best egg laying breeds?

[Racieann]

My coop is nearly finished and its time to start thinking about the girls that will soon occupy my very first coop on my budding urban farm. What are your favorite breeds and why? What are some hearty breeds and how are their dispositions? Thanks in advance!

 

[LRH97]

I think Speckled Sussex and Orpingtons are tied for my favorite for standard fowl. SS are just beautiful to me, pretty good layers, calm, and can make decent mothers. BOs make great mothers, are just puffy sweethearts, and good layers of brown eggs. Both are good dual purpose breeds and will make good table birds if you want to go that route. Both do well in the cold. The heat does tend to stress my BOs out a little though, (It can get to 110+ here) but not anything too serious. I will say if you want egg laying machines, go with Leghorns for white eggs (they can be jumpy and nervous, though) or Red or Black Sex-Links for brown. They're more even-tempered. I suggest visiting the breeds section here at BYC to read reviews on various breeds to see different member's experiences with different breeds. It really can help you make a decision on what breed(s) is right for you.

Here ya go: https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

 

[Racieann]

Haha, I'm looking at beds right now. Thank you for your feedback. I have only four people that I'm providing eggs for so I don't need a ton of eggs, but I will share with family of the supply is high. I'm wanting functional pets, I guess you can say. I am excited to start my chicken journey. I live in Washington state, so we don't get any extreme weather. That's good for the birds, I suppose.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Many like hybrids but personally, I like to get a breed so that I can maintain a self-sustainable flock. Hybrids, you have to either keep the breeds that they came from as well or start with fresh stock every few years. My Augsburgers lay better than my Leghorns, if that helps. They are a bit rare but very nice to have and I got mine from someone here on BYC. They have handled both heat and cold very well and are quite friendly. The roosters are perfect gentlemen with their ladies (my current one with the girls doesn't even hang on during mating so it is very non-stressful for the hens) and I haven't had one to be aggressive yet out of three. I plan to try to hatch some out later this spring. Can't wait for more of these great birds to join my flock.

 

[Michael OShay]

Statistically speaking, the best laying breeds are White Leghorns and Black and Red Sex Links (sex links are actually hybrids rather than breeds). These are the hens used by laying houses (White Leghorns for white eggs, Black or Red Sex Links for brown eggs) as they are egg laying machines, churning out over 300 eggs per hen per year. My personal favorite chickens are Black Sex Links (Black Stars), which are hardy and friendly, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids) and they have been my best layers, being especially persistent in really cold weather when the lay rate of my other hens has really dropped off.