My Barred Rocks are as noisey as all get out (and my friend calls her BRs "loudmouth 1, 2, and 3"). All of my chickens laid all winter, but we did supplement with light. You could probably still get the wyandottes, blue marans (for your dark egg), and Ameraucanas from that guy in Muskegon. Pretty sure he doesn't let you in to look at the birds (bio-security and all since he *seems* to have a pretty big group of birds) but he's got quite a variety listed in his CL ads. He sells his as "stared pullets" I think too, so no chicks in the house.
Welsummers should also give you a dark brown egg.
And link:
http://nmi.craigslist.org/grd/3910393260.html
My Australorps (though I think 1 is actually a Jersey Giant) lay an almost pinkish colored egg (another shade of brown really), and have been good broody's.
For the blue/green eggs, get your basic Easter Egger (Townline calls them the Ameraucana Strain).
I've had both the Silver laced & Golden Laced Wyandottes... They seem to have a lighter brown, almost peach/tan colored egg that looks nice in a multiple color egg basket.
My Barred Rock hens, during their first year, seem to have a relatively dark brown egg, though they do lighten with age. Our current Barred Rock seems to take "the egg song" to the extreme. She's very proud of the eggs. She serenades each lady on the nest box & must announce when EVERYBODY lays an egg, and for herself... she likes to give a prelude as well. She's an "egg song" instigator and tends to raise the egg excitement with the other chickens. LOL. It's quite funny actually.
For production, it's hard to beat the California Grey Leghorn. They lay often, the white eggs look just as beautiful in a carton next to multiple other colors (especially in contrast to the Marans dark browns), and their feed to egg ratio is the best.
Also good for production are the Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires, ISA Browns, and Amber Link. They'll all lay consistently with relatively similar brown shades.
I've never had the Orpingtons (I'm not sure why, I've always wanted to), or the black sex links. I think they were on my list to try this year, but the "chicken math" had the coop full before I could. LOL. Maybe next year.
If your MIL wants a colorful egg basket with only 4-5 cold hardy hens, and easy/cheap to get by going to Townline... She should pick the California Grey (White) Leghorn, Easter Egger, Australorp, Wyandotte, Any 1 of the regular brown egg layer (RIR, NH, ISA, AL, BSL), and if you can convince her of 6... find her a Marans. This would make a good starter flock. Although this is just my 2 cents & probably not even worth that much. There are a TON of correct answers here.
My black Australorp ALSO lays a pinky-tan egg, with purple-y brown dots. LOVE finding her eggs! BIL has buff orps and black sex links and they lay very well.....but I don't think they're as pretty to look at as wyandottes.
As far as I know, wheat bran will be in the BAKING section. Or was it the cereal section...... One of the two. I had a horrible time finding it when I was making some muffins this spring.
We're going camping tomorrow! 4 days with 3 kids in two tents. Good gracious. We're going to try for a day trip to Tahquamenon Falls as well. Hope it's not too cold up by the bridge! Thank goodness our house-sitter is the one we used this spring......she already knows what to do with the birds!
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