Smaller breed that lays large eggs

[LisaVMN13]

Leghorn. They have one of the best feed to egg conversion rates as well.
EEs are going to depend upon the parent stock. If the hen was a great layer then her pullets tend to be as well.
Australorps are great layers of large brown eggs but they are on the larger size.

thank you

 

[LisaVMN13]

Surprisingly my tiny Sebright hen laid eggs almost as big as the leghorn did in my avatar. Hard to tell who laid which egg!!

Really? I am amazed! Those tiny (beautiful) little girls?What do you feed them?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Good morning all.
I am a newbie getting ready to start a small layer flock. I read somewhere (and can't find it now) that there are some breeds that are smaller and lay large eggs.
They said this made really good feed to product ratio. I have no idea which chickens they referred to but my husband would really like to know
We were originally looking at Australorps and EE. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated, thank you.

Hi there, hope you're enjoying BYC!

I personally would avoid sex links as their known reproductive disorders outweigh their pluses to me. Leghorn, are actually beautiful birds with tons of character, despite my original dislike and trying one thinking it would be the first to go to the predators... everyone who came to my house liked seeing that bird most. Leghorn first, RIR second with regards to production. EE are mostly fun and once leveled off lay about every other day... but are exceptional foragers in my experience.

Here are a couple comparison charts...
Chicken Chart

pickachicken

Breeds of Chickens

Also... a variety is REALLY nice... makes it easy to tell who's laying or if anyone is having any trouble.

Happy selecting!

 

[AltonaAcres]

To answer your question about Sebrights, I at the time fed them Purina layer. Now I do whole grain layer mix from a local farm

 

[LisaVMN13]

Hi there, hope you're enjoying BYC!

I personally would avoid sex links as their known reproductive disorders outweigh their pluses to me. Leghorn, are actually beautiful birds with tons of character, despite my original dislike and trying one thinking it would be the first to go to the predators... everyone who came to my house liked seeing that bird most. Leghorn first, RIR second with regards to production. EE are mostly fun and once leveled off lay about every other day... but are exceptional foragers in my experience.

Here are a couple comparison charts...
Chicken Chart

pickachicken

Breeds of Chickens

Also... a variety is REALLY nice... makes it easy to tell who's laying or if anyone is having any trouble.

Happy selecting!

I was originally thinking Black Australorp, Dominques, and EE. I, too, had an original dislike for Leghorns as they are discribed as nervous and flighty, but I am rethinking now.Was told white birds are predator targets too. Will definitely check the charts, thank you!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Really? I am amazed! Those tiny (beautiful) little girls?What do you feed them?

It's all about genetics really... None of my bantams EVER come close to laying as big as a leghorn... unless the bantam is an older hen and the leghorn is barely started laying pullet eggs.

Most my bantam eggs start around 20-25 grams and top out at 45 g. Leghorn and other large fowl started out around 35- 40 grams and were upwards of 65-70 grams in year 1... getting slightly larger after that even. I used to obsessively write the hens' name, date, and weight on every egg collected. My EE eggs at year 3 are 60 grams. @AltonaAcres, I don't doubt you.. but did you happen to weigh them? Or can you tell us where your Seabright eggs top out in respect to weight please? I'm curios as I bred Silkies for several years and currently working with bantam Ameraucana right now, had bantam Welsummer and bantam Polish before.. never YET seen a full size egg from any of them.

That being said... I do believe it's mostly a wash between bantam and large fowl... we use twice as many bantam eggs for eating but takes half the space and feed. I think the little eggs are fun... and half my family doesn't mind while the other half says it's more egg cracking and more figuring for recipes.

Between Dom and Rock... Rock eggs are bigger... and one of my favorite birds. Egg size in addition to how often is a good consideration... some birds might lay 4 smaller eggs per week verses another that lays 3 larger eggs per week. So it may not be just the size or just the frequency that matter... but a combination of the two. Pekin (Cochin) eggs were smallish comparatively.

If white isn't a good color... which I understand and agree, despite never losing a white bird YET (and that was what made her look so amazing with her huge red comb and little white body)... there are other colors of Leghorn. The brown Leghorn is a beautiful bird though not as prolific in production as the white.

Black Austra.. they look perfect on paper, no production experience as I only raised and sold one juvenile... but I also NEVER get egg numbers claimed by hatcheries... while free ranging. It's not true that happier birds lay more eggs.. Though it could still be true that stressed birds lay less... how does that explain the production seen in our egg production facilities. Genetics, coupled with lighting... water intake can increase or reduce egg size SOME.

Relative to picking a chicken that has the right cold or heat hardiness for YOUR location.. adding your general location to your profile might help folks make their best suggestions possible at a glance.

 

[AltonaAcres]

Sorry I never weighed her eggs, and I no longer have Sebrights. She was from a large hatchery, not a show quality bird or anything.

 

[LisaVMN13]

It's all about genetics really... None of my bantams EVER come close to laying as big as a leghorn... unless the bantam is an older hen and the leghorn is barely started laying pullet eggs.

Most my bantam eggs start around 20-25 grams and top out at 45 g. Leghorn and other large fowl started out around 35- 40 grams and were upwards of 65-70 grams in year 1... getting slightly larger after that even. I used to obsessively write the hens' name, date, and weight on every egg collected. My EE eggs at year 3 are 60 grams. @AltonaAcres, I don't doubt you.. but did you happen to weigh them? Or can you tell us where your Seabright eggs top out in respect to weight please? I'm curios as I bred Silkies for several years and currently working with bantam Ameraucana right now, had bantam Welsummer and bantam Polish before.. never YET seen a full size egg from any of them.

That being said... I do believe it's mostly a wash between bantam and large fowl... we use twice as many bantam eggs for eating but takes half the space and feed. I think the little eggs are fun... and half my family doesn't mind while the other half says it's more egg cracking and more figuring for recipes.

Between Dom and Rock... Rock eggs are bigger... and one of my favorite birds. Egg size in addition to how often is a good consideration... some birds might lay 4 smaller eggs per week verses another that lays 3 larger eggs per week. So it may not be just the size or just the frequency that matter... but a combination of the two. Pekin (Cochin) eggs were smallish comparatively.

If white isn't a good color... which I understand and agree, despite never losing a white bird YET (and that was what made her look so amazing with her huge red comb and little white body)... there are other colors of Leghorn. The brown Leghorn is a beautiful bird though not as prolific in production as the white.

Black Austra.. they look perfect on paper, no production experience as I only raised and sold one juvenile... but I also NEVER get egg numbers claimed by hatcheries... while free ranging. It's not true that happier birds lay more eggs.. Though it could still be true that stressed birds lay less... how does that explain the production seen in our egg production facilities. Genetics, coupled with lighting... water intake can increase or reduce egg size SOME.

Relative to picking a chicken that has the right cold or heat hardiness for YOUR location.. adding your general location to your profile might help folks make their best suggestions possible at a glance.

Thank you for all of the information, it is excellent. I updated my profile as you suggested. I didn't realize it wasn't there, thanks again.

 

[LisaVMN13]

Sorry I never weighed her eggs, and I no longer have Sebrights. She was from a large hatchery, not a show quality bird or anything.

They are beautiful birds, thank you for taking the time to respond

 

[MROO]

Good morning all.
I am a newbie getting ready to start a small layer flock. I read somewhere (and can't find it now) that there are some breeds that are smaller and lay large eggs.
They said this made really good feed to product ratio. I have no idea which chickens they referred to but my husband would really like to know
We were originally looking at Australorps and EE. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated, thank you.

If you want the added bonus of helping to save a heritage breed, there's a nice chart on the Livestock Conservancy's website. Some of the breeds may be hard to find, but they're worth the time and effort to search. "Rare" doesn't always mean "expensive," either. Most of the breeders in the program are ardent supporters of their critter-of-choice and do their best to keep costs down. If you're lucky enough to have an interested 4H child, many will practically give you chicks to raise. Our first few Nankins cost my daughter a picture of her birds at a show and a copy of the project page (no personal info involved) from her yearly report notebook. She has since "placed" several pairs with other 4H youngsters. It's a great way to get kids involved in the conservation process ... and you'll likely fall in love, as well!
The Pick-A-Chick chart is at:
https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf