At a glance the quick version
ISA gives about 1,950 g for hens at the end of lay; Wikipedia about 2 kg. Tractor Supply: hens about 4.5 lb, roosters about 6.5 lb (2.9 kg).
Looks how to spot one
Smooth, close feathering
A neat, medium-sized hen in rich chestnut brown, sometimes with a few white feathers in the tail, with a single red comb and wattles. Males are mostly white with brown flecks. Hens lay brown eggs.31
Personality what they are like
Calm, sociable and people-loving. ISA Browns are often happy to be handled and suit families, though they may hold their own when mixed with other breeds.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Moderately active foragers that enjoy a run or garden to explore alongside their daily feed.34
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Chickens keep their own feathers in order by preening and dust bathing, so the main jobs are a dry dust-bath area, clean dry bedding, daily flock checks and regular egg collection. Hens usually start laying at around 20 to 22 weeks and are very productive, so a quality layer ration with calcium is especially important.32
Home where they are happiest
A secure, dry, well-ventilated but draught-free coop with perches and nest boxes, plus a fenced run with a patch of dry soil for dust bathing. The RSPCA suggests about 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible.45
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A complete commercial poultry ration is the base: chick starter, then grower, then layer feed once hens begin laying. Provide insoluble grit, oyster shell as extra calcium for laying hens, and constant clean water.45
Company who they like around
Chickens are flock animals that forage, roost and dust bathe together, so keep at least three birds that get along.4
The story where it all began
The ISA Brown was bred in France in 1978 by Institut de Sélection Animale as a high-output brown-egg layer, using a series of crosses that include Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island White lines. ISA later became part of Hendrix Genetics, and the hybrid is now one of the most widely kept laying hens, including in backyards.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
ISA Browns are sex-linked, so male and female chicks can be told apart by colour on the day they hatch.1
- 2
ISA says a hen can produce up to about 500 eggs over a long laying cycle, with a typical first year of roughly 300.2
- 3
The exact recipe of breeds behind the ISA Brown is a company secret.1
- 4
An ISA Brown hen eats roughly 112 g of feed a day, according to the breeder's performance figures.2
Recognised by the official bits
- Hendrix Genetics (ISA)
- A commercial hybrid layer owned and supplied by ISA, not a standardised show breed.2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a ISA Brown. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Egg collectevery day
- Coop spot cleanevery day
- Coop full cleanFresh bedding and nest boxesevery month
- Mite checkLook under the wings and around the ventevery 2 weeks
- Dust bath checkKeep a dry dust bath spotevery week
- Free rangeDaily time outside in a safe runevery day
- Vet check-upFind a vet who sees poultryevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- ISA Brown - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for origin, company history, parent lines, sex-linked chicks, egg numbers, weight
- ISA Brown - ISA (Hendrix Genetics) isa-poultry.comused for egg output, body weight, feed intake, adaptability
- ISA Brown Chicken Breed Guide - Tractor Supply tractorsupply.comused for temperament, plumage, weights, lifespan, laying age
- Keeping chickens as pets - RSPCA rspca.org.ukused for general chicken housing, social needs, feeding
- Care of the Backyard Chicken - Lafeber Vet lafeber.comused for general chicken space, perches, diet stages
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.