Egg Layer question

[McCord6]

What type of chicken is the best egg layers?

 

[speckledhen]

Leghorns, Sexlinks, Rhode Island Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, I'd say.

 

[RichwoodsChickenKing]

Plymouth Barred Rocks are supposed to drop something like 330 eggs a year at peak

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Black Austrolorp holds the record: 364 eggs in 365 days.

 

[technodoll]

Does that mean these hens are born with more ova than other breeds?

 

[digitS']

Technodoll, a female chick is born with a number of early stage ova (oocytes) that is far greater than the number of eggs she could possibly produce in a lifetime. It is something like one-half million ova. Germ Cells in the Developing Female Chick (you can click on "Full Text")

I guess that this is true with all birds and quite different from mammals.

So, I suppose it isn't likely and/or it wouldn't make any difference if one breed has more ova than another. What would be important is that a layer has good capacity to eat more feed than necessary for just her own body maintenance. The additional nutrients in her diet can be used for eggs. Also, she would need a genetic tendency to respond well to the stimuli that encourage egg-laying.

For egg production, I'd put my money on Leghorns and Sexlinks. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have Black Australorps and Barred Rocks. Those are exactly the 2 breeds I have right now

.

Steve

edited: I guess I could say that the only Rhode Island Red I've had was a rooster not a laying hen

.

 

[ella]

White Leghorns are kept in commercial farms for white egg production. Gold/Red sexlinks are kept for brown eggs. So they lay the most generally speaking.

Leghorns are known for their flighty agressive behavior. Sexlinks are known for their succeptibility to reproductive problems. So if you're looking for a good layer that also makes a good pet, look at a dual purpose like a Barred Rock or Rhode Is. Red.

 

[lngrid]

When the laws change where I live and I can get chickens, I'd like to get them for eggs and pets. I don't want them to suffer from being egg-bound, so would I just look at a heritage dual-purpose breed?
I live in California where it gets very hot. Mediterranean breeds would make sense, except that the birds would be living on a city lot with a backyard of about 50' X 100'. I'm thinking flighty birds might not do well there.
I've looked Henderson's Breed Chart over and over and over and haven't found a breed that does well in heat, is docile, a good layer that doesn't go broody. Am I being too picky? Does anyone have a suggestion?

 

[gpamela3499]

I have one white leghorn, 2 black stars (sex link), 1 barred rock, and some assorted other breeds. I live in a very urban area my girls seem to be happy and content. The white leghorn is flighty (like a chicken with ADD sometimes) but not at all aggressive even with my bantams which are much smaller. She is no wimp either no body really minds her its kind of like that kid in class that listens to a beat of a different drum. She lays everyday without missing one day. I gauge my egg production by her Pretty big eggs too. My yard also only meets min. scratch area. We love her as a pet too. she is great with the kids and the cats.

 

[lngrid]

gpamela, if you don't mind, would you tell me more about your leghorn and how she's "different?" First of all, she sounds entertaining. Second of all, I'm worried about leghorns wanting to escape the run or the yard. We have a crazy neighbor who everyone is 90% sure shot another neighbor's pet cat and let it suffer til it died. I'll be keeping my girls in the backyard at all times.

"We" in this case is "my fiance and me." I don't live with him yet, but I will be after we're married. Just being clear...

I forgot to mention it, but I'm worried about internal laying too. I most definitely want eggs, but I don't need them enough to get a chicken who's going to suffer because I want them. I know that's being sentimental, but they'll be pets, too. Do sex-links have a tendency to get egg-bound? Am I worrying over nothing?