Production breeds

[Bettacreek]

Alright, next spring, I'm hoping to help the grandparents at camp get some new chickens. They have one roo and one hen left, and I think that they're going to disappear sometime this winter... I need two different breeds, one that lays white eggs and one that lays brown eggs. They need to be good producers and preferably not eat a lot. They will be free-ranged during the day, so they can't be of a pathetically stupid or lazy breed. Plus, there are coyotes, bears, coons, etc. Any ideas? I was thinking something like RIR for the brown eggs, but I wasn't sure.

 

[wombat]

RIR are good foragers, as are Turkens. Leghorns are the most productive white egg layers.

I've not found any breeds to be pathetically stupid or lazy, but they're going to need some sort of protection from predators. You can't expect chickens to take on a bear.

Consider electric fencing and a guardian dog.

Here's an easy to scroll through breed chart:
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[catdaddyfro]

I would say any of the sex-link brown egg layers are great for the situation your discribing. As far as the white egg layers I'd recomend Brown Leghorns for outside birds for their cammo look, but if white is okay then I would suggest California-whites over Wt. Leghorns as they are a LITTLE LESS flighty not much but a little.

If your not interested in the sex-link type, then RIReds, New Hampshires, BR, BA, BO, almost any breed of dual pupose type are excellent outside birds.

 

[KyBlue]

I agree on the brown egg layers- sex-link, RIR, New Hampshires or Barred Rocks.

For the white egg layer I would go with Golden Campines. They love to free-range and are very good layers. Plus, their color and markings keep them more camouflaged than a white bird like a leghorn.

 

[TipsyDog]

Agree on the RIR's, etc., for brown eggs, but what about brown leghorns for the white eggs? Very good layers and love to free range. I prefer them over the white leghorns, just because they blend into the land better and have better "hiding" ability than the white birds. Mine aren't too flightly, but they are active.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

The hatchery near me has "their own" cross; an Austra White.
It's a cross between a white leghorn and an Australorp.
They lay a creamy white egg every day, and the feathers are white with an occasional black spot. These are by far the smartest and craftiest chickens I have raised. They are not a sit in your lap chicken, but If I were going to be in the woods they would be my first choice. My customers that like a "smart" chicken are always telling me they absolutely love watching them "think" things out.
The hatchery is called Dunlaps if you are interested.

 

[Sillystunt]

Production reds will give you more eggs than a RIR. White leghorns for the white
good luck

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
What she said-I have a PR hen that is a FANTASTIC brown egg layer!