RBST priority poultry breeds
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) keeps a Watchlist of native UK livestock breeds at risk. Since April 2024 every native chicken breed on that list counts as a Priority Breed, alongside many of our traditional ducks, geese and turkeys.
That covers household names like the Sussex, Orpington and Leghorn as well as true rarities such as the Scots Dumpy, Marsh Daisy and Ixworth. Keeping and breeding pure stock from good lines is one of the most useful things a backyard keeper can do for them.
Use the filters below to find a priority breed that suits your space, then check the breed club directory for breeders and shows near you.
Showing 79 of 79 breeds
| Breed | Eggs a year | Egg colour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abacot Ranger duck180–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 180–200 | White | RBST priority |
| Ancona chicken180–220 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–220 | White | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Andalusian chicken160–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Araucana chicken170–200 eggs a year · blue/green eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–200 | Blue/green | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Australorp chicken200–250 eggs a year · light brown/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 200–250 | Light brown/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Aylesbury duck40–120 eggs a year · white/greenish eggs · RBST priority | 40–120 | White/greenish | RBST priority |
| Black East Indian duck40–100 eggs a year · grey/black to white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 40–100 | Grey/black to white | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Blue turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Bourbon Red turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Brecon Buff goose10–25 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 10–25 | White | RBST priority |
| Bronze turkey50–100 eggs a year · cream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | 50–100 | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Brussbar chickentinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Buff Back goose25–35 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 25–35 | White | RBST priority |
| Buff Orpington duck160–200+ eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 160–200+ | White | RBST priority |
| Buff turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Burmese chickencream eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | Cream | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Campbell duck250–300+ eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 250–300+ | White | RBST priority |
| Campine chicken140–170 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 140–170 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Carlisle Old English Game chicken50–80 eggs a year · cream/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 50–80 | Cream/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Cayuga duck80–160 eggs a year · dark grey/black fading to white eggs · RBST priority | 80–160 | Dark grey/black fading to white | RBST priority |
| Cochin chicken150–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority | 150–200 | Tinted | RBST priority |
| Cream Legbar chicken180–200 eggs a year · blue/green eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–200 | Blue/green | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Crested duck120–200 eggs a year · white/blue-green eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 120–200 | White/blue-green | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Croad Langshan chicken180–240 eggs a year · brown (plum-tinted) eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–240 | Brown (plum-tinted) | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Crollwitzer (Pied) turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Derbyshire Redcap chicken150–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 150–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Dorking chicken120–170 eggs a year · white/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 120–170 | White/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Embden goose10–30 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 10–30 | White | RBST priority |
| Faverolles chicken160–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Grey Back goose25–35 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 25–35 | White | RBST priority |
| Hamburgh chicken170–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Harvey Speckled turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Hook Bill duck100–200 eggs a year · white/blue-green eggs · RBST priority | 100–200 | White/blue-green | RBST priority |
| Indian Game chicken60–90 eggs a year · light brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 60–90 | Light brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Ixworth chicken160–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Legbar chickenwhite/cream eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | – | White/cream | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Leghorn chicken180–250 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–250 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Magpie duck80–180 eggs a year · white/blue-green eggs · RBST priority | 80–180 | White/blue-green | RBST priority |
| Malay chickentinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Marsh Daisy chicken160–210 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority | 160–210 | Tinted | RBST priority |
| Minorca chicken170–220 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–220 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Modern Game chicken50–80 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 50–80 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Modern Langshan chicken160–180 eggs a year · brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–180 | Brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Nankin chicken150–180 eggs a year · cream/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 150–180 | Cream/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Narragansett turkey50–100 eggs a year · cream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | 50–100 | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Norfolk Black turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Norfolk Grey chicken150–220 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 150–220 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| North Holland Blue chicken150–180 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 150–180 | Tinted/light brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Old English Game Bantam chicken100–160 eggs a year · cream/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 100–160 | Cream/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Old English Pheasant Fowl chicken160–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 160–200 | White | RBST priority |
| Orpington chicken100–180 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 100–180 | Tinted/light brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Oxford Old English Game chickencream/tinted eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream/tinted | RBST priority |
| Pekin duck60–140 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 60–140 | White | RBST priority |
| Pilgrim goose20–40 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 20–40 | White | RBST priority |
| Rhodebar chicken180–200 eggs a year · brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–200 | Brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Roman goose40–60 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 40–60 | White | RBST priority |
| Rosecomb chicken150–180 eggs a year · white/cream eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 150–180 | White/cream | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Rouen duck60–150 eggs a year · white/greenish eggs · RBST priority | 60–150 | White/greenish | RBST priority |
| Rumpless Game chickentinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Scots Dumpy chickenup to 180 eggs a year · white/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | up to 180 | White/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Scots Grey chicken180–200 eggs a year · white/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–200 | White/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Sebastopol goose30–50 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 30–50 | White | RBST priority |
| Sebright chicken50–80 eggs a year · white/cream eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 50–80 | White/cream | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Shetland duckwhite/grey eggs · RBST priority | – | White/grey | RBST priority |
| Shetland gooseabout 20 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | about 20 | White | RBST priority |
| Sicilian Buttercup chicken140–180 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 140–180 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Silver Appleyard duck100–180 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 100–180 | White | RBST priority |
| Silver Bantam duck60–160 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 60–160 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Slate turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |
| Spanish chicken120–160 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 120–160 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Stanbridge White duckpale green eggs · RBST priority | – | Pale green | RBST priority |
| Steinbacher goose30–50 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 30–50 | White | RBST priority |
| Sultan chickenwhite eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Sussex chicken180–210 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–210 | Tinted/light brown | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Toulouse goose20–40 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 20–40 | White | RBST priority |
| Welbar chickendark brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | – | Dark brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Welsh Harlequin duck150–250 (reported) eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 150–250 (reported) | White | RBST priority |
| West of England goose20–50 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority | 20–50 | White | RBST priority |
| White turkeycream, speckled eggs · RBST priority | – | Cream, speckled | RBST priority |