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.

 

[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!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

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

 

[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)

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Brahma are renowned for winter laying. They slow down in hot months when your other birds are laying more than you need.

 

[Acre4Me]

Buy high production chicks each spring to add to your flock. They will lay through first winter. Then sell before second winter, when the new high production chicks take over. This will supplement you through the winter when more varied main flock reduces/stops production.

Otherwise,

I’ve heard that Chanticleers are good winter layers -we had one a couple of years ago, and I recall winter eggs. Also, some of our EE lay through winter (even older girls), but some do not (even younger ones/pullets). Our Barred Rocks will produce some as well. We have white Plymouth rocks, and surprisingly, they began to lay at age 7 months, in November!!

FWIW, we have light on a timer, so they get 14 hours of light a day, but reduce or stop laying -depending on the hen. But, never for 6 months, thankfully!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

My Maran and her Maran x Faverolle daughter have been very reliable. I have been getting 1-2 beautiful chocolate brown eggs pretty much every single day whether it has been 110F or -12F (with -50F wind chills) it has not made a difference. My Sussex has also been almost a daily layer. I picked up some Cochin Bantams this spring originally writing them off as layers and only got them for my kids, but I have been pleasantly surprised with them. They have been laying in sub-zero temperatures and while I usually eat eggs for breakfast I have always found 2 eggs to be too much for me and only 1 egg not to be filling enough. However, eating 1 regular egg and 1 bantam egg has been perfect. Who knew the bantams were the answer to my breakfast dilemma

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Ok, so even through negative 20 degrees and with the wind it was negative 40 degrees. My black australorp, buff orpington, and cinnamon queen layed. Then my SLW was molting bad timing and my Brahma layed 1 egg just a few days ago.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have lights on my hens, and they are young so I have been getting eggs all winter. But years I didn't use light, I had one Leghorn still laying, one Blue andelusian still laying and one Blue Isbar that was still laying.

 

[Bkaye]

Brahma are renowned for winter laying. They slow down in hot months when your other birds are laying more than you need.

My Brahmas were hatched out in March, laid excellent for me during the summer. They started to molt on me last month. Went from getting almost a dozen eggs from them to anywhere between 0-3 out of 13 pullets.

Don’t always go off them not molting much first year. So far all off my pullets have went through a moot this far with the exception of one.