20 of the Best Egg Laying By James Kippax

A free Ebook provided by FarmerSpot.com Disclaimer:

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of veterinarians. The reader should regularly consult a veterinarian in matters relating to their chickens health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. This book is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The author and publisher are not offering it as legal, medical, veterinary, or other professional services advice. Neither the publisher nor the individual author(s) shall be liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages. Our views and rights are the same: You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results. Copyright: Cover Illustration Copyright © 2013 by James Kippax Book design and production James Kippax Chapter opening illustrations © 2014 James Kippax Author photograph by James Kippax Copyright © 2014 James Kippax All rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced without permission of the authors. This book should not be lent, hired out or circulated in any other manner or form.

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What’s the best egg laying chicken? This is a common questions asked by both new What’sand old keepersthe bestalike at one egg time or layi another. Well, we’ve a created this free ebook to help you answer this question. We’ve scoured the web, various books and magazines to come up with a list of twenty of the best hens and chickens for laying eggs. Any chicken breed of this list will would make a great addition to a flock. Most of the breeds on this list are prolific layers. However, some breeds have their own quirks and unique characteristics that may or may not be desirable – it’ll be up to you to decide what’s the best chicken breed for your home. Once you have made your mind up, make sure you check out our guide on raising chickens and hens for further help and advice. Note: hens and chickens lay the most eggs during their first twelve months. The figures mentioned in this list are the average amount of eggs a chicken will produce during their first year. After twelve months a hens egg production tends to tail off a bit – some breeds are worse than others. However, they do tend to start laying bigger eggs after the first year. Let’s now take a look at the top 20 laying hens: 20. Marans

Eggs: Lays around 180 eggs during their first year. Egg colour: Dark brown.

The Maran originated from western France around the 1920s. During the 1930s they were exported to other countries around the world.

They are dual purpose utility breed – meaning they will produce a quite a few eggs, and will yield a reasonable quantity of meat if slaughtered.

The chicken comes in various colours, including: Black Copper, Silver Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, White, Wheaton, Birchen, and Blue – however there are other colours available.

The hens are famous for laying dark chocolate coloured eggs. All strains of the Maran lay dark eggs, but it’s the Cuckoo variety that lays the darkest.

The Maran is a hardy breed that can deal with cold weather well. They are friendly, but they aren’t a particular docile breed.

Marans can be used to raise chicks as the hens go broody - they are also good mothers. Marans are a great choice if you fancy adding some dark shelled eggs to your daily supply. 19. Cochins

Eggs: 150 to 180 eggs during their first year. Egg colour: tends to be brown.

The Cochin is famous for being a big fluffy bundle of feathers.

They’re not the best layers but tend to have great personalities and make fantastic mothers.

The Cochin originates from China, during the mid-19th century it was exported to Britain and America.

It has a very distinctive look due to its excessive plumage that covers its legs and feet. One downside of this is that they can get mucky very quickly – especially during the wetter parts of the year. If you live in a wet climate you might find you have to manually clean its feathers - this can make the breed a bit labour-intensive.

Cochins come in a variety of coloured strains, including: Black, Partridge, Blue, Silver Waste, Splash, Golden Laced, and White. They can also come in a frizzled variety where their feathers are turned outwards.

Cochins are an extremely friendly and docile bird that’s very easy to keep. It doesn’t produce a great amount of eggs, or a decent meat carcass, but they tend to develop great personalities – making them popular as pets.

The birds have been known to suffer from metabolism and heart problems. These problems are made worse by the birds’ lazy lifestyle.

Cochins do make great mothers, and can make a nice addition to an already existing flock. They’re a large breed and cockerel’s can weigh up to a whopping twelve pounds once fully grown - combine this with their feathering and you have a hen that can look enormous.

18. Ixworth

Eggs: around 150 to 200 during their first year. Egg colour: white, with a pale tint.

The Ixworth is dual purpose chicken breed that was developed in 1932, in the village of Ixworth, Suffolk, in the UK.

It was created by crossbreeding the white types of Sussex, Minorca, Orpington, and Indian game chickens.

It is especially suited to meat production due to its carcass having white skin – this used to be highly valued in the British meat market before being replaced by the modern meat chickens ().

The plumage of the Ixworth is always white; it possesses a pea ; orange to red eyes; pinky white legs and beak.

It is a friendly hen and a good choice of those who live in colder climates. The Ixworth has what is called a ‘pea comb’. This is a small bumpy comb that protrudes from the head far less than other breeds. One advantage of the pea comb is that it makes the comb less prone to frostbite.

Ixworths will go broody, therefore this breed can be used to hatch and raise your own chicks. They are also a good layer that’s just behind the light Sussex in terms egg weight.

17. Buckeye

Eggs: Lays around 150 to 200 during their first year. Egg colour: Brown

The Buckeye is a chicken breed that originated from the US state of Ohio, during the late 19th century. The chicken is famous for having a pea comb. It is a great dual purpose bird – one that will lay a reasonable amount of eggs and produces a decent amount of meat if slaughtered.

The breed is famous for being one of the only chicken breeds created by a woman – her name was Nettie Metcalfe. Nettie developed the breed by crossbreeding Barred Plymouth Rock’s, Buff Cochins and some black breasted Red Games.

The Buckeye is a very friendly bird that’s easy to keep, whilst not being too flighty. It’s a great breed to choose if you suffer from harsh winters – having a pea comb makes it less prone to frostbite, but they can also tolerate warm weather as well. They are a great all-round chicken.

16. Plymouth Rocks

Eggs: lays around 200 eggs during their first year. Egg colour: tends to be cream or brown.

The Plymouth Rock is a breed of chicken that originated in the United States. It is a dual purpose bird that’s a good layer that will yield a reasonable amount of meat if slaughtered.

It is claimed that it is a cross of Dominique’s, Black Java’s, and Cochins - although it is alleged that Malays and Dorking’s were also used in the breeding.

There are various different varieties and colours of the Plymouth Rock. The Barred Plymouth Rock and White Plymouth strains are the most common. The Barred Plymouth Rock is also one of the foundation breeds used in the creation of the modern hybrids.

Other colours Plymouth Rock include: Blue Laced, Buff Colombia, Columbia, Silver Partridge, Pencilled Partridge, and Triple laced.

Although different colours of the breeds exist they all share some common characteristics: they have red face with read earlobes; t a full breast; and have yellow legs, beaks and skin.

They’re a friendly chicken that’s hardy, and a breed that can bear cold weather well. Some varieties are better at laying eggs; other strains make better meat birds.

They tend to be docile but an intelligent breed. The hens are usually well mannered but the Cockerels can be quite aggressive. 15. Wayandotte

Eggs: around 200 during their first year. Egg colour: brown

This Wayandotte is large foul that appeared in the United States around 1870s, the breeds true origin and genetic history before this are uncertain.

They are a fantastic looking hen that comes in a variety of colours and colour patterns. The striking plumage of this chicken makes it a popular choice when it comes to showing. The American Poultry Association officially recognises that there are eight colours in the standard breed - it has been reported that there is a total of 10 other unofficial colours available.

The official colours of the Wayanddotte are: Black, Blue, Buff, Buff Columbian, Columbian, Golden Laced, Partridge, Silver Laced and Silver Pencilled.

They are dual purpose chickens (a utility breed) that are kept for their brown eggs and meat. The hens also make good mothers: they go broody, will sit on their eggs well, and are good at raising chicks.

The Wayondotte are an excellent choice for the beginner due to their friendly docile nature. They are also an impressive chicken to look at. They mature quickly and are a good layer. Also, if you ever decide you want to raise a few chickens yourself you will have a good bird that’s fit for this task. 14.

Eggs: 200 during their first year. Egg colour: large brown eggs.

The Rhode Island Red is a cross between various chicken breeds, including: Langsh, Black Red Malay, Hamburgh, Rose Combed Leghorns, and Buff Cochins.

This breed is one of the most widely known chickens in the world and originates from Rhode Island Massachusetts, USA. They are a heavy breed that’s available in most countries.

They were originally created as a dual purpose bird (utility breed). A chicken that would produce a large amount of meat, a nice quantity of eggs, and one that would be tough enough to survive cold winters.

Their plumage is a dark red; the females tend to be a duller red than the roosters. The males have black bit on their wings and tales; the females have the same but with additional black bits on their necks. Both sexes have reddish-brown beaks, yellow feet and legs. There are other coloured varieties available, however these are less common.

They were kept widely throughout the United States until they were eventually replaced by the modern day hybrid hens. Over the last sixty years their numbers slowly declined, however in recent years the hen has become popular with backyard chicken keepers and smallholders – this is due to the chicken being a good all rounder.

They’re a friendly chicken and are great breed to start with. Just watch out for the cockerels (males) as they can sometimes be aggressive. 13. New Hampshire Red

Eggs: 160 to 240 for the first year. Egg colour: Brown

The New Hampshire Red is a dual purpose table bird that was originally developed in New Hampshire, in the United States.

In the early part of the 20th century poultry farmers started to selectively breed Rhode Island Reds, intensifying the characteristics of the breed. The desired traits in this breeding program were: a bird that matured and started to lay at a young age; grew feathers rapidly; and a bird that would be a good layer that produced large brown eggs.

The New Hampshire’s plumage is a deep chestnut red, with yellow legs. They have a single comb that’s medium to large in size that’s also red.

It is a medium to large fowl that has thick feathering. This makes them a good choice for colder climates – although just watch out for frost bitten combs.

They are friendly birds that look fantastic: however they can be bossy when kept with other breeds of chickens.

They will lay a nice amount of eggs and do go broody – although this desire isn’t that strong. 12.

Eggs: around 250 for the first year. Egg colour: varies, generally they lay light blue eggs.

This breed was originally developed in the United States - its exact origins are unclear.

There are eight colours of Americana recognised by the American Poultry Association: White, Wheaton, Silver, Buff, Brown, Blue Wheaton, Red, and Black. There are also many more unofficial colours available.

The Ameraucana is a medium size chicken prized for their appearance and their coloured eggs. They are stunning looking birds. They also have a pea comb which makes them a good breed to keep in colder climates.

The Ameraucana tends to be a friendly bird that’s quite fairly docile. They will lay a decent amount of eggs and tend not to go broody.

11. Wellsummer

Eggs: Lays around 250 eggs during their first year. Egg colour: dark brown eggs.

The is a chicken breed that originates from the Netherlands. It is a mixture of the Rhode Island Red, Barnevalder, Partridge Leghorn, Cochins and Wayandottes. The rooster of this breed is famously portrayed on the Kellogg’s cornflakes box.

They’re an attractive looking breed that lay lovely dark brown eggs. They are classed as a light breed chicken, although they tend to have a meaty and full breast. The bird has an upright stance with a broad back, short break, and a full looking tail.

The colours of the Welsummer will vary depending on the sex and strain. The standard colour is the reddish partridge strain – the males head, neck, and saddle are golden brown; the females are a tad lighter at the shaft, and each feather is reddish brown with black speckles. Both sexes have a single comb.

Although they have a single comb, they are they are hardy bird that can cope with the cold climates.

The Wellsummer comes in three main varieties: Silver Duckwing, Gold, and Black Red Partridge.

They are a friendly breed and a good chioce for the beginner. They are not especially docile and can sometimes be a bit flighty. They are great forages and will do best if they are kept . 10. Light Sussex

Eggs 260 during their first year. Egg colour: cream to light brown

The light Sussex is one of the oldest breeds there is, its origins can be traced back to Roman times.

They are a great utility bird that’s a prolific egg layer and has a meaty carcass if slaughtered. These features made them one of the most popular table birds up until around a hundred years ago.

The hen is white in appearance with a speckled neck; however there are various other colours available, such as: Brown, Buff, Red, Speckled and Silver. The Light Sussex is an excellent forager and they have a great temperament. They can sometime be a little flighty, requiring their wings to be clipped, but this is quite rare.

They are one of my favourite hens as they are great egg layers, make good mothers, and are very common. 9. Bovan Nera (Hybird)

Eggs: 270 during their first year. Egg colour: brown

This hybrid chicken originates from Scotland; it is a cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock and a strain of Rhode Island Red.

These hens will lay large eggs that are pale tinted brown and weight approximately 72 grams – the egg closely resembles standard supermarket eggs in terms of colour.

The hens’ plumage varies between pure black, with a hint of green; to black with a red throat.

8. Delaware

Eggs: around 200 to 280 eggs for the first year. Egg colour: brown.

The Delaware chicken originated from the State of Delaware, in the USA, around the 1940s. It is a dual purpose bird that’s a rapid grower and a good egg producer.

It is a cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster, and New Hampshire hen.

Their plumage is mainly white, with black feathers around their necks, and on the tips of their tails. They are available in large foul types, or as a Bantam.

Generally they are friendly birds, but they can be aggressive sometimes – they have a reputation of having a bit of an attitude. They can also be noisy and bossy with other flock members.

Delaware’s are extremely good foragers, and are a great chickens for controlling pests – like ants, bugs, and flies. One drawback of this breed is that they are prone to egg eating.

You hear a lot of mixed reviews about this breed. Some people love them, others will never keep them again.

7. California White and Grey

Eggs: 300 for the first year. Egg colour: Lays large white eggs

The California strains of chickens are hybrid hens. They grow fast and will lay lots of eggs. They are the dominant chicken breed in California.

They are a cross between a White Leghorn hen and are rooster – otherwise known as a production black.

Overall the breed tends to be quiet, but I’ve heard mixed reports about this. They are a solid layer, easy to handle, and will perform well in cold climates.

6. Sexlink Chickens

Eggs: varies, up to 300 eggs during their first year. Egg Colour: Varies

A Sexlink chicken will produce anything up to 300 eggs per year depending on variety. Egg colour and numbers also varies depending on colour and strain of the Sexlink - some lay better than others.

The term ‘Sexlink’ refers to the fact that the colours of their chicks are different when born – the males are different colour to the females. This makes early sexing of the breed possible.

Generally the breed is fairly friendly, but they can be quite noisy. Like all hybrids to get the best performance out of them they will need to be fed a high quality chicken feed – they won’t perform at their optimum if left just to forage for their own food. Another bonus is that they tend not to go broody. 5. Leghorn

Eggs: Lay between 250 to 300 during their first year. Egg colour: white.

Leghorns are one of the best-known chicken breeds there is. The cartoon chicken ‘Foghorn Leghorn’ was based on this breed.

The breed originally comes from Tuscany Italy, where they were exported around the 1830s. Most of their commercial development and breeding was done during the 1870s in the USA, after which they were exported to various other counties. They were one of the breeds of chicken originally used in the creation of the modern hybrids hens.

The chicken comes in a variety of colours including Brown, Mottled, Cuckoo, Red, Silver, Buff, and the more common white variety.

They are regarded as being a flighty bird that will yield a poor amount of meat if slaughtered.

They are prolific layers and tend not to go broody – meaning longer periods of uninterrupted egg laying. Their chicks are easy to rear and will mature quickly.

Generally the breed is hardy and will cope with winter well, however they do have a large comb making them more susceptible to frost bite.

The Leghorn will tolerate confinement well, but it does best when left to roam or kept free range – it’s an excellent forager.

They are a bright and alert bird that can be quite noisy. 4. Speckledy (Hybrid)

Eggs: 300 during their first year. Egg colour: dark brown eggs.

The Speckledy Hybrid Chicken is a cross between a Rhode Island red and a Maran.

The appearance of the Speckledy is very similar to a Maran, however they have a slightly smaller build and their colour is lighter.

Speckledy’s are prolific egg producers should produce around 300 eggs in the first year, after this the number of eggs will decrease.

They are very friendly birds and a great for the novice. Just like with other hybrids will never be short of eggs if you could choose to keep this breed.

3. Golden Comet (Golden Buff)

Eggs: 250 – 320 during their first year. Egg colour: tends to be brown. The golden comet chicken is another hybrid that matures quickly and starts producing eggs at a young age. This hybrid chicken originates from the United States. They are a cross between a White Rock hen and a New Hampshire rooster – they are a sex link breed, therefore any offspring will be different colours depending on their sex. The chicken tends to be a reddish buff in colour with a single comb.

The Golden Comet is known by a variety of other names, including: Golden Buff, Gold sex link, Cinnamon Queen, and Red Star.

They are a friendly chicken that’s usually fairly placid, and a great layer of brown eggs. They will handle confinement well, but do better when kept free range. Like other hybrids they tend not to go broody. Overall they are a very easy hen to keep and a good choice for the beginner. 2. Amber Star (Hybrid)

Eggs: 320 during their first year. Egg colour: light brown

The Amber Star chicken is another Rhode Island-based hybrid. Its colour is opposite to the Goldline hybrid (below) – they have soft feathering that is champagne in colour, with gingery brown flecks - however some hens have no flecks at all.

Due to their soft feathering and they can look really dishevelled when their moult.

The Amber Star is small friendly bird, with a great personality, and usually becomes tame very quickly.

They are a great starter chicken that will lay relentlessly – you won’t have many days without an egg.

Due to their friendly docile nature they can make great pets, and are suitable to have around children.

1. Goldline (Hybrid)

Eggs: 320 during their first year. Egg Colour: Lays brown eggs

The Goldline Hybrid one of the most prolific egg producing hens there is, laying a large number of eggs during their first 3 to 4 years of life. During their first year they can produce up to a whopping 320 eggs.

The Goldline Hybrid was originally bred using a Rhode Island Red Cockerel and a Light Sussex hen.

Goldline chickens are more common in the UK than the US. In the USA there is a higher demand for white eggs, resulting in Leghorn based hybrid being the popular choice for commercial egg production.

Other commercial egg producers have created their own versions of these hybrids with similar genetics – the ISA Brown and Warrens are some that you might have heard of.

Their egg numbers and quality will deteriorate with age – the hens tend to lay themselves silly and suffer from burnout. This is part of the reasons why hybrid chickens are only kept for only a year on commercial farms: beyond this period their egg laying is sub-optimal and it’s more efficient to replace them with young point-of- lay chicks.

The hen itself has a great egg to food ratio, meaning you’ll get more eggs per daily ration of chicken feed. But due to the hen being an egg laying machine, ideally it wants to be fed a good quality laying mash or pellet. I also recommend feeding them a diverse range of foodstuff as well – like table scraps, bits of fruit and vegetables.

These are great little hen and are ideal for beginners. It’s a friendly little bird that will always produce a large quantity of eggs, and usually it will lay well into the winter. They are not the best chicken to keep if you suffer from extremely cold winters – there are better breeds suited for this, some of them are listed elsewhere in this guide.

Conclusion

So, what chicken breed should you go for if you want lots of eggs? The answer to this is clear – hybrid hens. If you’re knowledgeable about poultry this won’t come as a surprise. When it comes to egg and meat production nothing beats the modern day hybrid and hens. Over the decades millions of dollars have been invested in their development; producing hens that require the least amount of input (feed and maintenance), whilst producing the most amount eggs, or meat, when compared with traditional chicken breeds. There is no way the traditional breeds can compete with the hybrid in terms of performance. That being said you can still find traditional chicken breeds that are good layers and reasonable meat producers. The one area where traditional varieties excel is the uniqueness of the individual breeds – you can find all manner of colours and personalities; you can also find traditional breeds that fare better in harsher environments. I’ve also found that the traditional breeds tend to live longer than the free range hybrids I’ve kept. I think this down to the hybrid burning themselves out by laying so many eggs. Like buying a car, choosing a chicken breed is a matter of personal choice. Fortunately you can own and mix chicken breeds without it costing a fortune – unlike buying cars. Hope you enjoyed this book. Please feel free to follow us on twitter, google+, Pinterest or Facebook. Have you kept any of the chicken breeds on this list? What did you think of its egg production and personality? Do you think I’ve missed a good egg laying chicken off this list? Share your thoughts on this page on our website.