Top 10 Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds
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Welcome to Chicken (how long does chicken last?)World! If you're looking to increase egg production, we've got the solution. Our dual-purpose breed provides a potential of egg laying powerhouse that will take your egg operations to the next level.
Choosing a chicken breed is akin to shopping for a new truck. You want something custom-built for the exact purpose you have in mind. But when it comes to egg production, the sheer number of options can leave you scratching your head. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten best chicken breeds for eggs. From varieties that produce all year ‘round, to rare “egg producers”, strap in for the most profitable egg layers in the world.
Raising backyard chickens (backyard flock) is an enjoyable and rewarding hobby, and there are many heritage breed options available from which to choose. Dual-purpose chickens, such as the Rhode Island Red, provide both meat and eggs, making them ideal for farmers who want a single breed for both purposes.
Top 10 Egg-Laying Chickens
When selecting chickens, you'll want to consider how plenty of eggs you need per week, as each breed lays different amounts. You should also factor in their size and temperament. Once you have a few laying hens, collecting eggs is easy – just remember to provide an appropriate egg basket or container to keep them safe during transport(Chicken journey).
For owners looking for a hybrid breed or a rare breed, there are many chicken breeds that uniquely lay eggs that are colored or have interesting plumage. Many of these birds are well-suited for life in a suburban or urban environment. With proper care, raising chickens can be a low-maintenance and rewarding experience.
If you're looking for the best egg-laying chickens, look no further. We have a vast selection of excellent egg layers that will produce eggs with ease, and keep you supplied with fresh eggs. They're all great egg layers, so you can't go wrong with any of them. If you want more eggs than our standard breeds, then these are the hens for you.
These chickens’ are prolific egg layers, that can thrive in both hot and cold climates, making them the ideal free-range bird (excellent free range birds). Hybrid hens are known to lay nearly an egg per day, which is perfect for providing you with an abundance of eggs right at your fingertips! But if you want to stay true to heritage breeds and only own the same breed, they still make fantastic egg layers – even though they won't lay as many eggs as their hybrid counterparts. So whichever type of chicken you choose, you can rest assured that you'll be getting a good egg layer – no matter what.
10. Golden Comet
Don’t let its small posture fool ya’, Golden Comets lays large brown eggs or jumbo brown eggs. This chicken breed is a hybrid named for the bright red and yellow feathers it develops at maturity. It’s also one of the very few breeds that let you identify young chicks as male or female by feather color.
Though mature chickens are hardy enough, raising their chicks can be quite challenging at first. That said, once they reach the right age, this breed of chicken produce an average of 270 eggs per year.
9. Marans
If your goal is quality over quantity, look no further than the Maran. While their annual production is limited to around 200, the dark-brown eggs (large brown eggs) are prized by Michelin Star chefs all around the world.
In France, some chefs outright refuse to work with any other variety. Meanwhile, small-time farmers love the hybrid for its docility, fast growth, and flavorful meat of Maran males.
8. Hamburg
There are a few reasons Hamburg chickens are considered the Dalmations of the hen world. With their black-spotted white feathers, and playful attitude, Hamburgs are ideal egg layers for a small homestead. The joyful hens can even learn to recognize and greet their humans.
Plus, they are some of the most effective foragers you can have in your garden. But the best part is that, unlike most varieties, they produce at a consistent rate all year long, lay white eggs averaging up to 300 small.
7. Easter Egger
The Easter Egger chicken is the only breed on our list that has the capability of blue egg production. And that’s because it is easily the best of egg layers in the category. With a Summer peak rate of seven eggs per week, Easter Egger’s annual production totals around 250, unlike most blue eggs varieties, they produce medium to large eggs per year.
On the downside, Easter Eggers enjoy seclusion and don’t take kindly to petting. It’s best to leave them to their solitude if you don’t want to get your hands pecked bloody.
6. Minorca
While most of the birds on our list are hybrids, bred for the singular purpose of laying eggs, Minorca is a 500-year-old variety hailing from Spain. If you prefer white-shelled eggs, this breed may be perfect for you. Minorca chickens produce jumbo-sized eggs known by their chalky bright color.
They also boast truly noble features, with shiny black feathers topped by strawberry-tinted faces. On top of that, Minorcas are highly-capable foragers that can solve any pest-related issues in your garden.
5. Red Star
It’s impossible to talk about egg layers without mentioning the Red Star chicken. When the hybrid was first developed in the 1950’s, it quickly became the top choice for commercial farms.
And with production rates topping 350 per year, it’s easy to see why farmers love Red Star (Looks similar to Rhode island red). That being said, they tend to be aggressive to flockmates, so it may not be the best choice for free-range flocks.
* Additional info dor the Rhode island red chickens are one of the most popular breed for backyard flocks for a variety of reasons. Rhode island reds lay brown shelled eggs.
4. Sussex
The Sussex chicken is an all-time classic. It’s not only an efficient egg layer, but also the breed with the most genetic variety in the industry. Chickens come in eight different colors, and produce both white eggs and brown eggs.
Meanwhile, the Sussex males are hands-down the friendliest birds on our list. They can be trained to greet their owners, respond to certain sounds, and even eat right out of the palm of your hand!
3. Australorp
One of the newest arrivals on the hybrid chicken scene, Australorp is the Honorary National Bird of Australia. A hen might seem like a strange choice for a national symbol at first, but one look at this graceful bird is sure to make you understand.
The stoic, charcoal-colored Australorp walks on tall, black-colored, featherless legs that truly make it a sight to behold. And when they’re not beautifying your homestead, the hens lay an impressive quantity of fresh eggs per week and 280 eggs per year.
2. Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock chickens have maintained their popularity for over four decades. The breed is mainly valued for its evergreen production, totaling 300-330 eggs per year.
this chicken lays eggs that are extremely large and, if you ask a Texan, they are more flavorful than any other kind. The hens’ unique color patterns and premium meat are just a bonus.
1. Leghorn
Topping our list of the best egg-laying chicken breeds, it’s the most consistent and plentiful egg layer you can find - the Leghorn chicken. First off, the variety is so resistant to cold weather, that hens lay and enjoy foraging around in the snow. This also means they never stop laying in the Winter, with production topping 360 eggs per year.
Most importantly, Leghorns reach maturity in just 16 weeks. And the older they grow, the larger their eggs become. The real kicker is that the Leghorn is practically guaranteed not to go broody, giving you full control of your flock.
In conclusion, keeping chickens is a rewarding and fun endeavor. With the right breed of chicken, you can expect to gather how many eggs you want while also enjoying the intelligence and delightful personality these birds possess (Intelligent breed). To ensure success in keeping most chickens, it's important to do your research in order to choose the appropriate breed that best suits your needs and where the chicken is originating.
If you're looking for good egg layers that will produce consistently high-quality eggs, these Chickens above are the most popular raised poultry animals and some of the best egg layers you can find. Certain chicken breeds produce superior eggs with thicker shells and larger yolks; this makes them ideal candidates for consumption and commercial re-sale.
That wraps up our list of the best egg laying chicken breeds. Do you agree with our pecking order? What’s your favorite chicken variety? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to click the subscribe button to stay updated on all our future videos, right here on TexasEats!
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Sources:
https://www.meyerhatchery.com/Golden-Buff-Day-Old-Chicks-Free-Shipping-p244997132
https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/blogs/learning-centre/5-reasons-to-love-hamburg-chickens
https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/blogs/learning-centre/5-reasons-to-love-minorca-chickens
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/red-star-chicken/
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/australorp-chickens-a-comprehensive-care-guide/
