Keeping your egg production
high
Top 10 Best Egg Laying
Chicken Breeds
1.
Sex-Links
Sex-Links
are bred to produce eggs and lots of them, and to consume the least
amount of feed. You get a sex-link from breeding two pure bred
chickens together. Which makes them a, hybrid. When you breed your
top layers together you come up with a laying machine. There are many
different hybrid breeds and one of the most common is known as the
Golden
Comet.
Eggs:
Around 280 eggs per year, medium sized and brown eggs.
Color:
Sex-links can be black, red, golden, brown, with soft white tail
feathers.
Character:
They tend to be a very tough and resilient chicken and rarely ever
turn broody. If you are looking for an all year round egg layer who
is easy to look after, a sex-link chicken is definitely the bird.
2.
Rhode Island Red
Rhode
Island Red Chicken are known as a ‘dual purpose’ chickens. This
means they can be raised for either eggs or meat. They are one of the
most popular backyard chicken breeds because they are tough and lay
lots of eggs.
Eggs:
Around 250 eggs a year. Eggs are brown and medium sized.
Color:
Dark red to brown and black feathers.
Character:
They are more than capable of looking after themselves, and are well
known for being tough to down-right aggressive. The hens can be
friendly and are usually chosen by first time chicken keepers.
3.
Leghorn
Leghorns
were brought to the States from Italy back in the 1800s and have made
the perfect backyard chicken ever since. Another excellent choice for
first time chicken keepers.
Eggs:
Around 250 eggs per year. One of the few chickens that lay white eggs
and will be medium sized.
Color:
Two colors, white and brown. White has a full white body and large
red comb. Brown is golden brown and has white ear lobes, also known
as ear rings.
Character:
If you are looking to tame your chickens, Leghorns may not be your
choice, they are shy and hard to tame. Yet, hold their own in the
flock.
4.
Barred Rock
The
Barred Rock is an ideal pick for a first time chicken keeper who is
looking for a hen that lays eggs roughly once every two days. Barred
Rocks are beautiful in appearance.
Eggs:
Around 200 eggs a year. These eggs will be medium sized and are a
light brown color.
Color:
They are mostly black to dark grey with white stripes wrapping around
their body.
Character:
Barred Rocks are a large bird that is much better suited to the free
range lifestyle. They are very friendly birds who can easily be
tamed. Hens sometimes go broody.
5.
Araucana
Araucana
also known as the Easter Egger for it’s blue to green colored eggs.
There are slight differences between the Ameraucana in breeding. The
body type is different than your common chicken, their beauty is in
the eye of the chicken lover. Hens have long skinny necks and rarely
have tail feathers, roosters can be a thing of beauty and color.
Eggs:
Around 250 eggs per year. The color will be from baby blue to drab
army green, small to medium size eggs.
Color:
As chicks they look like little chick monks with stripes down their
backs. Colors can range from red to silver. Rarely blacks or dark
browns.
Character:
Don’t make good pets. They are skittish and keep to themselves, but
are excellent layers and hardy in the flock.
6.
Buff Orpington
One of
the most productive layers, with a great personality and hardiness.
Personal favorites among chicken keepers. They originate from Kent,
England. Make an excellent chicken for your back yard flock. Also
known as a duel purpose bird.
Eggs:
Around 180-200 eggs a year. They have a tendency to get broody during
the summer months which is why they lay less than the other breeds
mentioned on this list.
Color:
They are a beautiful golden-yellow and have a thick layer of
feathers, making them appear to be a larger bird than the really are.
Character:
Buff Orpingtons are one of the tamest breeds you can get and will
make a great garden pet. Within no time you can train them to eat
from your hand and socialize with you.
7.
Black Australorp
The
Australope is Australia’s national chicken breed. Known as a good
utility bird with a great personality and hardiness.
Eggs:
Around 200 eggs per year, medium size and brown.
Color:
Black with iridescent green color to their tail feathers. Soft fluffy
feathers.
Character:
The Australope is docile and quiet, makes a good pet and addition to
any flock.
8.
Dominique
The
Dominique once thought to be extinct, has made a big come back to the
US since the 1970’s. This bird looking a lot like it’s cousin the
Barred Rock.
Eggs:
Around 200 eggs per year. Medium brown.
Color:
Feathers are black to dark gray with white to cream bars giving the
bird a “hawk Coloring” well known to help protect this good free
ranger from predators.
Character:
Hardy and are good free range birds, calm, gentle and easy keepers.
9.
Brahma
The
Brahma is known for it’s furry (feathered) feet. It is a solid
heavy bird with the origin from India.
Eggs:
Not as productive as some on this list but is a good winter layer,
the larger breed is not as effected by cold weather. Around 180-200
eggs per year. Brown medium in size.
Character:
This big gentle bird is very calm and easy to handle and work with.
They seem to be the peace keepers of the coop.
10.
Wyandotte
The
Wyandotte is one of those birds that you love to have in your flock.
They are American bred and their name comes from the Wendat tribe of
Native Americans from the Northeast. They are good cold-hardy birds.
Eggs:
Good but not the highest on the list 150-200 eggs per year. Eggs are
brown and mediums in size.
Color:
This is a bird of many colors, but the gold and silver are most
popular. Ranging from buff to blue. It is the feather patterns that
are unique and make this bird something special. The feathers are
lined in black makings, outlining each feather into a patterns.
Character:
The Wyandotte is a very adaptable bird and does well as either free
ranger or in a coop. They are calm and quiet.
How
to Keep Egg Production High
(reference:www.thehappycoop.com)
Just
because you have a breed who can
lay lots of eggs, doesn’t mean they will
lay lots of eggs.
Many
things can affect how many eggs a chicken lays. Their diet, age
and access to daylight are all important.
Age
It’s
a sad fact of life that older chickens just don’t lay as many eggs
as younger chickens.
A
chicken’s first year of laying eggs is always
their best.
