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What breed is the most productive layer?

My RIRs, Barred Rocks, Ameraucanas and Buff Orpingtons are all fantastic layers. Not sure how the Ameraucanas will lay through the winter, but so far, I get an egg a day from both girls, almost without fail.
 
Leghorns (white eggs), Rhode Island reds (brown eggs), and the various hybrid sex links are probably your best bet. There is a lot of variability among breeds and even within breeds, so make sure you buy a production strain; most hatcheries label them as such. Most hatcheries also keep records of their egg laying, I bet they would be happy to tell you what their best layers are. Production strain RI reds and leghorns can handle the cold well, and the RI reds can probable handle it a bit better. Both breeds also come in rose comb varieties so you can avoid frozen combs. Both breeds are good foragers, but the reds are better camouflaged.

For ducks, the best layers are Campbells and runners, both of which will outlay even the best chickens if they come from good production strains. I've heard the runners do better foraging and can handle life on land (w/o a pond) a lot better.
 
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Merry Christmas! Your Sex Links are your best egg layers. If you prefer brown eggs, you need the Red, Black and Gold Sex Links. They are also known as Red or Black Star Hens. They lay the jumbo eggs! Your white leghorns will lay the white eggs. I have 2 Red Stars, 4 Black Stars, 3 Gold Sex Links and 6 Americaunas. The Red and Black Stars are very cold hardy chickens. Good Luck on your search for chickens.
 
Also take into consideration where you live - if you live in a cold climate, I'd stay away from leghorns because of their combs and waddles. Our brown leghorns took a month or two off laying anything until recently. A neighbor sold us his sex links because they had 'stopped laying' but from the 11 we average 6 eggs or so a day.
 
Rhode Island Reds are great, too, also with meat quality. They lay 300 eggs a year. Their eggs are X-large, light brown, and have awesome quality. Their meat quality is supreme. They are VERY friendly and sweet birds, safe for kids. I immediately loved them the day I bought them as chicks.

Good luck!
 

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