What breed is the best year round brown egg layer?

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Will my orps produce as good as the rir's and australorps?

Buff Orpingtons are excellent fall, winter, and spring layers. In fact, they would rate right up there with my RIRs for egg production, except they love to go broody over the summer. And of course when they go broody they quit laying eggs for a minimum of two weeks, depending on how quickly you can break them of it (often not an easy task, LOL).

They do make great mommas!
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oh! What a beautiful mama!!! Well how do u break them out of it? Sounds like I am gonna have to know...since I have 10 girls...lol
 
I've had the black and red production chickens and it is true they lay well....but they are not hardy and don't have any longevity. Buff Orpingtons were not steady layers for me but they sure could put down the food....fattest chickens I had.

All of these breeds were slowly eliminated from my flock, as I wanted chickens that could lay well, be hardy in these cold mountain temps, and continue to lay for a couple or more years.

For my money and time, Black Aussies and RIRs are the tried and true breeds for consistent laying, unfallible hardiness and longevity of production years. The BAs go broody for me also. Both breeds are great foragers, thrifty on feed, have great and quirky personalities and shoot out those eggs....my oldest BA is now four years old and has made the cut for egg laying all these years. And I cull rigorously for this trait.
 
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I've tried many ways, and the easiest, surest fire way is to.... Let them hatch some chicks! Or ducklings, LOL.
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Other than that, my favorite is to separate her from the flock in a small pen with food and water and NO nest boxes of any kind. Leave her there until she stops showing signs of broodiness (about seven days).

My second favorite is to let them get good and comfortable in their personal nest for three or four days, and then take them out and put them into a new flock. Usually the stress and unfamiliar nest boxes will break them of it. Notice I said usually, LOL.
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My third favorite is to dunk them in the cold creek water. I dunk them in up to their wattles and swish them around in the cold water for several minutes, making sure that they're completely soakin' wet. I also quickly dunk their heads several times. This works about a third of the time.

A common thing I've heard of is to remove her from the nest box several times a day until she quits. By it self, this only worked once for me. I often do it in combination with my main breaking methods.

You can also ask around on BYC, I'm sure you'll get more ideas!
 
My austolorpe lays an egg a day and she is the most outgoing of my chickens. Certainly on the favorite list. But I was suprised to see my birchen cochin, a banty, has been laying an egg a day as well, even if the eggs are small.
 
well my buff orp hasn't gone broody on me but she only lays 5-6 eggs a week, but she is in molt now and growing in feathers, but she is still laying, nice healthy eggs, I've been waiting for her to have a break but not yet, her eggs are bigger then a RIR and smaller then a production red, you didn't mention whether you wanted large or jumbo eggs.
 
I guess it all depends on what you want in a flock. Factory-line production machine birds or a flock of layers that give you a lot of pleasure and companionship while producing you plenty of good food for several years.


I know many here will disagree. That's ok...I've go my "flame-proof" skivies on.

Larry

Cool- I want some skivies like that!
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You have a very good point... BUT (you knew that was coming, right?) Some of us can't incubate eggs, but still want to raise chicks from day 1 or 2, and due to small backyards can only keep a few hens, and no roosters. So the sex links, as I inderstand it, you can tell from birth which are females and which are males, and it makes it possible to get only females.

I get a lot of pleasure and companionship from my gold sex links, and they are still laying into their second year.

Now if I had a real farm, it'd be a whole different story, and I'd definately be raising heritage breeds and such. I am jealous of those of you who can have your hens raise baby chicks- those pictures of the little babies peekiing out from under their momma- you guys are killing me here!
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