Egg Layer recommendations needed

[Manningjw]

My red sex-link laid daily through our 104 degree heat wave of last year. I had a fan on them and gave them plenty of water but she did just fine. My black sex-links aren't the layers the red is. They're bigger birds, too, and they didn't handle the heat as well. Maybe it's just the type I got but I prefer the red for laying.

That being said - it's my understanding that red and black sex-links don't lay as long as other breeds and that they "burn out" in about 2 years. I wasn't aware of that when I got mine so I'm adding other breeds this year in anticipation of them slowing down in about a year.

From what I have read, chickens can all lay about the same amount of eggs over their lifespan. Being that Red sex links can lay 300-340 eggs each year for their first two years of laying, I would expect them to hit that ceiling faster than other breeds.

Our Red Star has earned her chicken retirement, we will keep her until she passes. She is amazing and out of our original 9 hens her and one other are the only ones we have kept. We sold the rest and replaced them as they got older. She is now over 2.5 years old and is laying an absolutely huge egg 6 out of 7 days or more each week.

 

[BGMatt]

From what I have read, chickens can all lay about the same amount of eggs over their lifespan. Being that Red sex links can lay 300-340 eggs each year for their first two years of laying, I would expect them to hit that ceiling faster than other breeds.

Our Red Star has earned her chicken retirement, we will keep her until she passes. She is amazing and out of our original 9 hens her and one other are the only ones we have kept. We sold the rest and replaced them as they got older. She is now over 2.5 years old and is laying an absolutely huge egg 6 out of 7 days or more each week.

You might want to recheck that. The reason that birds productivity goes down after a couple years so much is that the commercial hatcheries have bred them that way. They have bred them to be too fast and too small, it doesn't allow the birds to develop proper body or internals to handle the stress of laying.

 

[Manningjw]

You might want to recheck that. The reason that birds productivity goes down after a couple years so much is that the commercial hatcheries have bred them that way. They have bred them to be too fast and too small, it doesn't allow the birds to develop proper body or internals to handle the stress of laying.

Our Red Star is handling the stress of laying quite well it would seem. She has already laid more eggs than many breeds would lay over their lifespan, and she is still going strong. I would acknowledge that some production strains do have more reports of problems such as being egg bound etc. It would be interesting to see a study comparing the per egg risk of egg bound and other complications to see if it is due to breed or just higher risk due to egg volume.

All chickens decrease productivity in their second and third years. I have read many people on these forums still have relatively productive white leghorns and other 'production' breeds even at 4 years old. The eggs in my incubator right now are from hens that are 5-6 years old(according to the owner), Austra-white hens.

 

[Manningjw]

You might want to recheck that. The reason that birds productivity goes down after a couple years so much is that the commercial hatcheries have bred them that way. They have bred them to be too fast and too small, it doesn't allow the birds to develop proper body or internals to handle the stress of laying.

And yes, you may be right, I could be completely off base about chickens having a maximum (at least for our purposes) of eggs produced during a lifespan. I remember someone quoting me somewhere around 1,000 maximum which seems reasonable given what we see out of leghorns over their life span. I doubt many if any breeds other than high production breeds can get anywhere near that number over a lifespan.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Don't go Brahma's.

For top production and heat tolerance - White Leghorns, Minorca's and Ancona's. I have 2 of these 3 and they are great!

 

[Bill Matthews]

To Manningjw: Any of the commercial hybrids and some of the crossbreeds will outlay the heritage breeds because of superior breeding. That said ANY of the dual purpose and laying bred heritage breeds will lay sufficiently to keep almost anyone in eggs. Some think that the older heritage breeds live and lay longer with less intensive management and poorer housing conditions. Wyandottes, Rocks, New Hampshires, Speckled sS ussex, Orpingtons, Black Australorps are good dual purpose breeds. Austra Whites, California Greys, DelewarexHamps, and RIRxBarred Rock crosses are good crossbreeds. WhitelLeghorns can't be beaten for large white eggs. There are rumors that the commercial hybrids lay fewer years because of the stress related to very high production rates the first and second years Some say the ISA Browns drop like flies in December after about 18 weeks production..I actually don't know and don't know anyone personally who does..Thanks...

 

[Judy]

Quote:
My reading indicates you are both correct. Each hen has a finite number of eggs, although I have no idea how many that is. 1000 may very well be correct. How many they lay in, say, a year is partly a matter of being bred to lay more of them earlier in their life. Birds from a good breeder may well lay fewer eggs, but for more years.

Black Australorps, last I read, hold the world's record for number of eggs in one ear. Mine consistently lay all year long unless molting or broody (one of them tends to go broody.) Unless you buy from a true Ameraucana breeder, they will probably be Easter Eggers. What hatcheries call Ameraucanas (or similar sounding names) are Easter Eggers. Not that there is anything wrong with EE's. People who care about egg color should be aware that not all of them will lay blue eggs, though. My two lay brown. Either way, they are not the greatest for laying rate.

Leghorns are usually considered best for egg to cost ratio. They lay a lot of eggs while young, and they are lighter than some large fowl, so they eat less. Black Australorps are on the large end of the large fowl spectrum.

 

[mark9199]

This was my final list that I came up with based on suggestions here, research and what was available at the farm. The list is sorted favorite to least favorite.


Leghorn
Plymouth/Barred Rock
Australorp
Red Speckled Sussex
Buff Orpington
Ameraucana/Easter Egg
Red Sex Link
RI Red
Wyandotte
Brahma
Iowa Blue

I ran out of time so I'm sure there's some better suggestions but just in case anyone else is in a similar situation, maybe this will help. I appreciate everyone's inputs. They all helped.

So, we got three 5-week olds! Just curious how good you guys are at identification? Have a look. I'll tell tomorrow or Tuesday. All 3 are on the list. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Manningjw]

My reading indicates you are both correct. Each hen has a finite number of eggs, although I have no idea how many that is. 1000 may very well be correct. How many they lay in, say, a year is partly a matter of being bred to lay more of them earlier in their life. Birds from a good breeder may well lay fewer eggs, but for more years.

Black Australorps, last I read, hold the world's record for number of eggs in one ear. Mine consistently lay all year long unless molting or broody (one of them tends to go broody.) Unless you buy from a true Ameraucana breeder, they will probably be Easter Eggers. What hatcheries call Ameraucanas (or similar sounding names) are Easter Eggers. Not that there is anything wrong with EE's. People who care about egg color should be aware that not all of them will lay blue eggs, though. My two lay brown. Either way, they are not the greatest for laying rate.

Leghorns are usually considered best for egg to cost ratio. They lay a lot of eggs while young, and they are lighter than some large fowl, so they eat less. Black Australorps are on the large end of the large fowl spectrum.

We liked our Australorps. They started laying young and were laying around 4-5 eggs a week. One of our Australorps and one Barred rock went broody after their first year of laying, then after broody they started molting, so neither of them laid and egg again for a couple of months I don't think. Our Red Sex link laid right through winter as well.

What amazed me about our Red Star was she laid 89 out of her first 90 days laying eggs, and they started out medium large and got to jumbo sized pretty fast. She now lays eggs that are just ginormous, and still lays them nearly every day. Even though we have 5 young hens now that are just at POL, she still lays more eggs than any other chicken other than our new redstar.

 

[Manningjw]

I would say you have 1 black australorp, 1 barred rock and the last one has me fooled, I think I see a pea comb which could mean easter egger.