Whats the best chickens for eggs?

[Sylvester017]

I don't know about other states but Massachusetts is in a bit of a midl drought i think. We had one downpour of rain last week for a couple minutes but then it stopped and i dont think it even soaked in and was probably not quite as bad as that anyway. I think we have maybe had one or two othe rrainy days here or there but mostly its been 80s and 90s and no rain or only rain for a couple minutes. Right now is cool though. Had this stretch move in with cool nights and hot hot days the last few days

Is it WV that is having flood problems while the rest of the Eastern states are in heatwaves? Crazy weather! We still have a canyon fire going on behind us in So Calif and a bad fire took homes and lives in Central Calif.

 

[ShrekDawg]

 Is it WV that is having flood problems while the rest of the Eastern states are in heatwaves?  Crazy weather!  We still have a canyon fire going on behind us in So Calif and a bad fire took homes and lives in Central Calif.

Not too sure! It did rain in may and April but even then not nearly as much as it usually does. It's weird, we really haven't had much rain. Or it hits to the more northern states and misses us. Definitely weird weather.

 

[SHERRING7712]

Ours is just the opposite! We've had more rain and thunderstorms this year then the last few combined. It's definitely been nice for the garden. I feel bad for all of you with such drought and heat this year! Hope you all weather it well.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ours is just the opposite!  We've had more rain and thunderstorms this year then the last few combined.  It's definitely been nice for the garden.  I feel bad for all of you with such drought and heat this year!  Hope you all weather it well. 

We could definitely use some rain! And thank you, it feels like its hotter than it usually is at this time of year but I'm not sure if it actually is. But either way it is hot. I'm hoping we get some rain soon. But so far I've been staying inside or going out so I'm not in the heat

 

[Sylvester017]

Ours is just the opposite! We've had more rain and thunderstorms this year then the last few combined. It's definitely been nice for the garden. I feel bad for all of you with such drought and heat this year! Hope you all weather it well.

How are your winters? How do your chickens do in ND weather? Do you have them in a barn in winter or ???

 

[lhamid]

I have 2 sex link hens, they are laying machines. I also have Buff Orps, they are good layers too except they go broody a lot. Marans are also pretty good layers. I like Easter Eggers too for the blue/green eggs.

 

[micahrain]

I've heard contrary, but my silver cuckoo marans lay every single day. I've heard they take a while to start. Mine were used. at over a year old

 

[JimArcher]

I bought two old Sex link hens (gold) from an egg farm (They were in wooden batteries) in Laos and I assumed they would stop laying because of the move; different feed etc. I was amazed that they laid the next day in the little bamboo cage they overnighted in. I then put them in the circular bamboo cage in the run so the other chickens could get a bit used to them. They continued to lay - lay 4 or 5 days and then take 1 day off and repeat. This continued for 3 more months and they finally started to molt and stopped production. They adapted immediately to life in the run when I released them after 3 or 4 days and did everything a normal hen would do. Dust bathing, eating greens, scratching for food, going up to a nest basket and getting down, cackling, etc etc. They were very dominant right from the start and the only thing they lacked was a mating response to the rooster. He did not let that stop him and after a while they got used to him. I really recommend these birds for eggs. They were very friendly too and followed me around in the run. They had a sharp eye for whatever I was carrying and would sometimes jump up and try to peck at the jar or dish.
Hens that are over 4 or 5 years of age may continue to lay some eggs, but they often have poor hatchability as their ova are too old. Roosters can also be too old to be fertile. If you are not going to dispose of less productive birds (oldies etc), then I suggest you get a bird that will lay fewer eggs per year, but for a longer lifetime.

 

[Dave from Maine]

In addition to the information you have been given, there are a few other things to consider. What part of the country do you live in and what is the climate?. Some of the hens good for hot weather would do poorly where there are cold winters. (Thinking leghorn here)
Do you intend to free range or will they be in coops or runs? That will affect the amount of feed you use and your egg to feed ration Do you just want eggs, period, or are you interested in color and size?
You might want to go to www.mypetchicken.com and answer a short survey. Depending on your answers they give a selection of breeds you might be happy with.

I have kept leghorns through Maine winters with temperatures down to -30F. Now I keep hamburgs. The coop is unheated and well vented but not drafty. The birds usually stay in the coop when the temperature is below 0 but above that they go out into the run and try to scratch the frozen ground. They also seem to like eating snow. The only temperature problems I've had were frozen eggs. Since I stopped lighting the coop I don't get eggs to freeze. Buying eggs from my neighbors is less expensive than lighting and heating my own coop.

 

[Catandherchicks]

Of all my different breeds, my Wyandottes have been the best layers. Heck, I have two Wyandotte hens, one SLW and one GLW, and they are seven years old and still laying on a regular basis. And they are gorgeous girls. Meet Lilith and Irene.

Lovely ladies. I want one of each! Good to know they're good layers besides being eye-candy.