What breeds are good winter layers?

[redoak]

From your experience what breeds of chickens are good winter layers? Also do you provide yours with supplemental light to keep up their production or do yours lay good in the winter without extra light?

 

[Southerngirl]

Black Australorps ! We do not use any artificial light and still get plenty of eggs . They are a wonderful addition to the barnyard!

 

[miss_jayne]

this chart will help you very much...

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html


it gives so much info on each breed with other links too!

hope you find something great!

 

[gritsar]

My brahmas haven't slowed down yet and no I don't add light.

 

[L&Schickens]

I have Cream Brabanters and Norwegian Jaerhons that are suposed to be winter layers. But mine are still too young to lay. I will let you knwo how they do next winter!!

 

[chickiebaby]

australorps, brahmas, orps, barred rocks, NH reds and speckled sussex all lay like gangbusters around here. Below freezing - often way way below- at night for more than half the year at least. I dont heat anything at all, incl water, but I do keep fourteen hours of light most of year.

 

[ChickenToes]

My Black Australorps are still laying pretty well. I do have a light in the coop that gives them a few extra hours of light in the morning.

 

[sloallie10]

I've heard Faverolles

 

[Michele]

I have always had plenty of eggs from my stars/comets. If they are pullets I will still get atleast one egg a day from them and I don't have additional heat or light on them. I will always have star/comets on my farm because their egg production is what pays for the feed! I didn't think I would like them at first, but they all have different personalities and talk a lot. Don't forget to check your nests often in the winter or the eggs will freeze.
Michele

 

[BeardedChick]

I used the list Miss Jayne posted to come up with my breed choices, and indeed my Dels and Favs are still laying well with no supplemental light.

I will say - my Faverolles tend to go broody and be maternal. They lay a medium size egg, the Del eggs are large size. That said, I love their smaller eggs! I had two for breakfast and I swear they are so creamy and ridiculously rich... I really enjoy my Favorelles but they may not suit your needs if broodiness or smaller eggs would be a problem.