Best breed for laying longevity as opposed to weekly production?

[Timmo]

I'm pretty sure some breeds 'turn off' earlier than others. I guess I'm asking if there is a breed that is known to lay longer than others? The amount of eggs per week is less important to me than the number of years a hen will lay.

I'm thinking of building a large chicken run between 2 long vegetable greenhouses to save on the cost of fencing, and to produce compostable waste for the veggies. A nice combination.

I'd rather have more hens making fewer eggs and more compost over a longer time, than fewer hens making more eggs and less compost that I would have to replace in a couple years or so.....Does that make sense? I'd like to avoid culling non-productive birds as much as possible.

I know birds like Orpingtons lay fewer eggs a week than RIRs, does that translate into more years of egglaying?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Mahonri]

I was wondering out loud today on the way to the feed store, what would a RIR X Leghorn looklike...
or visa versa Leghorn X RIR. They are both good on production. We had some leghorns that layed for 4 or 5 years when I was a kid.

 

[Timmo]

Is 4-5 years normal for today's leghorns? That isn't bad. I've read that they last 2 years, but that may just be production house standards.

 

[Queen Scoot]

when my girls start laying good(they are production reds) i plan on hatching some eggs my rooster is a brown leg horn...

 

[s6bee]

I dont' have leghorns but from what I hear they are "layers" so not a choice for longevity so expect to have them lay for 2-3 yrs. . Your dual purpose birds are your choice if you want them around for years. Take a look here, great site.

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

 

[Timmo]

Thanks for the link s6bee, lots of great info. I knew the dorkings were ancient, but I didn't realize the leghorns were from Roman times as well. I didn't see anything about laying longevity though, if I missed it please let me know.

If the layer breeds burn out quickly and the DP breeds don't, is there a DP breed that stands out as an especially long lived layer?

Does anyone have a really old flock that still has good layers in it?

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

My last flock of RIRs started phasing out at about 5 years and my last hen, my HennyPenny, laid an egg a day for 7 1/2 years, rarely missing even one day. She passed away at age 8 1/2.

HTH

 

[Timmo]

5-7 years from RIRs? They're heavy layers, too. Excellent.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I should have mentioned these were heritage RIRs, not hatchery RIRs. I'm not sure hatchery RIRs will give you the same longevity.

HTH

 

[BantyHugger]

My RIR have massively slowed at 4 yrs. My leghorn is still going everyday though. These are hatchery birds. A friend hatched out a RIR Leghorn cross from us once. It turned out to be a roo though.

can't help