Best layers

[dkkirby]

I was gifted a $100 Murray McMurray gift card. I want to add some really good egg layers. Any thoughts? I also want more colorful eggs. Also... I was thinking of adding 2 silkies. HELP!!!!!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What a wonderful problem to have.

Some colorful egg layers aren't great layers. Easter eggers tend to be fairly consistent, though some are better than others. Lots of production breeds like sex links and leghorn that will keep you in eggs.

I'd be careful mixing silkies with standard breeds. They will often lose out. Some can be vulnerable to brain injuries if they get their skull pecked. They are best kept with other silkies or gentle bantams like cochins.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Some good layer breeds are Barred Rocks, Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds (although they can be aggressive depending on what you end up with). Hope that helps and good luck with your flock!

 

[sealer39]

Welsummers are supposed to lay darker brown speckled eggs well. Cackle advertisers 200-280 eggs per year. I bought 6 this year to try.

 

[sealer39]

You could also try the Whiting True Blues From McMurray.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Whiting True Blues lay blue eggs, Easter Eggers and Amerucuanas (a breed with muffs and beards) lay blue to green eggs, Welsummers lay dark brown eggs as do the Marans. I think Murray also has the "Green Queen" bred to lay green eggs. Whiting true blue are expensive and if all you need is colored eggs, I'd go with the "Americana" which is really just an Easter Egger (they are not a breed), and the Green Queens. You decide, you lucky thing you!! I'm green with envy!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I can remember spending long hours researching different breeds and chickens, trying to decide what chickens I wanted to start my flock. What breeds did I want? What rooster to put with what hens? I kept changing my mind up until I finally placed the order. And then I kept thinking how I could have done different. Good luck with that part of it.

I don't know your experience with chickens or how many you can handle or how many eggs you want. That should play into it.

I don't know if you already have bantams. I have not looked at the McMurray site but assume their Silkies are bantams. I don't do bantams myself, not one of my goals. But many people on here keep bantams, including Silkies, with their full-sized flock without issues. But some people do have issues, especially when integrating. I'd be a lot more willing to try that if I had a lot of room instead of having them packed tightly. And by a lot of room I mean a lot more than that 4 sq ft in the coop with 10 in the run.

You seem to have an idea of what you want in terms of egg laying and colors. Many of what McMurray is offering are not really breeds but either hybrids or their own development so you can't go by breed tendencies. My suggestion is to read the McMurray descriptions of them, keep good notes, and make your decisions from that. In my opinion it's the best you can do and you can't do much better than your best.

At the end of the day you will probably be happy with most of them but there might be a few that you decide I would not do it again. That's part of your personal learning curve. One that I might be happy with may be on your never again list. That's just the way it works since we all have different goals.

I'll mention that when I started I wanted a chicken that goes broody so I included a few Buff Orps. None of them did but practically all my Black Australorps did. Things don't always work out the way you plan. But they tend to work out.

 

[dkkirby]

What a wonderful problem to have.

Some colorful egg layers aren't great layers. Easter eggers tend to be fairly consistent, though some are better than others. Lots of production breeds like sex links and leghorn that will keep you in eggs.

I'd be careful mixing silkies with standard breeds. They will often lose out. Some can be vulnerable to brain injuries if they get their skull pecked. They are best kept with other silkies or gentle bantams like cochins.

What about the chickens with the hat looking feathers. Do they get along with other chickens? I rescued a bunch of chickens and ducks. I love them. I really would like silkies too but don't want them to get hurt.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What about the chickens with the hat looking feathers. Do they get along with other chickens? I rescued a bunch of chickens and ducks. I love them. I really would like silkies too but don't want them to get hurt.

Polish chickens? You do have to be careful mixing crested with non crested, especially if the birds eyesight is obscured. Breeds like appenzeller spitzhauben aren't a problem because their crest generally don't obscure their vision. Birds that can't see well can be slower and more prone to bullying and pecking. Not always, but enough to be aware of it.

Always keep multiple crested birds so it isn't a novelty. Don't crowd, which can cause pecking. Polish in general are flighty, goofy birds.

 

[dkkirby]

Polish chickens? You do have to be careful mixing crested with non crested, especially if the birds eyesight is obscured. Breeds like appenzeller spitzhauben aren't a problem because their crest generally don't obscure their vision. Birds that can't see well can be slower and more prone to bullying and pecking. Not always, but enough to be aware of it.

Always keep multiple crested birds so it isn't a novelty. Don't crowd, which can cause pecking. Polish in general are flighty, goofy birds.

Are you familiar with ducks? I need more hens as my khaki hatch had 8 females and 5 males. I would like to add 2 buff and 2 Welsh harlequin and 6 more khakis