Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best chickens, egg layers

We're down to 4 birds since the end of March. A Barred Rock, Partridge Rock, and 2 Colombian Wyandottes. They've been laying 3 eggs a day since early April. More than we can eat.

They will lay a minimum of 4 out of 7 days and I have had a few chickens that almost put out an egg every day and some that put out two a day a couple times a week. In fact my previous flock that aged out were Rhode Island Reds and I regularly got 4-5 eggs out of them a day (5 hens) I am not expecting these to do that all the time and don't even need more than 4 eggs a day. Red Star is a multi purpose breed. Auracana or Americana I am familiar with but other than being pretty felt they were a bit dumb and didn't fare well around my neighborhood hawks. Not sure why these hens suddenly went from hardly laying eggs to going above and beyond the call of duty, all the calcium I have been giving them to get through molting maybe. So far though they seem to be doing just fine. As for being broody I prefer they not be. If I want chicks I will incubate some eggs and usually I only do that if I plan to slaughter some for meat.

Got an Easter egged in the flock one ugly bitch lays evry other day

I have a handful of chickens. My leghorns are without a doubt, the most consistent layers.

Of the very limited experience that I have. My ISA Browns laid the largest and most consistent (about 5 a week). The Rhode Island Reds come in second. Never could keep Jersey Giants alive long enough to get a good read on them. The one Cinnamon Queen that we had was a dud.

We've got a couple gold sex links (golden comets?), a barred rock, and an americauna. The sex links are once a day, 360 days a year layers so far. They're a couple years old. The others lay when they feel like it. Often enough to make a colorful basket of eggs.

I plan to pick up a couple more hens later this spring.

Yep. They won't lay as big a eggs or as many in a year than some of the others, but they usually are good for 3 years or so. The "hybrid" chickens often only last for a year.

"... I have been giving them to get through molting ..."

What state are you in?

Egg laying cycle for a hen.

It takes a hen 24 to 28 hours to develop an egg internally.
Once a hen lays an egg, the process begins again in 15 to 30 minutes.

Hens "can" lay 2 eggs per day, but it's rare and seldom happens.

Hens can produce 250 to 300 eggs a year.

Chickens "moult" in late fall, early winter and egg production falls off.

I always liked Barred Rocks. Good layers, good setters and a good meat chicken.

Turn those chickens over. If the vent is blue, they are laying. If yellow they are not layers.Those go it the pot.

Same here. Always had best luck with leghorns as far as being consistent good layers.

If you are losing chickens to hawks, get black chickens as the hawks think they are crows. Crows and hawks don't get along.

I’m getting chickens based on a pretty broad spectrum……not just egg laying.

I’m looking at, meat production, good foragers, good brooders, good wintering (sub zero temps) capabilities, and general personalities.

I built a spreadsheet of my wants, and tried to determine which birds checked all of the boxes!

They didn’t have to be #1 in any category……merely average or better in all.


Our chicken breed selection is part of our long term “prepper plan” 😉 memtb

We've had chickens 35 years and have tried about every breed out there. We like about a dozen with RI Reds,,Barred Rocks and easter egg mix. My favorite eggs are Kaki Cambell duck eggs but winter and water throws a monkeys wrench in the whole works/ Ducks in the front room frozen in the water bowl is fairly commen sight here when in the duck mode!

Yup, that’s what we always found. Nothing fancy but they do produce.

My little Khaki Campbell hen is a laying machine. With our California mild winter (relatively, we still get snow) she was producing 5-6 eggs a week the entire winter. Now it's the odd day she hasn't laid.

I now have 4 more Golden 300 Layers month old ducklings , from Metzer, and am hoping those hens will do as well.

Was just talking to Art today about raising various poultry in AK. Good to know that at least the Khaki Campbells can survive the winter up there. He also told me about your bear-riding dog. Good boy

My favorite was our Barred rock hen, and the Hamburg

The world record was set by an Australorp (364 eggs in 365 days). Proficient layers that can also be a good meat bird. Winter hardy as well.

Neighbor has around 25 chickens and 8 ducks. They spend several hours a day free ranging on my property. Neighbor gives me a couple dozen eggs a week.
Pretty sweet deal.
For me the best layers are someone else's.

I had California Whites and White Leghorns.. Both were about the same, but the California Whites would roost in the trees 15' off the ground. Both of these birds will outlay any brown egg layer.