Top 10 Chicken Breeds in India

Table of Contents

• What is Chicken Farming?
• What are the Top 10 Chicken Breeds in India?
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island Red
• Leghorn
• Aseel
• Kadaknath
• Sussex
• White Plymouth Rock
• Minorca
• Ancona
• Orpington
• Conclusion

What is Chicken Farming?

Chicken farming is the process of rearing and hatching chicken breeds to produce meat and eggs. In this type of poultry farming, the initial investment is very low, and the rearing period is only 6-7 weeks. It also provides a quick return on investment for business owners. Poultry meat is more popular in India than goat/sheep meat. India witnessed a yearly production of 142.77 billion eggs and 4.5 million tonnes of broiler meat in 2023-24. Today, India is the second-largest producer of eggs and the 5th-largest producer of poultry broilers in the world.

What are the Top 10 Chicken Breeds in India?

India is home to four classes of chicken breeds: American, Mediterranean, English, and Asiatic. Around 30 chicken breeds, including 20 registered chicken breeds, are found in India. Furthermore, there are only 4 pure indigenous breeds: Kadaknath, Aseel, Busra, and Chittagong. So, let us see the popular chicken breeds in India.

New Hampshire

Originating in the United States, New Hampshire is a dual-purpose breed developed from Rhode red chicken varieties. This variety produces more meat than Rhode Red. The characteristic features are:

• This breed has an average weight of 2.9-3.9 kg.
• It is more common in meat production than in egg production.
• They lay 15-200 eggs per year.
• This variety has a deep, broad body with a dark chestnut colour.
• The newborns are light red in colour.

Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Red is the most popular variety, originating in the United States. Some of the special features of this breed are:

• The colour of Rhode Island Chicken is dark red to mahogany.
• The weight of cock is 3.85 kg, and the weight of a hen is 2.95 kg.
• This breed lays 250-255 eggs per year, and the average egg weight is 53-55 g.
• These chicken varieties lay brown eggs, which are a great source of protein.

Leghorn

The leghorn variety is found across India and is popular for its egg production. The key features of this breed are:

• It has white eggs and has an average of 55 g.
• This breed has a small and light body.
• The male leghorn has an average weight of 2.4-2.7 kg, and the female leghorn has an average weight of 2.0- 2.3 kg.
• It has white feathers, yellow skin, and white or cream-coloured ears.

Aseel

Asil or Aseel is known for its fighting qualities in India. This breed is mainly found in the parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The main features are:

• It has a long, slender face that is not feathered.
• It has compact eyes, a long neck, a small tail, and strong and straight legs.
• This variety has high stamina and pugnacity.
• The cocks have 4-5 kg, and the hen has 3-4 kg overall weight.
• This breed is known for its high-quality meat and is not good for egg production.

Some of the most popular varieties are peela (golden red), yarkin (black and red), Nurie 89 (white), kagar (black), chitta (black and white silver), Teekar (brown) and Reza (light red).

Kadaknath

The real name of the Kadacknath breed is Kalamasi, which means a fowl with black flesh. Kadaknath is a native of India and is found in Madhya Pradesh. It received the GI tag for its tasty black meat and black feathers in 2018. The key features of this breed are:

• It has black legs, black toenails, a black comb, a black beak and black bones.
• This breed lays light brown eggs and averages 80 eggs per year.
• The average egg weight is 46.8 g.

The bird is resistant to disease in its natural habitat and under free-range conditions, but is more prone to Marek's disease under intensive rearing conditions.

Sussex

This variety originated in England and was raised for centuries. It is a dual-purpose breed, popular for both meat and eggs. They are adaptable to different climates and environments. Some of the characteristic features are:

• They have white skin, single comb and red earlobes.
• Their feathers are soft and come in a variety of colours, including white, red, brown, and silver.
• The most common variety is speckled Sussex, which is a mahogany colour with white spots.
• They produce around 250 eggs per year, which are cream to light brown in colour.

White Plymouth Rock

The most used broiler chicken breed is White Plymouth Rock. This breed has an amazing taste in its meat and eggs; hence, it is a dual-purpose breed. Some of the peculiar features are:

• This breed has a large, wide body with a round chest.
• It has bright red ear lobes, a single comb, yellow-coloured legs and a yellow or horn-coloured beak.
• The male Plymouth Rock weighs an average of 3.4 kg, and the female Plymouth Rock weighs an average of 2.95 kg.

Minorca

The Minorca breed was developed in England from imported Castilian fowl from Spain. They are known for laying (they lay large eggs) and meat production. The key features are:

• Their eggs are white in colour.
• These chickens are black, white and blue in colour and have soft feathers.
• The cock has an average weight of 3.2- 4.1 kg, and the hen has a 2.7 - 3.6 kg weight.

Ancona

Ancona is named after the city of Ancona in eastern Italy. The special features of this breed include:

• This breed is known for its remarkable comb and dashing looks.
• The cock has a weight of around 2.7-2.95 kg, and the hen has a weight of 2.25- 2.5 kg.
• This breed produces white eggs.

Orpington

The Orpington breed is a dual-purpose breed reared for both meat and eggs. It is also popular as a show bird. The special features are:

• This breed produces large, very tasty, light-brown eggs.
• They are also tolerant of cold temperatures.
• These come in two sizes- large fowl and bantam.
• The male chicken weighs approximately 3.60-4.55 kg, and the female chicken weighs approximately 2.70-3.60 kg.

It is one of the most attractive chicken breeds, with soft feathers, bright colours and soft contours.

Conclusion

These are the top 10 chicken breeds in India, along with their characteristics, roles, and physical features. If you wish to start poultry farming, read our blog “How to start a poultry farm in India” to get detailed information regarding poultry farming. Moreover, stay tuned with Tractorkarvan for more poultry farming-related blogs.