What do you think is the best and worst laying breeds?

[Wetmorechick]

Leghorns all the way = Best egg layers! I only have 1 (Betty White) so it was easy to keep track, she layed 151 days in a row before taking a day off! She outlays all of my Isa Browns.

Easter Egger = Poorest egg layers! My girl Stella is absolutely the prettiest girl in my flock but she is (let’s just say, a hearty robust girl) lazy!!!!! 1 egg per week if I want one or not!!!!! She is super sweet and we will keep her regardless! Rock on Stella, you lazy girl!

 

[Birds of a Feather]

Leghorns have to be some of the best egg layers!

 

[bigz1983]

I have only owned chickens for about 2 years.

So far from my experience my ISA browns are the best layers I have had but I don't like how they treat my other chicken breeds Plymouth rocks, speckled Sussex, and buff Orpingtons.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

Leghorn, Production Reds, and Rhode Island Reds have been my best layers. Barred Rocks weren't bad. Mixed results with Americana's.

My Golden and Silver Laced Wyandottes, and Silkies didn't lay much and was surprised how my big Wyandottes laid only medium sized eggs.

Warning about Production Reds, while they laid well and have a great temperment, they are always the first ones picked off by predators. Not good survivors when free ranged around here.

The leghorns are probably my best free rangers as they are very aware and always on the lookout. Also they are the best flyers, when a coyote rushes in they fly up into a tree or onto the roof of the house.

If my leghorns laid brown eggs they would be perfect!

 

[varidgerunner]

They are all born with roughly the same amount of eggs in their ovaries. They all lay the same amount over their lifetime. Birds that lay 3 clutches of 12 each year will live a lot longer than birds that lay 360 a year.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

Totally get that, that's why my current batch of Leghorns is the Silver variety and am planning to try the Brown Leghorns for the same reason. They won't lay as fast as a white Leghorn, but they will lay for a longer period of time.

I may try crossing with a white rooster or a game and see what that does at some point. My dilemma is free ranging with the local predators we have, I know I could cage them up but that defeats allot of the benefits of raising my own eggs. Plus we also have allot of insects and I love positive effect the chickens do to keep the insect pests down.

So far the lighter and more alert Mediterranean breeds are proving to be much better survivors than the fatter and slower American varieties. Just miss the brown colored eggs.

 

[varidgerunner]

I've had game/leghorn cross birds. They did well. Laid in season, some went broody with age, some didn't. Lots of instinct. I'm going to have more soon. have some wyandotte game crosses now. Too broody, not that great at brooding, not much instinct. Pretty though.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

My wyandottes were gorgeous, but not very productive. Ended up getting rid of my last one last week as she was being a huge bully to the new hens. This year's new flock additions was 4 production reds and 4 silver Leghorns.

The production reds started laying first, but 3 of them have already disappeared. All the silvers are still thriving. Just got my first Silver Leghorn egg today. It's kind of a light sandy tan, unlike my white leghorns chalky white eggs.