As with all animals, it’s important for your chickens to not be too fat or too thin. Being underweight or overweight can be a sign of, or can cause serious illness. They will stay healthy and happy if you keep them at the right weight, and you’ll never run out of tasty eggs.
Knowing the average weight of chickens is important for chicken owners to make sure their birds are healthy and growing properly. A chicken’s weight depends on many things, such as its breed, sex, and age. Here’s a detailed look at the average weights for different types of chickens.
Average Weight By Breed
There are different sizes of chicken breeds, from big fowl to bantams. The average weight can vary greatly between breeds.
Large Fowl
- Plymouth Rock Hen: 6.5 lbs
- Rhode Island Red Hen: 6.6 lbs
- Australorp Hen: 5.9 lbs
- Orpington Hen: 10 lbs
- Jersey Giant Hen: 10 lbs
Large fowl hens range from 5-10 lbs depending on the breed. Lighter hens include Australorps and Rhode Island Reds Heavy breeds like Orpingtons and Jersey Giants can weigh up to 10 lbs.
For roosters, weights range from 7-13 lbs:
- Plymouth Rock Rooster: 7.5 lbs
- Rhode Island Red Rooster: 8.6 lbs
- Orpington Rooster: 13 lbs
- Jersey Giant Rooster: 13 lbs
Roosters are heavier than hens, especially for larger breeds. A Jersey Giant rooster can weigh up to 13 lbs.
Bantam
Bantam chickens are miniaturized versions of standard breeds. Their weights range from 14 oz to 40 oz:
- Seabright Hen: 20 oz
- Serama Hen: 14 oz
- Cochin Hen: 26 oz
- Silkie Hen: 32 oz
The smallest bantams like Seramas weigh only 14 oz. Larger bantams can reach 40 oz. But most bantams fall in the 20-30 oz range.
Average Weight By Sex
On average, roosters weigh about 1-2 lbs more than hens of the same breed. Since roosters are larger and more muscular than hens, they require more calories and nutrition for growth.
Some exact differences by breed:
- Rhode Island Red Hen: 6.6 lbs vs Rooster: 8.6 lbs
- Plymouth Rock Hen: 6.5 lbs vs Rooster: 7.5 lbs
- Orpington Hen: 10 lbs vs Rooster: 13 lbs
For bantams, the weight difference is 4-6 oz typically.
Average Weight By Age
Chick weight starts very small at just a few ounces. But they grow rapidly in the first 5 months.
Here are average weights by age:
- Day old chick: 2 oz
- 4 weeks: 1⁄2 lb
- 8 weeks: 1 1⁄2 lbs
- 16 weeks: 3 lbs
- 5 months: 4-5 lbs
After 5 months, growth slows down significantly. Most breeds reach their maximum adult weight between 9-18 months old.
Broiler chickens are an exception. They are bred specifically for meat and reach slaughter weight at just 6-8 weeks old. Their average weight at this time is 5-6 lbs.
Average Adult Weight
For most breeds, the average adult weight is:
- Hens: 5-8 lbs
- Roosters: 7-10 lbs
This includes both standard size and bantam birds once fully grown.
Light egg laying breeds like Leghorns average 5-6 lbs. General purpose breeds are 6-8 lbs. And heavy breeds are 8-10 lbs.
The smallest bantams may not surpass 2 lbs even at adulthood. While extra large fowl like Jersey Giants can be 12+ lbs.
But on the whole, 5-10 lbs covers the average adult chicken.
Average Broiler Chicken Weight
As mentioned above, broiler chickens are bred for efficient weight gain. Their only purpose is to reach ideal slaughter weight as quickly as possible.
The average broiler chicken weight at slaughter is:
- 1925: 2.5 lbs
- 2005: 4.7 lbs
- 2018: 6.26 lbs
As you can see, broiler weights have more than doubled in the last 100 years due to selective breeding. Chickens now finish growing in less than 2 months thanks to improved genetics.
Factors That Affect Average Weight
Many factors contribute to a chicken’s final weight beyond just breed. Things like:
- Sex – Roosters are heavier than hens
- Diet – Chickens fed higher protein will be heavier
- Housing – Free range chickens may be lighter than confined chickens
- Health Issues – Parasites or illness can reduce weight
- Egg Laying Activity – Very productive hens will weigh less
Also, individual variation occurs even within the same breed and conditions. So target weights are always a range rather than fixed numbers.
Weighing Your Chickens
To find your chicken’s weight, here are two simple methods:
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Food scale – For docile chickens, place them directly on a food scale. Zero the scale first for accuracy.
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Hanging scale – For less tame chickens, weigh them in a cloth sack or carefully suspended from a hanging produce scale.
Weigh chickens at consistent ages like 16 weeks or 1 year to track growth over time. Aim for weights in the typical range for their breed and sex.
Sudden weight loss merits a closer look for potential health issues. While weight gain above the breed standard may indicate an overly rich diet.
Knowing average chicken weights makes it easier to pick suitable breeds and monitor chicken health. Larger breeds can weigh over 10 lbs at maturity, while bantams stay under 2-3 lbs. Roosters outweigh hens in all breeds. And proper nutrition and housing impacts final weight too. Following target weight ranges for each breed will help raise robust, productive chickens.
How to weigh a chicken
Now you know how much your chicken should weigh. But how do you find out how much they actually weigh? You can invest in some specially designed animal scales if you like, but there is a simple way if you have your own accurate bathroom scales:
- First, go to your chicken run with your scale and find a flat, stable surface.
- Write down how much you weigh while standing on the scale.
- Don’t worry! Your real weight will be less because you’re probably wearing clothes and shoes.
- Next, get your chicken and step back on the scale. Write down the new weight.
- Finally, take the difference between the first and second readings to get the weight of your chicken.
How much does a hen weigh?
No two chickens are the same of course, and average weights vary between breeds.
Typically, standard adult hens should be between 2.5kg and 4kg. Bantams (smaller chickens) are usually around 1kg.
Here is a helpful list of the most common dog breeds in the UK along with their average weights to help you get a better idea.
| Standard (min weight) | Bantam (max weight) |
| Male | 3.9kg | 965g |
| Female | 3kg | 850g |
| Male | 4.1kg | 1.5kg |
| Female | 3.2kg | 1.1kg |
| Male | 3.4kg | 1.36kg |
| Female | 2.95kg | 1.13kg |
| Male | 3kg | 1.2kg |
| Female | 2.5kg | 1kg |
How Much Does Your Average Chicken Egg Weigh?
FAQ
How much does a regular chicken weigh?
A typical supermarket chicken, also known as a broiler, usually weighs between 3 and 4 pounds (approximately 1. 4 to 1. 8 kg). However, the weight can vary significantly depending on the breed, age, and sex of the chicken.
What is the average size of a chicken?
The Domestic Chicken has a wingspan in the range of 23. 6”-35. 4” (60-90 cm) and total weight of 5. 7-9. 9 lb (2. 6-4. 5 kg). The body of the Domestic Chicken has an overall length between 15. 75”-23. 6” (40-60 cm), body width of 4. 5”-7. 1” (11. 5-18 cm), and standing height of roughly 9. 8”-14. 6” (25-37 cm).
How much does a size 12 chicken weigh?
Whole size 12 chicken weighing in at an average of 1. 25kg. Perfect for roasting or to butterfly and barbeque. Can be purchased per bird or by cartons of 10.
What is the average weight of a free range chicken?
Average dressed weight for our chickens ranges between 3 to 7 lbs. You can get them as whole chickens or cut into eight pieces.
How much does a chicken hen weigh?
Orpingtons are heavy chickens, but short and stocky. They weigh about 9 pounds (4 kg) on average, but they’re only 13 to 15 inches (33 to 38 cm) tall. Hens, naturally, are a little lighter but not much shorter, weighing around 7 ½ pounds (3. 4 kgs) and standing anywhere from 12 to 13 inches (5. 4 to 5. 9 cm) tall.
How much does a 1 week old chicken weigh?
A 1-week chick weighs around 0. 2 to 0. 3 pounds, 4 week old around 0. 9 to 1. 2 pounds and 8 weeks old (broilers) around 4 to 5 pounds. Adult chickens like Bantam weigh 1 to 2 pounds, Leghorn around 4. 5 to 6 pounds, Rhode Island Red: 6. 5 to 8. 5 pounds, Plymouth Rock: 7. 0 to 9. 0 pounds and Orpington: 7. 5 to 10 pounds. How Much Does a Chicken Weigh?.
How much does a medium chicken weigh?
A medium chicken weighs approximately 1. 75kg and will feed 3-4 people, and a large chicken weighs approximately 2kg and will feed 4-6 people. It’s best to cook a little bigger than you need because you can use the extra chicken in many different ways during the week.