What is the best egg layer out of these?

[ForCluckSake]

Right, so there's a farm near me, which sells all of the following breeds:

• Lemon Cuckoo Orpington
• Gold Laced Orpington
• Buff Laced Wyandotte Bantams
• Derbyshire Red Caps
• Marsh Daisy
• Norfolk Grey
• Silver Laced Wyandotte
• Gold Laced Wyandotte
• Warrens
• Rhode Island Reds
• Sussex

They are sold as;

• Live Hatching Eggs
• Day Old Chicks
• Point of Lay Pullets

I was wondering which breeds are:

1. The best chickens for egg laying (eggs per year&egg size)
2. Best hens for being broody/best mother hens
3. Most child friendly
4. Best overall breed

All help welcome,
Thank you!

 

[Ameraucanas]

Rhode Island Reds! They lay a huge amount of eggs. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_Red
Hope this helps!

 

[ForCluckSake]

Are they also a breed more prone to going broody... more so than the others?

 

[barkinghills]

Almost all of those are very fancy color breeds, so they may not turn out to be best laying individuals. Of those I would pick Rhode Island Reds as layers, and Sussex as good for being broody mothers. At my house both of those breeds are gentle around children. A good broody is sort of the opposite of a great layer, since they quit laying for weeks at a time when they go broody. Wyandottes might be a good compromise, but I would definitely ask the farm about laying of their particular hens since many of those breeds are being bred for fancy coloring.

Good luck! Sounds like fun.

 

[donrae]

I'm in the U.S. so not familiar with all your breeds but I think the Warrensburg are sex link hybrids? If so, they'll be your better layers.