Considering New Hampshire chickens? The 18 things you must know first
New Hampshire chickens are a commonly overlooked breed that don’t get the credit they deserve.
These chickens are valuable and versatile birds. They adapt well to many different environments, and whether you want a pet, egg layer, meat bird, or all three, the New Hampshire is up to the task.
But before you get your own New Hampshire chickens, there are many things about these birds you need to be aware of. In this article, I cover everything you need to know to decide if these are the right birds for you.
You’ll learn:
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What are New Hampshire chickens?
New Hampshire chicken facts
Alternative name: New Hampshire Red
Category: Pet, eggs, & meat
Origin: United States
Egg-laying ability: Good
Broodiness: Moderate
Meat production: Good
Cold tolerance: Poor-exceptional (depends on comb size)
Heat tolerance: Moderate-good
Predator evasion: Good
Foraging ability: Good
Toleration for confinement: Moderate-good
Temperament: Friendly
Aggression toward flock members: Moderate
Noise level: Moderate-high
Why are they called “New Hampshires” and where do they come from?
As you likely guessed from the name, “New Hampshires” are so-called because they are a breed that was developed in the state of New Hampshire in the early 20th century.
The New Hampshire breed is unique in that it was developed from only one progenitor: the Rhode Island Red. Researchers from the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, in conjunction with New Hampshire farmers, simply started with Rhode Island Red stock and selected for faster growth, fast feathering, and vigor.
After selecting for these traits over several generations, the New Hampshire breed was born.
The video below is an excellent and brief summary video of the New Hampshire breed.
What do New Hampshire chickens look like?
New Hampshire feather colors and patterns
New Hampshire chickens have beautiful golden red-brown or chestnut red plumage. They have some black in their tail feathers, and the hens tend to have some neck feathers tipped in black.
Below, you can see a video of a gorgeous flock of New Hampshire chickens.
Other notable features of New Hampshire chickens
New Hampshire chickens have medium-size combs, medium-large-size wattles, and elongated, red earlobes. The single comb stands upright in roosters. In hens, the rear part of the comb may flop to the side.
New Hampshires have a reddish-horn beak, reddish-bay eyes, and yellow shanks with hints of reddish-horn.
You can see these features in the New Hampshire hen featured in the video below.
Although I don’t like the way the man in the video handles the hen (there are more respectful ways), he does an excellent job of discussing what makes a show-quality New Hampshire hen. Fast forward to 3 minutes and 40 seconds to hear this discussion.
How big do New Hampshire chickens get?
New Hampshire chickens come in a standard form and a bantam (i.e., miniature) form.
You can see New Hampshire Bantams in the video below:
Here are the ideal weights for both types:
Roosters: 8.5 lbs
Hens: 6.5 lbs
Bantam roosters: 34 oz
Bantam hens: 30 oz
However, be aware that some New Hampshire strains have been selected for egg production over meat production, and these strains are usually a bit smaller.
What do New Hampshire chicks look like?
New Hampshire chicks are little buff-orange-colored balls of fluff with some lighter-colored patches on their undersides.
You can see what they look like in the video below:
And below, you can see a time lapsed video of New Hampshire chicks hatching in an incubator.
And here, you can see what New Hampshire chicks look like at 2 weeks of age. You can see they’re starting their “awkward” growth stage.
The 18 things you must know before getting New Hampshire chickens
Here’s everything you need to know!
New Hampshire chickens:
Change color as the year goes on
Produce a decent amount of eggs
Lay through marginal conditions
Sometimes get the itch to hatch and raise chicks
Make superb meat birds if you get them from the right source
May be prone to frostbite on their combs
Are fairly heat tolerant
Are predator-savvy
Make excellent free rangers
May destroy your backyard or garden
Tolerate confinement fairly well
Don’t fly well, except for the bantams!
Are generally friendly in temperament
May be human-aggressive (some roosters)
Shouldn’t be kept with small or vulnerable breeds
May be rooster-aggressive (some roosters)
Can be incredibly noisy
Are a rare breed in need of conservation
Now let’s get into the details!
#1 Your New Hampshire chickens will change color as the year goes on.
Your New Hampshire chickens will look very different before their annual molts (i.e., when they grow all new feathers) than they do after their molts.
When New Hampshires grow in new feathers, these feathers are the gorgeous, even reddish-brown color the birds are known for.
However, after a couple of months of laying and outdoor life, their plumage color fades to a considerably lighter shade and takes on a patchy appearance.
#2 Your New Hampshire chickens will produce a respectable number of eggs.
Egg color: Brown
Egg size: Large
Age of lay: 5 months
Eggs/week: 3-4
Eggs/year: 150-200 (depends on the strain)
Most New Hampshire chickens lay 150-200 large brown eggs per year. Some of the strains that have been bred heavily for meat production may lay fewer. And some strains (typically coming from hatcheries) may lay more.
Additionally, some strains lay eggs that are a beautiful deep, dark brown (rather than the typical light-medium brown).
#3 Your New Hampshire chickens will keep laying eggs when conditions are poor.
Just like their Rhode Island Red forebearers, your New Hampshires will likely keep laying when many of your other breeds have stopped. Whether it’s brutally cold winters or unbearably hot summers, New Hampshires are much less likely to take a break from laying than are other breeds.
#4 New Hampshire hens are broody, but not excessively so.
New Hampshire hens can be described as moderately broody. They do tend to go broody every once in a while, but it’s not a strong tendency in the breed.
And the strains of New Hampshires that have been bred for better egg production may not go broody at all.
By all accounts, New Hampshire hens make terrific and devoted mothers to their baby chicks.
One chicken keeper says the maternal instinct in her New Hampshire hens is so strong they actually mother some of her tiny bantam chickens. She put it this way: “And for some reason, they both will not stop treating the bantam half of the flock like chicks. I caught… [a New Hampshire hen] trying to shove one of my white bantams under her wing.”
(As a side note, although the above is a cute anecdote, I do not recommend keeping New Hampshires with bantams—see #15 below.)
Below is a video showing a New Hampshire mama with her chicks beneath her. You can tell by the noises she’s making that she’s not happy being disturbed by her keeper.
#5 If you want to raise your New Hampshires for meat, the source of your birds really matters.
New Hampshires were originally bred to be a better meat bird than their Rhode Island Red predecessors. One of the ways breeders accomplished this was by selecting for birds that grew much more quickly so they could be slaughtered sooner.
However, a lot of the hatchery strains of New Hampshire chickens have been bred for better egg production and have, therefore, lost some of what made them such excellent meat birds. This is great if you’re a backyard chicken keeper and don’t plan to eat your birds.
But if you’re raising your New Hampshires for meat, these strains may take a little longer to grow out, and they may be smaller than what you want.
Most hatcheries sell these smaller strains, so if you want a really good meat bird, you’re better off finding a breeder who breeds New Hampshires for meat qualities.
Alternatively, what many homesteaders do is they buy New Hampshires from a hatchery strain, and then they breed them for better meat production themselves. It may take a few generations, but you can select for the birds that best meet you and your family’s needs.
New Hampshire chickens were traditionally used as broilers and roasters. A good New Hampshire meat bird should have a market weight of 6.5-8.5 lbs. The ideal bird would be ready for slaughter in 12 to 14 weeks, but many of today’s meat strains take closer to 16 weeks.
What is New Hampshire meat like? Thousand Hills Farm describes it this way:
“New Hampshire carcass has a higher percentage of dark meat, larger legs and thighs, and less breast meat They are listed in the Slow Food: Ark of Taste directory as a delicious, distinctive, endangered food.”
And one homesteader described his experience with New Hampshire meat birds this way: “We got straight-run New Hampshires a couple years ago and butchered the cockerels… at about 16 weeks. Large thighs, long narrow breast, pretty decent yield for a non-Cornish bird, and WAY better eating.
“Meat was a rich dark red color, thick yellow skin. Not a good roasting bird, but the breast filets were superb fried, thighs were great in stew or curry (and I think would be awesome for sausage). Legs were long and a bit stringy but terrific in soup/stew.”
According to this homesteader, picking the feathers off of New Hampshires is more difficult than picking them off of Cornish Crosses. He also said, “Don’t bother trying to process as a whole bird—getting your hand up inside that long, narrow cavity is impossible—Just cut them apart after picking (or skinning).”
And although the New Hampshire was a bit harder for the homesteader to process than the Cornish Cross, he had this to say about the taste: “…the New Hampshire was, in my opinion, way better eating than the Cornish Cross—if you like firm-textured meat with a strong chicken flavor.”
#6 Your New Hampshire chickens may be prone to frostbite on their combs.
Overall, New Hampshires are fairly cold-hardy chickens. In the video below, you can see a flock of New Hampshires happily foraging in the snow.
New Hampshire chickens were originally bred to survive the harsh winters of New England—note that the key word here is “survive” and not “thrive.”
Unfortunately, many New Hampshires, particularly roosters, have single combs that are so large they are highly susceptible to frostbite. These chickens are still very likely to survive the winter, but they’ll be in a lot of pain (even though they probably won’t show it—a hallmark of prey animals is hiding pain).
Below is a video of a gorgeous New Hampshire rooster. Take a look at how large his comb is. This is the type of comb that may very well get frostbite when temperatures drop below freezing.
I had a problem with frostbite in my Rhode Island Reds my very first year raising chickens (you can read about it here). You definitely don’t want to put your birds through that if you can help it.
The solution to this problem is the Sweeter Heater. This is a radiant heater that you hang above your chickens’ roosting bars. It doesn’t heat the coop, but it warms the chickens underneath it on the roosting bars, and it prevents comb frostbite on those miserably cold winter nights.
You can find small Sweeter Heaters here on Amazon, medium Sweeter Heaters here, and large Sweeter Heaters here. I use them in all my coops and I seriously can’t recommend them highly enough. They are life-savers for single-combed breeds!
#7 New Hampshire chickens are fairly heat tolerant.
New Hampshire chickens do have down feathering that helps to keep them warm in the winter, but they’re not as fluffy as a lot of other cold-hardy breeds, like Plymouth Rocks or Orpingtons.
New Hampshire chickens tend to tolerate heat better than some other cold-hardy breeds. They will, however, still need cold water available at all times and plenty of deep shade during hot temperature months.
#8 New Hampshires are predator-savvy.
The New Hampshire is a great bird to get if you have predators in your area. The reddish coloring of New Hampshires blends in fairly well in a lot of environments.
And although these birds aren’t great fliers (aside from the bantams), they can fly for short distances to get out of harm’s way. The smaller, laying strains tend to be better at this than the larger birds.
Additionally, these birds tend to be extremely cautious and alert. And many strains are large enough that most birds of prey aren’t interested in them.
#9 New Hampshires make excellent free-range birds
New Hampshires are incredibly hardy birds.
Remember their Rhode Island Red heritage? Rhode Island Reds were developed to be an incredibly hardy breed, and then New Hampshire breeders selected for vigor out of this already hardy breed.
This means that New Hampshires make excellent free rangers. This is a breed that loves to forage and feels right at home on the open range. So, if you’re a homesteader or you’re looking for a very tough range bird, this is one of the best breeds you can get.
But just because these birds are excellent foragers doesn’t mean they don’t like to take some well-earned relaxation time. Below, you can see an adorable video of New Hampshire chickens sun bathing on a presumably cool spring day. It looks like it feels good!
#10 New Hampshires may destroy your backyard and garden.
The flip side of being a good forager is that New Hampshire chickens do tend to “over-forage” your backyard and garden. If your backyard is relatively small, they might make a wasteland out of it pretty quickly.
#11 New Hampshires may be kept in backyard runs.
A lot of birds that do well free ranging don’t do well in backyard runs, but the New Hampshire is an exception. They tolerate confinement pretty well.
Of course, like most chickens, New Hampshires prefer to have a lot of space to forage and explore, so the more space you can give them, the happier they’ll be.
Below, you can see a video showcasing some absolutely gorgeous New Hampshires. You can see that some of these appear to be free ranging and some confined. All are happily foraging.
#12 Standard-size New Hampshires are easy to confine, but the Bantams can fly!
The standard New Hampshire chicken doesn’t fly very well, so you don’t need a super tall fence or a covered run to keep them confined. The exception to this, of course, is when your birds are adolescents. Almost all adolescent chickens, regardless of breed, can fly considerably better than their adult counterparts.
Also, many of the layer strains are lighter birds and, therefore, are likely better fliers than the meatier strains.
If you decide to keep New Hampshire Bantams, on the other hand, some strains of these birds can fly pretty well.
One chicken keeper said this about his Bantams, “I love this breed, but boy can they fly…!” So make sure you have a covered run or a very tall fence!
#13 New Hampshires are human-friendly, and some are docile.
New Hampshire chickens are typically very friendly to humans. You can expect them to run out to see you when you enter the chicken yard, but not necessarily want to be picked up.
One chicken keeper summed up her New Hampshire hen’s temperament well, saying “Personality-wise, she’s not sit-on-your-lap friendly, but she always comes to greet me, talks to me whenever I visit…”
Another said this of her hen, “She is docile, sweet, and quiet. My only complaint is that she hates being held…”
And yet another described the breed as “not flighty, but not pets either.”
However, some New Hampshire strains have more docile individuals. As one chicken keeper said of her New Hampshire flock, “They are the first to run to greet me when I walk through the gate and follow me around everywhere. They let me pick them right up with no fussing.”
Another had this to say about hers: “I have the sweetest New Hampshire pullet ever. She’s my lap chicken. All my chickens stay in a run 24/7, but she is so great, I let her out to free range while I do my chicken chores. She comes when I call her, super easy to catch (…reach down and pick up—no actual catching involved)…”
You may luck out and get New Hampshires who allow you to pick them up and cuddle with them, but I wouldn’t count on it.
#14 You may end up with an aggressive New Hampshire rooster.
Unfortunately, New Hampshires are known to have some aggressive individuals. They did, after all, descend from Rhode Island Reds, who likely have some Cornish heritage. (The Cornish, not to be confused with the commercial Cornish Cross, is an old heritage breed that’s notorious for some really nasty roosters).
New Hampshire roosters are a mixed bag. Some may be aggressive. Many won’t be.
One chicken keeper illustrates this well. She said she has two New Hampshire roosters, and she describes one of them as “the sweetest roo in the world,” and the other as “the meanest in the world.” That’s New Hampshires for you.
#15 New Hampshire chickens should be kept with similarly assertive breeds.
Below, you can see a New Hampshire flock foraging together very peacefully.
But the key words in the quote above is “among themselves.” New Hampshires can be a bit aggressive with other breeds.
One chicken keeper said her two New Hampshire hens “are both super sweet to people… but to other birds is a different story. I have a single, brown Campine and White Leghorn. [The New Hampshires] both will not stop picking at their breast and tail feathers, not to mention they peck at them constantly if either one roosts too close to them. No blood has ever been drawn, but I don’t like it.”
New Hampshires can be a bit bossy to other breeds in general, and can be pretty mean to smaller or more timid chickens. One chicken keeper said of her New Hampshire hen, “She was a little mean to my timid chickens and would peck them when they were eating or drinking...”
Another said of her New Hampshires, “They are extremely cannibalistic to whoever the runt is.”
And another said of her hens, “What I don’t like about this breed is how aggressive they are to my other birds, especially my Easter Eggers. They will not let my poor, timid Easter Eggers around if I’m feeding treats and will peck them and run them off. They also will try and attack any bird that I pick up off the ground. I am so glad that I do not have a New Hampshire Red roo because if the girls are this aggressive, I can’t imagine how aggressive the males are.”
Here’s what it comes down to—if you want to mix New Hampshires with other breeds in your flock:
Do not mix these birds with small or vulnerable breeds, like Silkies, Sultans, or Polish, or you may end up with some dead hens.
Only put these birds with breeds that are assertive (but not aggressive), such as Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Dominiques, or Jersey Giants.
Design your coop to have some extra space on the roosting bars so that your other breeds don’t have to roost directly next to a cranky New Hampshire.
Design your coop to have 1 or 2 more nesting boxes than you think you’ll need so your other breeds don’t have to nest next to a New Hampshire.
Make sure your coop is large enough that your other chickens have room to get away from an aggressive New Hampshire.
Make sure your run is large enough or provides enough entertainment (in the form of roosts, things to peck at or in, places to explore) that your New Hampshires always have things to do.
People love to blame chicken aggression problems on the pecking order or on their individual hens, but more often than not, your chickens are aggressive because you don’t have enough space in your coop and run, or you don’t have enough things for your chickens to do.
Certainly, New Hampshires who are entertained, either by free ranging or by a stimulating run, will be much less aggressive than the ones who get bored.
Look at the New Hampshires in the video below—they’re way to busy being chickens to even think about being aggressive!
#16 New Hampshire roosters may be aggressive to other roosters.
Some New Hampshire roosters may be especially aggressive to other roosters, regardless of breed. Once again, this is a trait that’s derived from their Rhode Island Red forebearers, and the Rhode Island Reds likely got this from their Cornish or Malay forebearers.
As I said earlier, New Hampshire roosters are a mixed bag. But if you want to keep a larger flock of chickens with more than one rooster, you may want to consider a different breed.
If you’re raising your New Hampshire chickens as meat birds, though, then you’ll be slaughtering your roosters at maturity anyway, which is the time when aggression tends to come out.
#17 New Hampshire chickens are noisy.
New Hampshire chickens are noisier than your average breed. They like to talk and they like to squawk, so if you’re worried about chickens being too loud for your neighbors, you will probably want to considerate other breeds.
Below is a video of a flock of New Hampshire hens. You can hear them talking through the whole video.
Similarly, in this video you can see how these hens are constantly chatty. This is just one of those breeds that has a lot to say.
And, just like Rhode Islands Reds, New Hampshire chickens can be extra noisy before, during, and after their egg-laying activities.
One chicken keeper said her young New Hampshire hen was so noisy, she thought for awhile she was a rooster.
She also said, “…she lets off the most godawful, horrible, ‘chicken being eaten alive by a coyote’ noises up to an hour before laying… leading me to believe for 2 straight weeks that something was after my chickens in the coop, and hurting myself getting out to the coop to see her arranging hay in her ‘today’ nesting spot.”
And, like all roosters, your New Hampshire roosters will love to crow. If you want to hear what a New Hampshire’s crow sounds like, skip forward to 15 seconds in the video below .
#18 New Hampshire chickens are rare.
Although New Hampshire chickens aren’t critically endangered, they are considered very rare. The Livestock Conservancy has given this breed a conservation status of “Watch.”
If you’re interested in conserving rare breeds for future generations, the New Hampshire breed definitely needs some help getting its numbers up.
Breeds you may want instead of New Hampshires
If you’re considering New Hampshires, the other obvious breed to consider is Rhode Island Reds. These birds are very similar to New Hampshire chickens, but have a deeper red color and are better egg producers. They don’t, however, grow as quickly as New Hampshires, so they aren’t as good of meat birds.
And there is also a rose comb (rather than single comb) variety of Rhode Island Red that is much more resistant to frostbite.
Another breed to consider is the Delaware. Delaware chickens were created by crossing New Hampshire chickens with Barred Rocks. This is another good dual-purpose breed that can provide both eggs and meat for your family.
Other excellent dual-purpose breeds you may want to consider are Sussex and Wyandotte chickens. Sussex chickens are exceptionally sweet, and Wyandotte chickens are very cold-hardy with their rose combs and extra fluff.
For more information on these breeds, see my articles:
Considering Rhode Island Red chickens? The 19 things you must know first
Considering Wyandotte chickens? The 13 things you must know first
New Hampshire crosses: Amazing hybrid breeds made for the backyard
You may also want to consider New Hampshire crosses, particularly if you’re more interested in a good laying bird, rather than a meat bird.
New Hampshire crosses are also amazing for people who don’t want roosters because many of these crosses are sex-linked (so when you order female chicks, you get female chicks). For those of us who don’t want to kill our roosters, sex-linked hybrids are godsends. These are birds that can be sexed at birth by their physical appearance.
Other birds have to be vent-sexed, which isn’t as accurate, so you may still end up with roosters.
Most sex-linked hybrids come from Rhode Island Reds mixed with another breed, but some hybrids have New Hampshires in place of the Rhode Island Reds.
Sex-linked chickens can go by generic names, such as:
Red Sex Links
Golden Sex Links
Black Sex Links
Or, sex-linked chickens can go by more commercial names, such as:
Golden Comets
Amber Star
Red Star
Black Star
Cinammon Queen
ISA Brown
Novogen Brown
All of these are wonderful birds, and any backyard keeper would be lucky to have them. These birds tend to be very hardy—it’s called hybrid vigor—and they are exceptional layers.
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New Hampshire Sources
Backyard Chickens. “Anyone ever use New Hampshire Reds for meat chickens?”
Bassom, Frances. Mini Encyclopedia: Chicken Breeds and Care. Dorking: Interpet Publishing, 2011.
Damerow, Gail. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2017.
Damerow, Gail. The Chicken Health Handbook. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2015.
Ekarius, Carol. Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams: Storey Publishing, 2007.
Verhoef, Esther and Rijs, Aad. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005.