Please Help Me Choose My New Chickens! =)

[PNightbird]

Hi Everyone!

Our new 8 x 8 chicken coop is going up, and I'm planning on ordering about 15-20 chickens. My main goal is to have the most frequent and largest size eggs possible, as we are big egg eaters here and will also use them to feed our herd of dogs as I am trying to feed them less commercial food and more nutritious homemade recipes that include eggs, meats and veggies. From what I've read here, most agree Red Star hybrid chickens lay the largest and most frequent eggs, so I will definitely get some of those. But I would also love to get suggestions on any other chicken breeds that lay big eggs, and that hopefully will add some color and variety to the flock. Thanks Y'all!

 

[Mahonri]

First off,

We are all so glad you found us.

I would suggest two or three other breeds.

1. Black Stars... by far the very best layer I have ever owned. I have one that has seldom missed a day since last October.
2. Pearl White Leghorns.... big eggs, hens that lay almost every day.
3. Golden Cuckoo Marans... HUGE eggs... but ours only lays 3-4 a week.


Other good layers in my flock...

I have a nice Blue Wheaten Ameraucana (lays blue eggs) that gives me 4-5 eggs a week.
I have a Barred Rock that gives me 5-6 eggs a week.
I have a Buff Orpington and a Salmon Faverolle that give me 4-5 eggs a week.

Good luck!

 

[Happy Chooks]

My Barred Rock lays the largest eggs and she lays a lot of them. In April, she laid 22 eggs in 30 days. In March, she laid 25 eggs in 31 days. Hope that helps.

 

[harrisville chicken]

Love my black stars. The only eggs we had through the winter was from our black stars

I'm looking forward to Black Australorps (who have the world record for laying the most eggs in one year) when and if I need to replace any chickens. They have a nice temperament. Plus, I think they're a gorgeous bird to boot.

I've heard good things about red stars and gold stars also as far as egg-laying goes.

 

[PNightbird]

Thank you Mahonri for the welcome message! Are the Golden Cuckoo Marans the ones I have read that lay those beautiful #4 chocolate eggs? Do you know what the "#4" stands for? Because I have no idea, just see it always mentioned that you need to make sure they lay those. Can you recommend a good online poultry place that sells them? And why are Marans so darn expensive?

New2chooks, I am definitely getting some Barred Rocks, they are so beautiful!

Harrisville Chicken, the Black Australorps are also on my list!

 

[SpringChickens]

Welcome!!

I really love my Easter Eggers (sold everywhere as Ameraucanas). Orpingtons are very sweet and good producers, barred rocks are pretty and fun. I love the look of silver laced wyandottes (and gold laced).

Will you have a run on your coop? If you have an 8X8 coop (and no run), I would probably get 6 hens maximum. If you can free range them a lot, then you can get more, but I like having 10 sq feet per bird. Others will say as few as 3-4 square feet, but those are typically birds which have a run also.

Good luck!

 

[SpringChickens]

Are the Golden Cuckoo Marans the ones I have read that lay those beautiful #4 chocolate eggs? Do you know what the "#4" stands for? Because I have no idea, just see it always mentioned that you need to make sure they lay those. Can you recommend a good online poultry place that sells them? And why are Marans so darn expensive?

Golden Cuckoo Marans are gorgeous birds. The #4 means the shade of brown which they lay. They are known to be very dark brown egg layers (which is also why they are so expensive!!). I would look on here for a breeder who sells them - you'll get a better quality bird that way. If you don't care about show quality, you can get birds from a hatchery (which is easiest and cheapest, but more production oriented than to breed standards). McMurray is a good hatchery, as is Ideal or My Pet Chicken.

Good luck!!!​

 

[Jeeper1540]

I have a Cinnamon Queen (red sex link) and she is a great layer, she was the first of my flock to lay eggs, at 4 months. the rest didnt lay for another month or two. my white leghorns and barred holland are great layers. all three lay white eggs, and most days, i get all three eggs from them

 

[PNightbird]

SpringChickens, for sure we will have a run, which right now we are planning on making about 20-30ft length and 8ft wide. However, I plan on free ranging our chickens during the day, so they will spend a minimal amount of time in the run and coop. This way they can eat all the yummy bugs and grass we have, and hopefully this will make for happy hens and tasty eggs.

Oh, and I'm definitely getting some Ameraucanas, how in the world could I resist blue/green eggs? LOL! The Orpingtons & Wyandottes sound great too for their color. As for the Golden Cuckoo Marans, I need to add them, as their eggs are just so chocolately looking..yum! ( I know, they won't taste like chocolate..lol!)

Jeeper1540, thanks for the info on the laying habits, that really helps me to decide. I think I should add some white Leghorns too as so many people list them as fantastic layers. Thanks for the tip!

 

[newchickmom09]

First

it is a great place to be.

I have Black Australorps, Gold Laced wyandotte, Silver Laced Wyandotte, and Easter Eggers they all lay about 5-6 eggs a week. My biggest layer is my Silver Laced Wyandotte, her eggs are large and a very pretty pink/light brown color. I think if you order any birds from a hatchery they are bred for egg production so you are going to be happy with whatever you pick. Whatever you like to look at is what I would suggest buying.

Since you are going to get so many, why not get a bunch of different breeds so you can test them all out. (No enabler here

)