You should defiantly get some Speckled Sussex. If you are looking for layers, I would definitely recommend Leghorns. I've never had one, but I think they lay and average of 300 eggs per year. Partridge Cochins are also good layers and are very pretty. Welsummers are also cool because you can wipe off some of the coloring on a fresh egg. Hope this helped!
I would really like to get some of those if I can find them. I think they are just beautiful. I am not a huge fan of Leghorns. My husband has had those in the past and seemed to have trouble with them eating eggs. Even with supplemental oyster shell, I think it was just a habit for them. I have heard Cochins are fairly poor layers but they are beautiful. I had many bantam cochins that I donated to a family members flock that were incredibly broody. I would love to have a standard if they were even moderately good layers.
I would look for a few true Ameraucanas, such pretty eggs. I have 8, they still have a while to go before the start to lay. And like you said you could have your very own Olive eggers. And Welsummers, I love them they are very pretty chickens, I have 2 they should start laying very soon. I have never had the other breeds you are interested in so I could not comment on them. How do your Black Australorpes lay? I have an 11 month old that has never started to lay yet, I told my husband I am so glad that he only picked one of her, cause she does nothing in terms of eggs, lol. My BEST layers are my leghorns, BSL, and RSL. Although I do have a Blue Orpington that laid her very first egg on Feb. 1st and has continued to lay an egg every single day since. Each day I say she won't lay tomorrow, and to my surprise she has so far. But it's been 9 days now so I am sure tomorrow will be her day off! Good luck with which breeds you go with.
My Black Austrolorps are almost a year old now and aren't laying yet. I have Black Copper Marans that I bought around the same time that have been laying very consistently for months. The BAs were what my husband wanted. I wasn't really a fan of those either. They look close to the same as my BCMs and just lay a plain brown egg, or would lay if they ever start!
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I'll be in the same dilemma when my current flock (all the same age, only 2 breeds) starts to taper off in the production department. I'll want to replace them with interesting birds but need decent egg production to justify having them.
My solution I think will be to get one "super layer" like a leghorn or production red for every two or three birds of a moderate laying breed. I'll plan to replace the production birds every 2 years so I'll always be in eggs.
Are you getting birds from local breeders, or from local establishments that source from hatcheries? In my (albeit limited) experience hatchery stock are less broody and tend to lay better than birds of the same breed from a breeder. They may not be the most perfect looking examples of the breed but they are certainly pretty enough for me. My hatchery Orps lay better than my sister's Orps from a breeder and my two little bantam hens purchased from a breeder go broody so often I consider them yard ornaments and don't even count them in my flock numbers.
We've had all the "super layers" in the past and are hoping to try something new and exciting. I am partial to fancy birds and colored eggs, even if they only lay ~4/week. I'm not sure which route we will be taking as far as where we purchase our birds from. Most likely I would say local establishments selling hatchery chicks which is going to greatly reduce the variety I'll be able to pick from. I've bought from both methods in the past but have found the hatchery chicks to be a bit hardier in my experience.
Out of all those breeds, only the BAs are the true "good egg layers". I'd get more of those and get rid of all the also rans if you wanting a lot of eggs. The rest can lay eggs, as can any chicken breed, but exceptional laying can only be found in a handful of breeds. BAs are one of those. Out of those listed in bold, I'd choose not a one.
We aren't necessarily looking for exceptional laying. I have had every one of those egg laying breeds in the past. My chicken hobby has evolved more from egg production to specialty birds. I need eggs to be laid to justify having them but it isn't first priority. I haven't been the least bit impressed with our Austrolorps. The are three months behind my Marans and Ameraucana in laying and all the same age. My marans lay about 4/ week and my Ameraucana will lay 6 at a minimum. Starting laying in the winter and never slacked off!
As I side note I also like to take my chickens to poultry shows in local fairs. After I got married I let my siblings take over my show flock but I used to have a pretty neat little show string. I had a gorgeous Silver Pheonix cock, he has lost some of his good looks as he has gotten older but he was a looker. A Light Brahman Bantam that won several awards, she actually came from the Assorted bantam bin at
TSC and was remarkably correct to not be from a breeder. A had a buff laced polish that was a riot. She could not see a thing with her top hat. I had several frizzle and normal cochin bantams. I had a really nice trio of Partridge Bearded D'Anvers that I purchased from a show breeder. I am sure there were others I am forgetting.
Long story short, the husband said they had to go because there really wasn't a good layer in the bunch. One day I will wear him thin enough to support my bantam addiction and I will have at least a trio of Silver Sebrights, Mille Fluer D'Uccles, and Old English Game. One day
