In a world of diverse and fascinating chicken breeds, there’s something truly special about the enchanting allure of yellow feathered beauties. From the stunning golden plumage to the gentle amber shades, these charming chickens have captured the hearts of poultry enthusiasts worldwide. Whether you are looking to add more color to your flock or are a beginner looking for the right breed to start, you are bound to find a bird with unique feathers and personality in this list of the top 13 yellow chicken breeds.
What Color is Used to Describe a Yellow Chicken Breed?
The word you are looking for is “buff,” which means that a chicken is characterized by its distinct buff or yellow plumage color. Buff is a term used to describe a soft, golden-yellow color, resembling the hue of a buff-colored cloth. Buff chickens can come in various breeds, and the color can range from a pale, creamy buff to a rich, golden-yellow shade.
Top 13 Yellow Chicken Breeds
Now, let’s take a look at yellow or buff colored chicken breeds. You will find that all these buff chickens are diverse in their yellow or golden hue, appearance, and demeanor. Without a doubt, you will be able to find a breed or two that suit your needs and environment.
1. Buff Cochin Chicken
Starting off the list of top yellow breeds is the magnificent Buff Cochin, a breed that can be traced all the way back to Ancient China. Originally known as Shanghai birds, they later earned the title of Cochin-Chinas, all thanks to their substantial size (7-11 pounds) and beauty. The Buff Cochin comes in both standard and bantam sizes, but both have opulent plumage that cascades luxuriously over their legs and feet, like a regal gown fit for royalty.
Cochins are a remarkable chicken that will make any backyard flock far more productive, as a single Buff Cochin hen can lay 2 to 3 medium-sized eggs each week, totaling 100 to 160 eggs annually. This may not seem like a lot when compared to an Easter Egger or Golden Comet, but Cochins are very committed to their egg-laying. They lay even during the chill of winter, providing a steady supply of tinted large eggs that delight any egg-lover’s palate.
Cochins are also a broody bunch, with hens proving to be extraordinary mothers, even adopting turkey and duck eggs under their warm embrace.
All that said, you shouldn’t be fooled by their aristocratic appearance. Buff Cochins are gentle giants with laid-back and mellow personalities. They are also highly intelligent and open to human interaction, making them wonderful companions for around the yard.
2. Buff Brahma Chicken
Known for their size and beauty, it should be no surprise that the Buff Brahma makes this list. These majestic birds are not only low-maintenance but also harmoniously coexist with other chicken breeds in your flock. Brahma chickens may look intimidating with their plumage and size, but they are docile, friendly, and enjoy human companionship. This makes the breed ideal for smaller homesteads. They also enjoy free-ranging, making them even more low maintenance.
Rooster Brahmas proudly tip the scales at up to twelve pounds, while hens, slightly smaller, reach around ten pounds. Standing tall between eight and thirty inches high, they command attention wherever they go. However, as you might suspect, their size and plumage makes Buff Brahma chickens more susceptible to the heat. They are better suited for cooler climates.
In the right conditions, Buff Brahma hens will lay up to 3-4 large brown eggs a week, which comes out to approximately 150-200 eggs a year.
If you aren’t entirely smitten with the blond feathering of the Buff Brahma, you should also look at another yellow version known as the Lemon Pyle Brahma, which is slightly more buttery in appearance than its Buff cousin.
3. Buff Orpington Chicken
The charming Buff Orpington has long been one of the most popular breeds of chicken around. Resplendent in their soft, fluffy plumage, Buff Orpingtons boast a regal appearance, with hens weighing around 7-8 pounds and roosters tipping the scales at 8-10 pounds. Their feathers, ranging from a light beige to a rich, golden buff, add to their majestic allure. What sets the Buff Orpington apart is the breed’s endearing docile nature. These friendly and gentle chickens are a joy to care for, making them ideal companions in any backyard coop. Their peaceful demeanor and social skills make them a hit among families and children alike.
Buff Orpingtons are also wonderfully curious, adding to their natural inclination to forage for food. As prolific layers, Buff Orpingtons generously gift their keepers with around 170 to 280 large eggs each year. Their consistent egg production and excellent egg size make them a prized addition to any backyard flock.
4. Buff Rock Chicken
The Buff Rock chicken, a delightful color variety of the esteemed Plymouth Rock breed, is a versatile and hardy dual-purpose chicken that excels in both egg-laying and meat production. With its charming golden-buff plumage, this medium-sized bird typically weighs between 7 and 8 pounds, making it an excellent addition to any backyard flock.
As part of the Plymouth Rock family, the Buff Rock inherits its impressive adaptability, making it well-suited for various climates and environments. Whether your region experiences chilly winters or scorching summers, these chickens can handle it all with ease.
Beyond their hardiness, Buff Rock chickens are also known for their pleasant and docile temperament, making them friendly and easy to handle. Their calm nature makes them an excellent choice for families with children, as they are less likely to exhibit aggressive behavior.
They are reliable egg layers, capable of producing 200-280 large brown eggs per year.
5. Buff-Laced Wyandotte Chicken
The Buff-Laced Wyandotte is a color variation of the popular Wyandotte breed. These stunning birds are a harmonious blend of golden and white fluffy plumage, making them a visual delight in any flock. Wyandottes are large birds, reaching a hefty weight of 9 pounds on average. As prolific layers, they can bless your coop with over 200 eggs annually, offering a bountiful supply of large brown eggs. Additionally, their meat is equally valuable, making them a practical choice for those seeking both eggs and meat from their flock.
Buff-Laced Wyandottes are gentle, docile, and they are known for forming close bonds with their humans. Their delightful temperament and striking appearance also make Buff Laced Wyandottes excellent show birds. Whether you’re participating in poultry shows or simply want to showcase your beautiful flock, these chickens will be proud ambassadors of their breed.
6. Hungarian Yellow Chicken
Prepare to be captivated by the rare and treasured Hungarian Yellow Chicken, one of the few breeds with yellow in the name. With an illustrious lineage stretching back over three centuries, these resplendent golden fowls are seldom found beyond their homeland, with just one known breeding flock in the United States. In fact, they are so rare in the United States that you may end up paying around $100 for a single chick.
However, that money would be well spent, because you not only help conserve this beautiful breed, but you get to enjoy your lovely Hungarian Yellow for many years. Hungarian Yellow hens weigh just under five pounds, while roosters tip the scales at five and a half to six pounds. They are prolific layers, providing around 200 medium-sized, cream-colored eggs each year. However, breeding these exquisite birds comes with challenges, as their low hatch success rate demands special care and attention.
7. Buff Easter Egger Chicken
Do you fancy a colorful flock and a rainbow basket of eggs? Then you’re in luck with the Buff Easter Egger. Easter Eggers, as their name suggests, lay an array of eggs in shades like blue, green, teal, light brown, cream, or even pinkish-purple-tinted wonders. Each day is a delightful surprise, as you never know what color your hen will gift you until you see that first beautiful egg in all its splendor. But it’s not just their eggs that make Buff Easter Eggers special. With their small pea combs and wattles, and captivating yellow or orange eyes set against slate-colored legs, these birds have a unique charm all their own.
Easter Eggers are also cheerful, easy to tame, and are low maintenance. Children and adults alike love this breed, especially when your Easter Egger curls up on your lap for some pets.
Furthermore, Buff Easter Eggers are diligent layers, gracing your life with around four eggs per week and an impressive total of over 200 eggs per year. Each egg is medium-sized.
8. Buff-Laced Polish Chicken
Polish chickens, known for their crazy feathers, are highly popular among chicken keepers. Contrary to its name, this breed didn’t originate in Poland, but its majestic crest bears a historical resemblance to the headgear once worn by Poland’s Army.
With its golden buff and creamy white feathers gracefully laced throughout its body, including the breast, neck, wings, and back, Buff-Laced Polish chickens are a sight to behold. Their delicate slate-colored shanks and toes add to their charm. Roosters typically weigh around 6 pounds, while hens weigh approximately four and a half pounds, with cockerels at 5 pounds and pullets at 4 pounds.
However, their beautiful crest does come with a trade-off. It obstructs their vision, making them easily startled and vulnerable to predators.
You will also find that Buff-Laced Polish chickens come in two varieties: bearded and non-bearded. They are usually kept for their unique features and ornamental purposes, though the hens are moderate egg producers. You can expect around 100 to 150 white eggs per year, and some hens may even show broody tendencies.
9. Buff Showgirl Chicken
A prized ornamental addition to any flock, the Buff Showgirl is a show-stopping centerpiece in your backyard coop. The Showgirl breed is a combination of two other well known breeds, the Silkie and the Naked Neck, otherwise known as the Turken from Transylvania. As such, the Showgirl is not considered “purebred” as it results from crossing purebred Turkens with purebred Silkies.
One of the things that make the Buff Showgirl such an appealing addition to any flock is their appearance. They have feathery crests that sit atop their heads, contrasting with their slim, bare necks. The breed also has dark skin. While not the most prolific egg layer, the Buff Showgirl contributes its fair share, providing 80 to 140 eggs annually. Like its Silkie ancestors, the breed showcases a broody nature, eagerly nurturing and caring for its future flock.
10. Buff Leghorn Chicken
The captivating Buff Leghorn Chicken has its roots traced back to Italy, and its reputation for remarkable egg-laying abilities led it to find its way to the Americas. Leghorn chickens are characterized by large wattles and floppy single combs. Unfortunately, that makes this breed somewhat prone to frostbite, and so you should not keep them in regions that stay cold for too long.
Though initially shy around strangers, Buff Leghorns blossom into docile and sweet personalities once they settle into their surroundings.
Their skittish nature does have its advantages — these independent birds are fantastic foragers and free rangers, thriving on their self-sufficiency, especially during the bountiful summer months.
In terms of size, these single combed chickens exhibit an athletic figure, with hens weighing around five pounds and roosters reaching seven and a half pounds. For those interested in bantam varieties, hens weigh in at about one and a half pounds, while roosters boast a close to two-pound weight.
Buff Leghorn hens are efficient egg-layers, providing you with 4-6 eggs per week; and that performance is retained for years.
11. Black-Tailed Buff Japanese Chicken
Hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun, the Black-Tailed Buff Japanese chickens (also known as Chabo chickens) are a delightful sight with their vibrant yellow feathers and striking black tails. Donning a small and charming size, they possess arched tail feathers and short legs, fitting the bantam category perfectly.
These chickens boast a single comb, short shanks, and gracefully large tails. Cocks typically tip the scales at 510 to 600 grams, while hens maintain a daintier weight ranging from 400 to 510 grams. These little chickens love to forage and tend to be very easygoing. Roosters, however, may be aggressive on some occasions.
Due to their size, you can expect around 60 eggs per year. Sadly, their hatching rates face challenges due to lethal gene combinations, resulting in approximately 25% of eggs being unable to hatch. As such, it’s essential to take extra care during the breeding process. Moreover, their large combs make them susceptible to frostbite, meaning they are best suited to warmer climates or well-insulated coops during winter.
All that said, these are excellent little chickens with a lot of spunk. They have so much of it that they also have exceptionally long lifespans — most averaging around 13 years!
12. Buff Silkie Chicken
You really can’t go wrong with Silkie chickens. These chickens are so cute, they have been deemed “precious” by the chicken-loving community. Their endearing features, including five toes and black skin, sets them apart, and their black and white or golden buff plumage adds to their allure. What really makes this breed amazing, however, is their personalities. Buff Silkies are known for being amiable and loving towards their humans, children included.
While they may not be the most prolific egg layers, these gentle birds more than compensate with their exceptional maternal instincts. Silkie hens are devoted and caring mothers, nurturing their own chicks with tender love and readily adopting others in need. However, their low hatch rates make them a rarer find among chicken breeds. On the bright side, their longevity is a gift, as they can live up to nine or ten years, provided they are protected from predators.
13. Heritage Buff Minorca
These grand birds of the Mediterranean are not only visually stunning but carry a rich history that dates back centuries. Originally bred for their abundant eggs and delectable meat, the Buff Minorcas have become a beloved addition to poultry flocks worldwide.
The breed’s journey began long ago when Sir Thomas Acland imported these splendid birds into England in 1834, finding them already gracing the landscapes of Devon and Cornwall, possibly as early as 1780. Across the vast ocean, the allure of Buff Minorcas reached the shores of America, thanks to Mr. J.J. Fultz of Mount Vernon, Ohio, who introduced them in 1884.
When it comes to physical features, Buff Minorcas exude elegance. Males exhibit a large, upright, six-pointed comb with middle points standing out prominently. Meanwhile, females display six points as well, with the first gracefully cascading over the top of their beaks, while the other five cascade gracefully on the opposite side of their heads. White and Buff variations charm with reddish-bay eyes, pinkish-white shanks and toes, and a rosy-white beak. It’s no surprise that males boast an impressive 9 lbs. in weight, while the females are no less impressive at 7 lbs.
The Buff Minorcas are not ones to go broody, instead, they excel as layers of incredibly large, lustrous white eggs. In fact, they might boast the largest white eggs among all white-egg-laying breeds, producing a remarkable 140 to 220 eggs per year, depending on their particular strain.
Final Thoughts on Yellow Chicken Breeds
The top 13 yellow chicken breeds offer a captivating array of beauty, charm, and egg-laying prowess. From the gentle Buff Orpingtons to the prized Hungarian Yellows, these feathered wonders bring joy and delight to backyard flocks. So go on, add a touch of sunshine to your flock with any of these buff birds.
Valerie has been content writing since 2016 for websites and companies all around the world. A traveler, dancer, martial artist, Valerie loves gathering experiences and wisdom. Her travels have taken her to over 20 countries, and she hopes to see more of the world soon.
