Egg laying patterns through the year as a breed characteristic

[saysfaa]

I'm having trouble finding information on egg laying patterns of one breed vs another. Specifically, if a breed is known to lay fewer eggs is it because they lay at longer intervals or because they stop laying for longer periods (broodiness or heat/cold, molting, and such)?
I think it is either or both depending on the breed but where or how do I find out which is more likely for a given breed? Is there vocabulary for this that will help me find it or somewhere to look?

I know it varies individually so the breeds overlap but there should still be tendencies by breed, I would think.

I'm looking for lower production per year but because of fewer eggs per week rather than more weeks per year of not laying at all. Ideally.

I'm considering Black Austalorps from the feed store. I've been checking often but haven't seen them yet. If they don't get any, I'll probably order from a hatchery in which case I will have a lot more breed choices. In that case, I've been leaning toward Black Javas, Hollands, or Flame Jaerhons. Or maybe still Black Australorps.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I'm looking for lower production per year but because of fewer eggs per week rather than more weeks per year of not laying at all. Ideally.

Most egg laying breeds (non-broody types) hatched in spring will lay though the first winter with plenty of feed.
My 7 Barred Rocks mid-August chicks started laying in January and gave me 40+ eggs weekly till October and gradually slowed till molt, for 4 to 6 weeks. Some started to molt in November, most early December, one started her molt in January.
Then egg production dropped some after molt but eggs were bigger.
Those are the only breed I've had and were my second Flock.
My first Flock and my third Flock are a hybrid (red sex-links) Golden Comets and ISA Browns.
I still have 3 Barred Rocks, 31 months old and two are laying, gave me 10 eggs last week.
The other hasn't laid since a predator attack took a Flockmate last June.

I'm having trouble finding information on egg laying patterns of one breed vs another. Specifically, if a breed is known to lay fewer eggs is it because they lay at longer intervals or because they stop laying for longer periods (broodiness or heat/cold, molting, and such)?
I think it is either or both depending on the breed but where or how do I find out which is more likely for a given breed?

Henderson's gives information about Broodiness and egg production.
Feathersite gives other information.
Both egg production and broodiness will vary depending on on where you buy them, from a hatchery or a breeder.
A hatchery usually has that info on their website. GC

 

[aart]

But both will vary depending on on where you buy them, from a hatchery or a breeder.

...and how you feed and house them.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm considering Black Austalorps from the feed store.

I have three TSC BAs. They were March chicks, began to lay in early August. They all stopped laying in November and had a partial molt. Laying began again in January. I did not use artificial lighting. I was a little disappointed that I had to buy eggs for a couple months, but I love my BAs.

 

[NatJ]

Specifically, if a breed is known to lay fewer eggs is it because they lay at longer intervals or because they stop laying for longer periods (broodiness or heat/cold, molting, and such)?
I think it is either or both depending on the breed but where or how do I find out which is more likely for a given breed? Is there vocabulary for this that will help me find it or somewhere to look?

You're right, some take a long time off to be broody but lay really well in between, and others lay at slightly longer intervals all year round, and some take the whole winter off but lay pretty well in the spring & summer (unless they take the winter off and go broody in the summer--those are the really low producers!)

The only terms I can think of are "good winter layer" and "broody," for trying to figure out which breeds tend to lay with what patterns.

I don't know of any good resource that tells about it, but I can often make some guesses by looking at the information provided by hatcheries.

I'm looking for lower production per year but because of fewer eggs per week rather than more weeks per year of not laying at all. Ideally.

You might find some hens that do that, but you might also be able to find combinations of hens that work together to give what you want.

For example, some hens could lay in the summer and take the winter off, and some hens could lay in the winter but spend much of the summer broody.

Or you could have a bunch of hens that go broody frequently, but you keep breaking their broodiness, such that some are laying at any given time.

Or just get ones that lay well year-round, and have fewer total chickens.

Or have ones that lay well, and when you have extra eggs, cook them and feed them back to the chickens.

How many chickens you want, and how many eggs you want to use, will have a big effect on what ideas work best for you.

Edit to add: just getting one each of several breeds could help, because they are more likely to have different laying patterns if they are different breeds.