Currently have Buff Orpingtons but looking into a better brown egg producer. Ideas?

[MrsBennitt32]

I ordered buff Orpingtons because I heard they lay good large brown eggs. After more research I see people saying they only lay 3 times a week medium to large eggs that are very light brown. I love that the BO are dual purpose. They get big enough to butcher and eat and lay brown eggs. I'm just disappointed in what I am finding out that they don't lay as much eggs. So I want a breed that will lay a lot of large to extra large brown eggs and docile. I am kinda looking into purchasing Australorp. What are their eggs like and production rate? Any other heavy size bird for good meat but also excellent egg production of large/extra large brown eggs? Nothing that would be mean or bully other birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Have you seen how your Buff Orps actually lay or are you just reading too much on the internet? Just because one person had a Buff Orp that did not lay very well does not mean that all of them will not lay well. I’ve had Buff Orps that lay very well.

There are breed tendencies, but each chicken is an individual. I find the strain much more important than the breed tendencies. Chickens inherit traits from their parents. If the person that selects which chickens get to breed base that selection on certain traits, those traits get stronger. Some people will select for larger or more eggs, others select for other things, like maybe appearance. While they may all be Buff Orps, their productivity can vary quite a bit. Whether the eggs are medium or large, light or dark brown, or a few versus many eggs will vary based on heredity, which follows the trends of the parents but includes some luck of the draw. Don’t give up on those Buff Orps too quickly.

It is impossible to come up with a breed that will not be ”mean” or “bully” other hens. Chickens will be chickens. They will establish a pecking order regardless of breed. To many people that may seem mean or bullying, but that is just chickens being chickens. Chickens are social animals. Just like a pack of wolves or a herd of cattle, every animal in that flock, pack, or herd needs to know its place in the social hierarchy so the group can live in peace. Establishing that rank usually involves fighting and intimidation, but once the rank is established the flock, pack, or herd can live together in peace. There will occasionally be times when a challenge arises but those are normally settled pretty quickly and without great drama.

Occasionally you get a chicken that is just a bully and does not fit in to the normal routine. It is mean to any chicken that ranks lower in the pecking order. It’s not normal but it happens. That chicken can be of any breed. Luck of the draw plays into this too.

Again strain comes into play. If aggression is one of the traits selected against, then the flock will normally not be very aggressive. If the person selecting the breeders pays no mind to aggression as a trait, then you might wind up with an aggressive flock, regardless of breed. Rhode Island Reds have a reputation on here as being an aggressive breed. Hatcheries normally don’t use aggression as a criteria when selecting breeders. But some breeders use aggression as a criteria and have some really gentle RIR chickens, male and female.

Several breeds have a reputation for laying large brown eggs and being a decent size to butcher. Shade of brown is really going to be the luck of the draw because practically no one selects for egg shell color. Black Australorp, Delaware, the Rocks, the Wyandottes, Buckeyes, and Chanticleers should all meet your criteria for good dual purpose birds. There are others but I can’t list them all. You’ll find posts for all of these where people say their chickens are mean and aggressive, but you’ll also find posts for all of these where they say their chickens are the sweetest things ever. There is no one breed where every chicken in that breed is identical. Strain is way too important, plus heredity is random. Even within a strain you can get widely varying results. The dual purpose breeds were developed for what you want. Try any of those and there is a pretty good chance you will get something real close to what you want.

Good luck and don’t panic yet.

 

[MrsBennitt32]

Thanks so much for the information. I really like my BO and no I haven't seen them lay yet. Maybe I'll take your advice and wait it out and see how they lay. Then select the hens that lay the most eggs and hatch out their eggs and hopefully pass on the genes of good egg production. I like the pure breeds but I have been reading more of the australorpXbuff Orpingtons and maybe I could get the best of both worlds there. A large hen but great brown egg production.