Best layers?

[jackrooster]

I am having to make a pretty big decition with all my chickens......And I want to know what chickens are the best layer?? My flock consisted of Buff orintons, Molted Javas, barred Rocks, Silver and olden laced Wydottes, EE's, Black austpotes, a few Blue Andulsions, black sex-links, a polish hen, a bunch of Bantams, Turken naked nacks,Silver Lakenvelder, Egyptian Fayoumin and a red Sholdered Yokohama. They are all under a year old and havent started layer much, because of winter, but my father wants to keep 10 to 15 of the best layers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can get a general idea about the tendencies of breeds by looking at Henderson's Breed Chart. Your sex links are crosses, not breeds, so they won't show up, but they should be pretty good layers. These are breed tendencies, not absolute laws of nature. How much a chicken lays is very individual. Some individuals from a breed that tends to not be good layers may pump out 9 eggs in 10 days. Some from good egg laying breeds may not lay many eggs or eggs of good quality.

Another consideration is that different people breed chickens for different reasons. Not everybody selects as their breeders the chickens that lay the most eggs. So while your Barred Rocks should be good egg layers, if they came from a strain that was developed to win grand championships at shows or to provide meat instead of eggs, that specific strain may not be particularly good at laying eggs.

Still, with nothing else to go by, Henderson's Breed Chart is a good referrence.

Henderson’s Breed Chart
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Good luck! It is a hard decision.

 

[Morgan7782]

My Brahma laid 2.2 ounce eggs on a near daily basis, about 5-6 per week. I have a Barred Rock who didn't begin laying until later than usual, BUT she is pumping out 2.1-2.2 ounce eggs about 5-6 a week. I also have a Black Australorp who has laid about 5 in the last 6-7 days.

I had a Wyandotte who laid about 4-5 per week, and I also have a Black Copper Marans that has laid about 4-5 eggs in the last 7 days or so.

The kicker?

I have an Easter Egger who will be 11 months Feb 28th, and hasn't laid an egg yet.

She just recently squatted for the first time, but for production purposes??

I would say Plymouth Rock (Barred, White, ect), Black Australorp, Rhode Island Red/Production Red, the sex links of course. I love the plymouth rocks though, good layers and loads of personality.

Edited to add:

I have also heard "hatchery type" birds tend to lay earlier, and produce more than breeder birds. My Brahma was from a breeder though and she was a machine lol! So I think a lot can be considered. My Barred Rock laid her first egg at 10 1/2 months