Opinions please!! :)

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This is really a flock management issue over the long term and imo the breed of chicken isn’t that important because the data I would want to know I haven’t been able to find.
There are lots of recommendations for a particular breed citing that breed will lay so many eggs a year. What often doesn’t get mentioned is that is the maximum number of eggs that hen may lay in her most productive year. In general every year after say two years old the productiveness of the hen reduces. Finding comparative figures for the drop off rate in egg production from breed to breed isn’t so easy.
So, to maintain egg production one would have to replace the hens after two or three years of life. The hens that you kill when their egg production drops off being part of your meat supply.

Of course one needs to replace these hens to ensure each year you have a proportion of the flock laying at maximum capacity.
You could buy new pullets/chicks each year. Each time you do this and introduce them to your flock there is the risk of importing disease and the problems of integrating the new hens into the existing flock.
My solution would be to keep a closed flock once you have your initial stock. Get a rooster and let as many of your hens sit and hatch as necessary to maintain egg production. Bear in mind half of the hatchings will be male and these males contribute to your meat supply.
If you decided to go this route you now need a breed that is not only a good egg producer but will also go broody and has a decent reputation as a mother.
I would prefer that any hens I kept had a minimum of 4 years of life so now the drop off egg production rate becomes important.
Also, it will help with flock integration if you have senior hens to show the pullets the ropes.
Now the requirement has changed again and I would be looking for a breed with good social skills, low egg drop off rate, broodiness, and good mothering reputation.
Next, some breeds do better in some conditions than others. Say for me, I would want them to free range. Not only does it reduce feed costs but many would agree free range flocks tend to be healthier and have fewer behavioral problems.
Now the requirement has changed again and I would be looking for a breed with good social skills, low egg drop off rate, broodiness, and good mothering reputation and good foraging skills.
I’ve written this to illustrate that just picking a breed because at maximum laying capacity they’ve laid more eggs than another breed might not be the best way to choose your breed.
 
Shadrach said:
This is really a flock management issue over the long term and imo the breed of chicken isn’t that important because the data I would want to know I haven’t been able to find.
There are lots of recommendations for a particular breed citing that breed will lay so many eggs a year. What often doesn’t get mentioned is that is the maximum number of eggs that hen may lay in her most productive year. In general every year after say two years old the productiveness of the hen reduces. Finding comparative figures for the drop off rate in egg production from breed to breed isn’t so easy.
So, to maintain egg production one would have to replace the hens after two or three years of life. The hens that you kill when their egg production drops off being part of your meat supply.

Of course one needs to replace these hens to ensure each year you have a proportion of the flock laying at maximum capacity.
You could buy new pullets/chicks each year. Each time you do this and introduce them to your flock there is the risk of importing disease and the problems of integrating the new hens into the existing flock.
My solution would be to keep a closed flock once you have your initial stock. Get a rooster and let as many of your hens sit and hatch as necessary to maintain egg production. Bear in mind half of the hatchings will be male and these males contribute to your meat supply.
If you decided to go this route you now need a breed that is not only a good egg producer but will also go broody and has a decent reputation as a mother.
I would prefer that any hens I kept had a minimum of 4 years of life so now the drop off egg production rate becomes important.
Also, it will help with flock integration if you have senior hens to show the pullets the ropes.
Now the requirement has changed again and I would be looking for a breed with good social skills, low egg drop off rate, broodiness, and good mothering reputation.
Next, some breeds do better in some conditions than others. Say for me, I would want them to free range. Not only does it reduce feed costs but many would agree free range flocks tend to be healthier and have fewer behavioral problems.
Now the requirement has changed again and I would be looking for a breed with good social skills, low egg drop off rate, broodiness, and good mothering reputation and good foraging skills.
I’ve written this to illustrate that just picking a breed because at maximum laying capacity they’ve laid more eggs than another breed might not be the best way to choose your breed.
Click to expand...
Yes! That is awesome info! And absolutely true! Now tell me which breed you decided upon! Hehehe! ;)
 
Ive had 3 hens since March of last yr and they lay an egg everyday! Love my girls they arent the most social birds though with other birds. They love me. But I wont get more. Im looking for a nicer breed. Making the introduction of new birds easier.
 

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