Looking for egglaying chicken breed: Help me make a choice please!

[Bibilibop]

Hello!

I'm reading a lot and I'm trying to decide wich chicken would be the best for me!
I want chicken mostly for their eggs. I don't want breed like the ISA brown, wich has a lot of health issue and doesn't lay for long.

I was looking for a chicken that was good egglayer and for a while too ( More than 2 years...)
I know that the number of eggs will drop, but I don't need them to have 5-6 eggs a week all their life either.

Also, if the chicken could be nice with humans, that could be a plus. We have a daycare, and it would be great to let the kid approche them some times.

Finally, they won't be free range. My city refuses that. I live in a rural area, so we are making a coop and a run, and they will have the chance to walk around when we are outside, in a enclosure with grass and more room. So I need chicken that can tolerate confinement quite well.




Here are the breed I'm interrested into:

-Plymouth Rock (They seem like good layers, really friendly and hardy, wich is great, since my winter are REALLY cold)

-Sussex chicken( Good layer, really pretty and seem friendly too)

- Wyandotte ( Seem to be a good layer, a lot of good reviews)

-Australorp ( I reaaaaally like their black color, SO pretty! I also read about a hen that was still giving eggs, even at 5years old, wich is great!)

-Silkie ( I adore their funny look, and people tell me they are good layer, and hardy in winter)


So, tadaaaaa!
Thoses are my possibles choices.
Could you give me your opinion, preference also?

I don't want an aggressive chicken against other chicken.
I won't have any rooster ( We are not allow too in my city) so only hens.
We are planning on having 3, maybe 4 if we manage to make the enclosure big enough. Should I get only 1 specie, or can I mix them?

I know, that'S a lot of reading and questions lol
Thank you and sorry if I made any mistakes! Trying my best with english!

 

[Veer67]

You can mix chicken breeds. My Silkie was a great layer, the only problem is that they get broody a lot.Wyandottes are pretty good layers too, mine would lay regularly in the weeks.

 

[dheltzel]

Silkies are NOT good layers, they really like to hatch eggs and spend a lot of time trying to do that instead of laying eggs.

ISA browns (or any sex link) are no more prone to health issues than any other breed, it's all about how they are managed. They are heavy producers, like rocks and rhode island reds (in fact, those are often the parents of the red sex links). I believe their hybrid vigor makes them healthier than other breeds, as a rule.

It's hard to go wrong with a Barred Plymouth Rock, Buff Orpington, Ameracauna or Rhode Island Red. Why not get one or 2 of each and then the kids can recognize them (and name them) easily.

 

[dheltzel]

Another thing, I love silkies, they are my favorite pet breed, but they are not very weather-proof. Never let them get wet, the water does not shed off their feathers like it does with other chickens. They are also at a disadvantage when kept with the other breeds you mention, being smaller and not able to see as well due to the fluff around their face. I wouldn't recommend keeping them in a mixed flock, though with a separate pen that is protected from the rain, they do fine and are very charming.

 

[Bibilibop]

Thank you a lot!

Yes, I read a little more on silkie... They don't seem to be really good for me, even iif they are really pretty.

About the ISA, everyone seem to say that they get sick a lot, or that after 2 year, they almost totally stop laying eggs... it's not true?

I looked the Rhode island one too, but i oftenly read people saying that they are aggressive with other chickens, wich worries me...

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to find any of thoses species in quebec lol, but I prefer getting all the informations before, and looking after!

 

[Veer67]

Silkies are NOT good layers, they really like to hatch eggs and spend a lot of time trying to do that instead of laying eggs.

ISA browns (or any sex link) are no more prone to health issues than any other breed, it's all about how they are managed. They are heavy producers, like rocks and rhode island reds (in fact, those are often the parents of the red sex links). I believe their hybrid vigor makes them healthier than other breeds, as a rule.

It's hard to go wrong with a Barred Plymouth Rock, Buff Orpington, Ameracauna or Rhode Island Red. Why not get one or 2 of each and then the kids can recognize them (and name them) easily.

The one I had was still young so she still hadn't gone broody yet. She a very good layer. She probably would have started to become broody in the summer or later on, but I agree, if you want your chickens for eggs then Silkies probably aren't for you.

 

[Veer67]

Thank you a lot! 


Yes, I read a little more on silkie... They don't seem to be really good for me, even iif they are really pretty. 


About the ISA, everyone seem to say that they get sick a lot, or that after 2 year, they almost totally stop laying eggs... it's not true? 


I looked the Rhode island one too, but i oftenly read people saying that they are aggressive with other chickens, wich worries me... 


I'm not even sure if I'll be able to find any of thoses species in quebec lol, but I prefer getting all the informations before, and looking after! 


 

Mostly the reason why Isa Brown or other production breeds like them are most likely to die after 2 years, is because of too large eggs. A lot of times my Red Star would lay giant jumbo eggs (double yolkers). And since they are high producers, it is common for these breeds to have their eggs get stuck. If an eggbound chicken is not helped, she will die.

 

[enola]

My Rhode island red hens fit right in with the flock. The meanest hens I ever owned were silver laced wyandottes.

The sex link breeds are bred for heavy production for about two years. After that they do not lay as often and their eggs get very large in size. The few hens that I have kept to lay a third season have developed some problem with their egg laying mechanism; the most common problem being prolapses from trying to lay those huge eggs.

 

[Veer67]

My Rhode island red hens fit right in with the flock. The meanest hens I ever owned were silver laced wyandottes.

The sex link breeds are bred for heavy production for about two years. After that they do not lay as often and their eggs get very large in size. The few hens that I have kept to lay a third season have developed some problem with their egg laying mechanism; the most common problem being prolapses from trying to lay those huge eggs.

Ah yes, prolapses and egg binding.

 

[Bibilibop]

Yeah, you guys are confirming what I read about...
I would probably give them the vet care they would need, but I would prefer to go with a healthier breed if I can.

Rhode island seem to be really productive too. Do they have the same kind of health issue or do they stop laying after 2 years ?

Sorry if I'm sceptical about everything, I can't have a lot of chickens, and I want to make the right choices