Most eggs

[Kyleharry16]

I need advice on which breed of chicks to get I have someone that wants 15-20 dozen eggs a week and I was going to get 30-35 chickens(I will get more if you think I should). What would be the best?
Thanks-
Kyle

 

[ajay]

Check the home page on BYC and look up under breeds. It tells which ones are most productive. Austrolorps & Leghorns are supposed to be very productive chickens.

 

[ladybug99]

My Wellsummers are very dependable egg layers

 

[ragerkid2]

I have herd leg horns are the very best layers. But I hate leghorns with a passion. I generally dont like white chickens. If you want to stay away from white and still want a good egg, get red sex links. They lay a large brown egg. and they have better personality's.

 

[tigercreek]

Red sex links are better layers for brown eggs, for white eggs, leghorns are #1. ......stan

 

[chicmom]

I would have to agree that the red sex link is the very best breed for brown eggs. And people really like brown eggs. Some things to consider, that you don't often think of is the size of the hen and the size of the eggs they lay.

Where will you buy your chicks from? If you're ordering them, I recommend the Meyer Hatchery, which is in Polk Ohio. They have a breed they call the Golden Buff. (A red sex link). The hen only get's to about 4 1/2 lbs, which is small, and they lay a nice, big brown egg, nearly every day in the summertime.

Other hatcheries have different varieties of the red sex link, and I'm sure they'll work just fine for you.

Good luck!

Sharon

 

[Cowgirl71]

White Leghorns - which lay white eggs - are the best layers by far, in a tiny extremely feed efficient package. However they are very very flighty.

If you want something that's more docile or lays brown eggs, then the best laying breeds are Rhode Island Reds, Red Sexlinks (aka Golden Comets, Cinnamon Queens, Golden Sexlinks, Golden Buffs, Red Stars, and ISA Browns), Black Sexlinks (aka Black Stars), Black Australorps, and Barred Rocks.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Your goal is about twice our present flock's production of 10 dozen a week, so let's see what the numbers say.

You'll need 45 hens that lay 6+ eggs a week, every week. 320+ eggs per year, per hen. Only the Red Sex Links, with ISA Browns leading the pack, will do that, on the brown egg side. The ISA has a great personality, which is nice. You won't find them nearly as flighty as a Leghorn. 20 dozen eggs per week, means 40-45 of the girls will have to lay every day. That is a reachable goal with the Sex Links. Be sure to factor the occasional broken egg, and their "days" off for whatever reason, yes, they do take one now and then.

45 hens will also consume 70# of layer pellets, @ $14/50# every week, and sometimes more than that. They'll also drink 15-16 gallons of water per week.

Even so, in winter, to keep that level of laying going, you'll need to have a small light come on at 4 am and burn until 4:30 pm. You need them to go to roost under natural light, so the light snapping off doesn't catch them unaware.

I'd also say this. You'll have to have your next 40-50 pullets ready to take their place in a year. To maintain a super high productivity rate out of 40-45 hens, you won't be able to keep them more than a year, or at the most two years. Top quality feed is also a plus. Best of wishes on your new project.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Fred has the right of it. Better scale up. I'd get at least fifty to give yourself some cushion and plan on getting that many more the next year then culling all but the best of the previous year's birds.

 

[Kyleharry16]

Thanks all and I was just woundering would a Gold Sex Link be just as good as a Red Sex Link???