Hens

[mrsmartin2001]

What is the best egglaying and setting hens?

 

[silkiechicken]

Well.. egg laying AND setting? Usually hens that are great layers are great layers because they don't go broody, since being broody will take them out of egg laying for about two months if not longer to incubate eggs and raise their chicks each time they decide to set.

Great layers are the production red's or sexlink types, while the white productin leghorn takes the cake for lots and lots of eggs. My leghorn girls lay their weight in eggs every 2-3 weeks. However, people say these birds burn out after a few years. Mine are still all young, about two years old for these, and they are going as strong as ever.

I hear great broodies include buff orps, cochins, and silkies. However, my best broody is a black sexlink. She's got an attitude and not even a hawk will mess with her chicks. My silkies on the other hand... made terrible broodies and killed all their chicks and kept wanting to sit on eggs.