Best and worst winter laying breeds?

[drangle]

Hey all. I’d like your input and experiences on what breeds and the best winter layers and what breeds are the worst. I’m wanting to add some more breeds to my flock but I don’t want to end up with too many girls who take a half year vacation.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I'm curious what folks have to say...

 

[drangle]

I am interested in welsummers but have heard they don’t lay well in winter.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My bantam Cornish and naked necks go about year round besides when it's molting time. But they also only get a few hours of light a day, so obviously it has to take a few days per egg

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I am interested in welsummers but have heard they don’t lay well in winter.

I have a Welsummer, she 1 1/2yrs old. She is a finicky layer, if the weather is perfect or even a little cool, she lays really well, around 5 eggs a week, but too hot or too cold and she stops all together. It was ridiculously hot this last summer and she stopped laying in June, went into molt in September and has not resumed laying. Just my experience

 

[Timmy Tangles]

Hey all. I’d like your input and experiences on what breeds and the best winter layers and what breeds are the worst. I’m wanting to add some more breeds to my flock but I don’t want to end up with too many girls who take a half year vacation.

Australorps and Barred Rocks have produced the best. Heavier egg to the Australorp.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have a Austrolorp right now who molted and still is laying, shr only took off egg laying for about 1 week. Then i have a buff orpington i think shes laying although she is hiding all her eggs, she molted to. Then i have a cinnamon queen and light brahma who are still laying and they both molted. And my SLW is going through a very hard molt so she hasnt started laying yet. Although my brahma last year didnt lay all year i think it depends on were you live and what they are fed. I have been giving scratch grains this year i didnt last year.

 

[TXchickmum]

I think the hours of light you have will make more of a difference than breed. In my neck of the woods the days are shorter in winter, but not so short that they stop laying altogether. My current Buff Orpington flock is still laying consistently (minus the broody one).
My last flock had good layers through the winter months. The australorp, barred rock, wyandotte, orpingtons, and red stars all did well.

 

[Chickhawk]

Here are the breeds that are still laying for me in the freezing cold up here

• Sussex (Light and Speckled)
• Plymouth Barred Rock
• Black Sex-link
• White Leghorn (this is my best of all, she is laying an egg per day non-stop since spring)
• Legbar (although she took a break in the last week)

Now the bad, all of them haven't given my any eggs in more than 3 months

• Jubilee Orpington
• Ameraucana
• Olive Egger (unkonwn parents)

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

My best winter layers overall have been my Dorkings. They're much older now, most of them over 5 years of age, so not laying like they used to, but in their prime they were all such consistent layers year-round. Took a break for molting and went back to it when they were done. They aren't super highly productive birds, about 5 eggs a week max, but definitely consistent with laying.

My Legbar is also proving to be a star winter layer, although I'd really like for her to take a break and molt as her feathers look absolutely ratty at this point! My large fowl Barred Rocks and Leghorns were pretty good as well, but they all definitely took a break at some point in the winter.

Currently, my most consistent winter layers are my Cochin bantams and Cochin bantam mixes, but they have a strong tendency to go broody through the summer so their egg laying gets sporadic that time of year instead. Their eggs are also smaller, of course.

Remember that, in their first year, young hens usually don't take a break from laying, generally because they don't have a full adult molt until around their second autumn depending on what time of year they hatched. If winter laying is important to you, you could always raise up a new batch of pullets every spring so they go into lay mid to late summer and keep laying through the winter. Older birds can either be sold off or eaten to make space for younger ones. This is not how I choose to rotate my flock, but a viable option if winter egg count is important to you!