I want a good layer like sexlinks but...

[IdyllwildAcres]

Leghorns aren't very personable though, 'flighty', little hyper.
The laying eggs life of most chickens is only a few yrs. I never heard sexlinks only live 2-3 yrs, yes they are a 'hybrid' but that just means they are a cross of two other breeds, typically rhode island red and barred rock, rir or new hampshire and white rock or delaware.
For kids I'd suggest Easter eggers, kids love those green eggs and they lay quite well.

Leghorns are the best chickens ever. Plenty of personality, and mine loves me

Gary

 

[sylviethecochin]

I have a proposition for those of you who decry white leghorns or other production breeds of chickens laying so many eggs. If you think that it is wrong for a white leghorn hen to lay 280 to 350 eggs a year, then I suggest that you strongly demand that your employer furlow you for 6 months out of every year, WITHOUT PAY. For goodness sakes, practice what you preach.

As a farm-raised kid, it's expedient to have production birds and I admire their productivity.
I actually just don't like White Leghorns. I think they're too flighty when not hand-raised, too ready to pick on the baby chicks, a boring color and their combs get frostbitten far too easily. Nothing whatsoever to do with egg-laying.
I don't like sex-links because they're very hormonal birds and I don't like having hens die of painful illnesses.
Personal opinion, but I think I'm entitled to it.

 

[BantyChooks]

My brother in Canada has a flock of australorps and is enamored with them. He’s been breeding pigeons (Hungarian high flyers?) for a while but this was his first year with chickens. X2 on the ‘lorps laying 5+ per week even in winter and being pretty and pleasant dispositioned.

An australorp is also one of our upcoming spring chick order.

I had three Australorps. They never laid me a single egg.

(granted... they might have all had lovely shiny saddle feathers and they did crow now and then, but surely that wouldn't have an effect on rate of lay, right? )

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Leghorns aren't flighty but rather they are active, on the go chickens. Which would you prefer, a fat, stogie, overweight multipurpose chicken that can't get out of its own way and thus ends up as fox chow? Or would you prefer an active strain of chicken like a leghorn that is a fine forager or free ranger who has a good feed to egg conversion ratio and can fly out of danger.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Good opportunity to teach your human child that chickens are not children,
they are chickens(either pet or livestock),
and sometimes they die at a younger age than we would like.

Amazing point. I've seen too many people let their chickens roam in their house, ewwww. Respect that they are living beings and leave it at that.

 

[GotCoop]

I really want sexlinks because they lay a lot and mainly because I want to tell the hens apart from the roosters they sounded great until I got to the part where they only live 2-3 years and my chickens are like my children and I want them to live a while also because we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

Check out Bielefelders...can identify sex right out of the egg all the way through to adult.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Buff orpingtons or Australorps. Both are sweet and GREAT layers.

 

[SonoranChick]

This is such a good question, and a tough one to answer. I adore my red star and I certainly hope she lives longer than a few years! She's sweet as honey. As far as "nice" breeds go, I agree that the buff orphington is a great choice. Mine acts like a dog and loves to be picked up/loved on. She's a good layer too. She rarely gets frightened and sets a very calm tone for the flock. My best layers are my leghorns, red star, and RIR. Some say leghorns are flighty...mine are not at all. But they were hand raised. My RIR is also a little love-bug, and not bossy like I've heard they can be. My barred rock lays well, but she's a bit of a bully.

 

[alexa009]

My red sexlink is over a year old. I heard they didn't live very long before I purchased one but thought it would be nice to get a lot of eggs hope she lives longer than expected. Australorps are a friendly breed if you want a lot of eggs and a docile breed. Here is mine that started laying at 4 and a half months.

 

[Chullicken]

I read the Deathlayers are for the hardcore egg types. Supposedly they lay up until the day they die. Very cool looking at the same time, probably a bit pricey though.