Most productive layers? Also, welsummers vs. marans?

[Hidden Hollow Hatchery]

I'm doing some research for my next purchase of laying hens, and I have a couple of questions.

First of all, what is the most productive breed for eggs? McMurray sells a leghorn which lays an egg every day, and Stromberg sells a cherry egger which lays frequently as well. In your opinion, of all of the breeds there are, which is the most productive?

My second question is, who lays a darker egg? The welsummer or the maran? This one is a curiosity question more than anything. What has your experience been?

Thanks!

 

[enola]

There are some ducks that lay more eggs than even Leghorns !

Leghorns lay the most white eggs

Sex links lay the most brown eggs

 

[Henrietta23]

The Marans should lay a darker egg. (It's always Marans with the 's'.) I only have Welsummers though, so I'm no expert.
What is a cherry egger?

 

[horsejody]

Leghorns that are from a production strain will most likely produce the most. I had 2 that were killed by nasty neighbor dogs last year. They were laying machines. Sometimes I would get 3 eggs a day from the 2 hens and double yolkers were common.

 

[EweSheep]

Marans lay a darker egg than Welsummers which the Wellies lay a terra cotta egg of any shade.

I have found my Welsummers lay a little more better than the Black Marans I used to have. But it is no BIG differences between the two of them in laying production.

 

[Hidden Hollow Hatchery]

I've heard that the more they lay, the lighter their eggs are. Thanks, everyone! That was extremely helpful for me!

 

[lisahaschickens]

according to this popular and handy breeds chart:
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Leghorns are the most productive "ultimate egg machines" and Rhode Island Reds are number two in line.

I don't know about Marans and Welsummers... I am raising my first batch of chicks and I have Cuckoo Marans but they are not laying yet. It sounds like Marans' eggs are generally darkest... but I know it depends on the strain of the bird... some people breed for egg color and other breed for show standards, etc.

 

[DiVon80]

I like to go with a combo meat/ egg breed. I also want something I enjoy looking at. I also like a varity of different colored eggs..So I am not totally in to who does it the best...I grew up around 100's of white birds also they stick out in a field like a sore thumb.. If you plan to free range. I like the wild colored birds/ dark birds. I know B.O's. are lite but very big girls.

I was wondering about double yolks-how to get them...What happens if they hatch? Years ago knew people who did the hatching for a meat farm and they always gave the double yolks away. we loved them.

 

[Hidden Hollow Hatchery]

Well, I know that the yolk in the egg is the part which the chick feeds off of for nutrients throughout development as well as a couple of days after hatching. Before they hatch, they suck the yolk into their bodies so that they can keep feeding off of it. My guess is that with two yolks, either the chick dies from sucking up too much yolk, or the excess yolk makes hatching difficult. Honestly though, I have no idea!