What are the most popular gold chicken breeds in the US? In this article I’ll be taking a look at all of the well-known and loved gold colored chickens, recognized by the American Poultry Association.
From their origin to what they’re best used for, these chickens will surely give you some inspiration on which breed would work best for your needs. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Golden Leghorn
The leghorn is a very hardy white-egg laying breed that has been popular since the 19th century.
The hens are excellent layers of large eggs capable of producing up to 300 eggs per year. Impressive, isn’t it?
This breed originates from Italy, it was introduced in US in the 19th century, however its gold variety was admitted to the American Poultry Association in 1981.
Known for being active and noisy, they can be skittish at times but this just adds to their charm.
They are usually used as backyard chickens because of their productivity and hearty nature where egg production doesn’t suffer in cold temperatures.
Of course, no breed is perfect so if you decide to get a Leghorn, be prepared to deal with their occasional moodiness.
Golden Phoenix
Next on my list of pure gold chicken breeds is the gold Phoenix chicken.
This is an ornamental chicken breed with unknown origin. It is uncertain whether the chicken originated from Japan or Germany. It has a silver and golden chicken variety admitted to APA in 1983.
This is one of just a few chicken breeds with long tail feathers accepted in the US by APA.
Hens usually weigh approximately 4 pounds while roosters can be more than 5.5 pounds.
The hens are poor layers producing only 80 tinted eggs per year. It’s definitely worth considering this if you’re thinking about getting some new hens for eggs.
As far as temperament goes, they’re not usually flighty like some other breeds but can still be skittish at times this needs to be taken into account before deciding on these chickens.
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Campine
The Campine was developed in Belgium, and the gold chicken variety was admitted to APA in 1914.
They were bred originally as show birds because of their interesting appearance.
Both the silver and the gold chicken are black with beetle-green sheen. However the head, hackles and the body ground are white on the silver variety and rich gold on the gold chicken variety.
The hens are usually flighty and the roosters can be aggressive, so they are not recommended for first time chicken owners.
Golden Sebright
The Gold Sebright is a bantam chicken breed that is extremely popular on shows across the US and UK.
It has been popular since it was first introduced to the country back in the early 1800s when they were bred by Sir John Sebright, hence their name.
They were originally developed as ornamental chickens and quickly gained popularity as show birds, due to their unique appearance.
Much like other gold-colored breeds on my list, these little guys are really friendly towards humans and can be handled without any trouble at all which makes them perfect if you’re thinking about showing them off to some friends or family member who’s never seen them before.
The hens lay around 50 small white eggs per year so this might not be a good choice if you’re looking for a high egg production chicken.
Polish Bearded Golden
There is much debate about the origin of the Polish chicken breed, but it has been a popular choice since around 1820 and remains sought after today.
It was 1883 when the gold chicken variety was admitted to APA.
The hens tend to be very skittish when introduced into new environments and will peck at humans if they feel threatened, this makes them not ideal if you’re looking for a chicken that can be handled by those who’ve never done so before.
However, if you have experience with chickens then these might be just right for your flock because they’ll produce an average of 120 eggs per year which is a pretty good amount in comparison to others.
Other Gold Colored Chicken Breeds
Before we continue, it’s important to make one thing clear… To meet the American Poultry Association‘s standards, there are 7 different gold classifications that a chicken can be placed in.
- Gold
- Golden Duckwing
- Golden Penciled
- Golden Spangled
- Golden Laced
- Bearded Golden
- Non-Bearded Golden
The top five golden chicken breeds are the ONLY breeds recognized by the APA under the ‘gold’ chicken variety.
Unlike the gold chicken breeds above, the following five chickens are not entirely gold-colored chicken breeds.
These breeds might not have golden plumage, but they will have golden pattern, like golden penciled or golden laced pattern on their plumage and so on.
Old English Game Golden Duckwing
The Old English Game is a breed that was known for being used in cockfighting back in the day as this was their main purpose.
However, since this practice has become illegal in most countries the breed itself has mostly been forgotten by the general public.
The gold duckwing chicken variety of this breed was introduced to APA in 1938.
It is worth noting that the roosters tend to be aggressive so be sure that you know exactly what you’re getting into before making your purchase!
Hens lay eggs at an average of 40 per year which is not impressive.
One thing’s for sure though: these chickens look fashionably beautiful when compared to many others and are definitely worth your time so if you’re looking for the best gold chicken breed then this is a great choice to go with!
Hamburg Golden Penciled
The golden penciled Hamburg is a gold-colored chicken that is still popular today in many countries all over the world including America.
This breed comes from Netherlands or Turkey and has been around since at least 1820 with records of them being shown in poultry exhibitions as early as 1874 (when it was officially admitted to APA).
The hens are known for their extreme egg production and can lay around 200 large eggs per year.
These hens are flighty so they should be handled gently when first starting out or they will become skittish very quickly.
If you’re looking for an egg laying breed then this gold colored chicken breed might be the one for you.
Golden Laced Wyandotte
First introduced in APA back in 1960, the Wyandotte chicken is another popular gold-colored chicken. Unfortunattly the golden laced Wyandotte is not as popular as the silver laced variety (image above).
They’re at an average weight of 8.5 pounds for roosters and 6.5 pounds for hens. You will get around 190 eggs from them per year on average. This makes them an awesome dual purpose breed.
Golden Laced Cochin
The Cochin is a feathered feet chicken breed that originates from Asia but has been around in America for over 80 years.
They are a large breed of chicken that is most often used for meat production.
On average roosters can weigh up to 11 pounds while hens weigh up to 9 pounds.
These breed will lay an average of 140 large brown eggs per year with some hens reaching 160 or even more!
But if you want a breed that produces lots of eggs, then you’ll like our list of the most popular chicken breeds for egg production.
The hens themselves are very gentle birds who tend not to be aggressive towards humans which makes them great pets for those who want a chicken that’s easy to handle.
Golden Duckwing Araucana
The Araucana is another popular chicken breed that was first developed in South America and has been admitted to APA in 1976.
They have a very unique appearance that sets them apart from other breeds.
The hens are very friendly and docile towards humans too so if you’re looking for a great pet chicken then these might be the right ones for you.
They also lay around an average of 250 eggs per year which is a pretty good number.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the 10 most popular gold chicken breeds in the US!
Whether you’re looking for chickens that are gentle and docile towards your family, if you want some that are aggressive or some that will stand out in your backyard, these chickens are sure to satisfy your needs.
