Best breed for egg production over time?

[Sakmeht]

Hello,

I'm new to chickens and want to get some for egg production but need hens that are friendly and preferably on the quiet side since I have kids and neighbors.
We may not get rid of our chickens after a couple years like many do, as they'll no doubt will become like family so we're looking for breeds that will continue to
produce a fair to good amount of eggs over several years. What can you recommend? We live in sw Idaho, btw - zone 6.

Sarita

 

[fdehaven]

I have Rhode Island Reds very friendly and lots of eggs.

 

[Oldhound]

Idaho- Cold ! Buckeyes , Dominiques , etc . any of the pea or rose comb breeds that can take the freeze. Unless you have a heated coop .

 

[Cjarvis]

I would have say Wyandotte, they are little slower to mature but lay well for several years and through the cold and short daylight hours.

 

[kimbobim]

We had a Black Star (a black sex link) from McMurray hatchery that laid steadily until she was almost 8 years old - 5 to 6 enormous eggs a week. She was our head hen for a long time, great personality, not too loud. Only weird thing about her was she did a hard molt every January, which was pretty hard on her - she was darn near naked. We live in Utah at 5200 feet, so it's really cold then. She survived, but was really cranky for a few weeks (I made her wear a poncho - seriously, I was afraid she'd freeze to death).

Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks are great layers, too - our oldest are 4 years old and still going just as strong as ever. Around 5-6 eggs a week. They're curious, and love treats, but a few don't like being held as much as the others.

If you're near Boise, you need to be more concerned about the summer heat than cold winters. We lived there for eight years and I remember it being well above 100 a lot in the summer. You can look for threads here on BYC for tips on keeping them cool enough in the summer.

Good luck!