Hi BirdsNRabbits - I don't own Niederrheiner but follow this thread because I love rare or new breeds to see how they develop in status or popularity regarding their unique attributes.
200 eggs in the first year is a very impressive layer number for a heavy bird so I assume the Nied's are not considered a broody breed but more of a dual purpose breed?
Just a bit of trivia I picked up in researching chicken egg production. Production Leghorns are probably one of the most prolific layers in the chicken world from 250-300 eggs their first year and I found that they lay 20% less eggs their 2nd year, 20% less their 3rd year, etc. In other words, 300 eggs 1st year will likely be 240 eggs 2nd year, roughly 190 eggs 3rd year, etc. It looks like that 20% less egg production applies to the Nied's too from your German statistics. Looks like all chicken breeds follow the 20% less egg production statistics -- even my little Silkies who are so broody I'm lucky to get 50-60 eggs their first year!
Keep up the good work!
