, a medium-sized comb, and pure white plumage.
- Color: They have medium-sized, bright red rose-shaped combs and reddish earlobes. Its beak is yellow in color.
- Lifespan: 8 years or more
- Size: Moderate
- Weight: 6-9 lbs
- Diet: Usual feeds
- Place of Origin: Rhode Island, USA
- Characteristics: It can be used for food and as an egg-laying chicken. They’re also noted for their friendly and docile temperament. The Rhode Island White is a good layer of large brown eggs, and most exhibit good egg production each year. This breed does not require a lot of housing, so it makes an excellent backyard chicken.
Bresse Gauloise
- Appearance: Its varieties come with large combs. They feature medium-sized, compact bodies and legs with a hue of steel. The most prevalent color of their feathers is white, yet they can also be gray, black, blue, or black. They have big, rounded eyes.
- Color: White body, blue legs, and red comb like the flag of France.
- Lifespan: 12 years in maximum
- Size: Large
- Weight: 5-8 lbs
- Diet: Cereals and dairy products
- Place of Origin: France
- Characteristics: Its main use has been for meat and eggs. Bresse Gauloise chicken is a slow-growing breed of chicken known for its intense, rich flavor. Its tight-feathered body structure, smooth cinnamon skin, and large breast are aged for two years before reaching market weight. Its meat is particularly flavorful due to its double layer of skin, which allows more fat to accumulate on the meat.
Yokohama
- Appearance: The Yokohama is a small chicken with long saddle feathers that trail behind it and an incredibly long tail. It has a walnut- or pea-comb. The legs, feet, and beak are all yellow.
- Color: Legs, feet, and beak are all yellow.
- Lifespan: 6-8 years
- Size: Small
- Weight: 3-6 lbs
- Diet: Vegetables, insects, and bugs
- Place of Origin: Japan
- Characteristics: They are renowned for their quality, longevity, and hardiness.
Sultan
- Appearance: Fully feathered bird with v-shaped combs. It also has long tails.
- Color: Pure white with varieties of blue and black
- Lifespan: 5-8 years
- Size: Small
- Weight: 4-6 lbs
- Diet: Garden insects
- Place of Origin: Turkey
- Characteristics: Sultan chickens produce white-colored eggs and their legs are also feathered.
White Leghorn
- Appearance: They have bright yellow beaks, skin, and legs. They also have white earlobes. Their feet feature four toes, and their legs and skin are yellow.
- Color: They have red ear tufts and either a single or rose-colored comb; this breed’s white earlobes indicate that it produces white eggs. The beak is yellow, and the eyes are orange-red.
- Lifespan: 5 or more years
- Size: Small
- Weight: 4-7 lbs
- Diet: Calcium-rich food
- Place of Origin: Tuscany
- Characteristics: White leghorn chickens are a small breed of chicken that lays a large number of eggs. They can lay up to 300 eggs. The white leghorn is a docile bird that does not require any extra attention or feeding to stay healthy.
White Araucana
- Appearance: They can be pure white with yellow skin, but it also comes in a variety of different colors. Their eggs are bluish in color.
- Color: Araucanas come in various colors, including black, buff, white, blue, wheaten blue, silver, and brown-red.
- Lifespan: More than 8 years
- Size: Medium to Large
- Weight: 5-7 lbs
- Diet: Usual feeds
- Place of Origin: USA
- Characteristics: They are yellow-skinned blue egg layers without tails, beards, or muffs. Araucanas can produce feathers from a thin, fleshy flap right below the ear called ear tufts.
How Many Chicken Breeds Are There?
There are approximately more than 50 chicken breeds in the United States.
The American Poultry Association (APA) has identified over 50 breeds of chickens, with more being added all the time. The APA’s official poultry breed list contains more than 50 breeds of large chickens plus those of the bantam breeds.
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Can Different Chicken Breeds Live Together?
Different chicken breeds can live together, but it’s important to do your research about the breed of chicken you’re planning to buy.
If you decide to house multiple breeds of chickens in the same coop, it’s best to house them with different breeds, so they don’t fight over resources or territory. Some breeds are more aggressive than others, so taking into account the different personalities and temperaments of different chicken breeds is a must.
How to Become a Chicken Breeder?
If you are thinking about becoming a chicken breeder, the first thing to do is make sure that you have a good understanding of what it takes. A chicken breeder should have extensive knowledge of chickens, their behavior, and needs, as well as knowledge of food production and genetics. It’s also important for a chicken breeder to have experience with raising chickens for meat or egg production to be successful at their job.
The next step is finding out if there are any local poultry farms in your area that would be willing to give some of their surplus eggs or chicks away to new owners who want to learn how to raise poultry. If there aren’t any local farms, consider contacting other breeders and purchasing chicks.
The next step is finding land for your farm and setting up fencing around it. This will ensure that your chickens are protected from predators such as coyotes and foxes while they’re out grazing in the field. You’ll also need to provide them with fresh water at all times, so they don’t suffer from dehydration while they’re roaming around looking for food.
Once everything is set up on your property, it’s time to start building chicken coops. These shelters are where the hens live during the day while they’re being raised by humans. Each coop should house at least 20 hens at once because this helps with their reproduction cycles so that more chickens can be raised each year! You should also consider building additional structures if needed.
There are a variety of chicken breeds that are classified as white. They all have different characteristics and different names. So, when you plan to get poultry for your garden or coop, make sure you know at least some important things about their breeds before you buy.
You can go for White Leghorn, Rhode Island White, White Plymouth Rock, White Australorp, Bresse Gauloise, Yokohama, or even Sultan. Joining two or more breeds will work too, as long as you are aware of their temperament and behavior when mingling with other breeds.
Related: Top 8 White Chicken Breeds | Easy Identification Guide