Alright..... I give!!! Help with Breed Selection!

[H2Momma]

Hello and Help!!!!

I purchased 7 pullets this last spring, all of which started laying by fall and are still laying almost every day! I love my spoiled flock but, am disappointed in several of them due to their egg size. I've got 2 Wyandottes, a Speckled Sussex, a Buff Orp. a Lite Brahma, then I've got my 2 eye candies.... a Polish and Silkie! My Orp and Brahma lay large to X-large eggs, while the Wyandottes and Sussex are considerably smaller (heck, my poor Polishs' egg are almost as big as theirs!!) Will their egg size increase, or is this it from now on? If so, here are the breeds I am considering, but want to make darn sure they're gonna lay the large to X-large eggs often and would love some of ya'lls expert opinions and input. PS. I also take into consideration frequency, temperment and pretty-ness!!!

Breeds in order of consideration:

Barred Rock

Austorlorp

Turken

RIR

Your sugesstion here


I know I can go purchase some Orps and Brahmas and get my big eggs, but I love the diversity in my flock!!! Any and all input is definitely be welcomed!

Thanks for your help,
Cathy

 

[Spangled]

I agree with the size on the Wyandotte and Speckled Sussex egg size. Not so big. Maybe it's just the birds I ended up with.

Besides breed selection, you may want to make sure that after 8 weeks that you don't give them extra light from any lightbulbs (not even red). Just let them get the normal amount of light based on the sun until after they have been laying for a month or two. If you leave the lights on all night, and I'm not saying you ever have, the sensors in their brains that register light and then regulate their hormonal balances and releases will work overtime. Their maturity rate will be sped up. If they start laying eggs before they have reached full body size, then their egg size will always be smaller than it could have been.

I don't know about large eggs ... I've sort of given up on them. I have a sneaking suspision that many chickens naturally lay a medium egg. I have had good luck with large eggs (and I did weigh the New Hampshire's eggs) with New Hampshires, Naked Necks, White and Barred Rocks, and Delawares. Of course, Black Copper Marans usually lay nice large eggs, but mine have laid less frequently than the others.

I know Naked Necks aren't always considered quite so pretty, but the feathers on mine were extra fluffy which helped.

 

[nakstk]

Speckled Sussex only lay medium sized eggs. I have 5 SS and their eggs range from 1.5oz to 1.9 oz. They only started laying in Dec and their egg size increase a bit their eggs were 1.3oz to 1.6oz at that time. Here is a link to a chart with different breeds, their egg size, color and other useful info.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[devora]

Not sure I understand the need for giant eggs (have commercial farms trained us to think they are better eggs?), but a good ol' Leghorn will give you plenty of huge eggs. I know it's not on yer list but if you really want BIG, you won't be disappointed.

 

[H2Momma]

It's really my husbands fault (isn't always!!) We've started giving away a few dozen eggs here and there, but he always is so stingy with the larger eggs! He'll only put one or two "big" eggs in friends dozen and keep the rest for himself. I personally can't taste any difference, but he wants more "big" egg layers. We are definitely getting a Maran or two, for color alone. I've researched the breeds, and was under the assumption that my girls eggs were to be roughly the same size, oooppss! Thanks everyone for their input!

Cathy

 

[Spangled]

Not sure I understand the need for giant eggs (have commercial farms trained us to think they are better eggs?)

I missed the word giant. It seems like every now and then we end up giving our bigger eggs away and being left with the tiny eggs for ourselves. I think my banties have trained me to be thankful for bigger eggs, not necessarily large, just medium at least. Do you know how many banty eggs I've got to crack to make a frittata for 8 people? It boggles the mind. But banty and small deviled eggs, while also more work than larger eggs, sure are fancy looking on a tray ... and less messy to eat.

 

[StarLover21]

If i were you I would get red sex links. They're pretty, very freindly, and lay big brown eggs every day.

 

[1muttsfan]

Welsummers lay a nice large (and very pretty) egg. Delawares and many EE's lay large eggs. Norwegian Jaerhons lay a large tinted egg.

 

[florida lee]

My Black Australorp's lay small to med size eggs. My Buff Oprpingtons lay large eggs as does my Blk sex Link and maran.

 

[ralleia]

The Rocks are known for above average egg size. RIRs, too. Our black Australorps always laid average-sized brown eggs--not sure what size our turkens are laying.

Temperments:

The Rocks: My personal favorite. Inquisitive, plucky, independent-minded, intelligent. Certainly the most entertaining chickens of my flock. The white rock hens jump the fence and free-range during the day, whether I want them to or not. The barred rock rooster is a perfect gentleman to the hens and to humans. He's the first out of the coop in the morning, striking a kung fu pose while he checks out the run for dangers.

Black Australorps: Overall a very gentle and calm breed. I haven't had one peck me yet, even when broody. And I have a few BAs that'll go broody three times a year. Great hen mothers--I never want to be without a couple good brooders.

Turkens: The favorites of my seven-year-old daughter. The brown ones were the sweetest tempered birds that we ever had. Amazingly hardy, in spite of lacking neck feathers!

RIRs: I believe them to be good and hardy birds, but I have never been much enamored of them. Our RIRs were always more flighty and tempermental than the BAs, turkens, and rocks.