crested egg layers?

[hallerlake]

My husband likes crested birds. I would like egg layers. Is there a breed of crested egg layers? Thank you.

 

[crazy huhn]

How about some Polish hens?
Check out the Polish thread on here with lots of cool photos........

 

[Kittymomma]

I can't think of any crested birds that are known to lay large eggs. I'm not a breed expert by any means so maybe someone else will chime in with something. Maybe you could check around in your area (CL?) and see if anyone has some polish crossed with RIR etc. that has a crest but lays better/larger then the polish??

Do you think he would like the EE's? They're not crested but they do have a beard and muffs plus they lay green or blue eggs, at least most of them do, occasionaly one will lay white or brown but green is much more likely. My EE's lay pretty well, usually 5 large eggs a week, though they do tend to go broody. My son got a huge kick out of ours and brought real green eggs to school when they were reading Green Eggs and Ham for Dr. Seuss day.

 

[gootziecat]

Not that I know of. Other than crossbreeding, the only breeds I can think of off the top of my head are Brabanters, Spitzhaubens, Houndans, and Sultans. I think some of the Flowerhens and Icelandics can have crests sometimes. They are all rare breeds. I'm not sure how well they lay. They are probably similar to a Polish in production. It seems that European countries are much more fond of crests than we are in this country. Too bad, as I like the crested birds too.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Quote:
Hatchery Polish tend to be pretty decent egg layers. I know ours lay 3-5 days out of the week, at least. However, bare in mind that they were not bred for this.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
We have an EE pullet who is developing a muff and beard. She's not laying yet.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
I showed my husband pictures of Polish hens. He was smitten, but I've heard they lay small eggs on an irregular basis. I suppose I could get more layers for me (I want wynadottes), and some Polish for him.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
Hatchery Polish tend to be pretty decent egg layers. I know ours lay 3-5 days out of the week, at least. However, bare in mind that they were not bred for this.

Hatchery birds are what we are likely to get. We're not looking for show quality or breeding stock.

 

[NYREDS]

Actually Polish were originally bred as a laying breed & there are some strains that lay very well. Especially true of the White Crested Blacks. Houdans were a dual purpose fowl & were a popular market fowl as well as a dependable layer.

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

I have two standard and one bantam Polish and they all lay almost everyday. My standards' eggs aren't huge, like those of production layers, but they really are decent sized! They're really funny, goofy, inquisitive birds and I love their crests! Let the guy have a couple Polish, you'll love them!