IF You were starting an egg laying operation????

[Art of Creation Homestead]

I often think about this question and would like to hear others opinions. If you were starting an egg laying operation with 1000 chickens what breed or combination of breeds would you choose?

 

[Flockincrazy]

I often think about this question and would like to hear others opinions. If you were starting an egg laying operation with 1000 chickens what breed or combination of breeds would you choose?

Just for the eggs or for hatching

 

[Flockincrazy]

If just for eggs RIR and white leghorns

 

[Art of Creation Homestead]

Yeah just for the eggs

 

[NatJ]

For most efficient egg production of white eggs, white leghorns (a good commercial strain).

For brown eggs (may be able to sell at a higher price in some areas), sexlinks or Rhode Island Reds (only ones bred for good egg production).

I would consider breeds that lay blue or green eggs, or having some white and some brown layers, only if I thought I could sell the eggs for more money because of them looking different. For example, if you were selling at a farmer's market and needed a way to distinguish your eggs from others, then having multiple colors in a carton might be one way. (And if your eggs then tasted extra-good, people would come back for more of those particular eggs.)

 

[Art of Creation Homestead]

I always thought that I would diversify the style of eggs that I sold. I'm not big on sex links, not sustainable enough. Sure they lay like crazy but can stop entirely too quick. I havent had a "real" RIR yet, just a "production red" and they werent good enough for me to want more of. My best layers have been New Hampshire's. So I think I would use New Hampshire, Easter Eggers, probably Barred Rocks, RIR, White Leghorns, and maybe Marans and/or Barnevelders for darker, richer eggs.