White Egg Layer Breed Suggestions

[Wishapup]

I have only ever owned brown and green/blue egg layers, and I think it would be nice if possible to add a large white egg to my basket. However, I am having trouble finding a white-egg laying breed that isn't too flighty or too rare to find, because I'd prefer to get them from a breeder rather than a hatchery.

The poll above is just to confirm if the majority of Leghorns are considered flighty or if it depends where you get them.

I'm not interested in bantam breeds. I've heard about a few breeds, including Andalusian, Ancona, and Minorca. What are they like? What is the heaviest white egg layer, since they tend to be lighter than brown egg layers?

Thank you

 

[Kelsie2290]

I think for large white eggs you can't really beat commercial White Leghorns, they are flighty, but I don't find the commercial whites from any of the big hatcheries that bad. I've had some browns, McMurray, Sand Hill, Meyer, they actually all seemed flightier to me than the ComWL. Had Exchequers from Sand Hill, love the color, but very flighty. Had a couple Leghorns that were other colors from Sand Hill, but when you start getting into the other colors, liked the Ancona better overall. My #2 choice is the Ancona, McMurray, Sand Hill, Whitmore Farms, like them quite a bit, not as flighty as the Leghorns, but don't lay quite as well either, also their eggs are white, but not that chalk white like the ComWL. Had Minorcas from McMurray and Sand Hill, the Blacks from Sand Hill are big birds, lay quite well, but are pretty bossy. Andalusians from McMurray and Sand Hill, don't lay as well as the Ancona or Minorca, just like the blue color.

 

[donrae]

I think you have to choose if you want a white egg layer or a great pet hen lol.

I've had brown leghorns and really didn't find them much "flightier" than the rest of my flock, but then again I don't pet/hold my birds at all. They did make more noise and move away from me the fastest, but were just as eager to come for treats as anyone else.

 

[ramirezframing]

My white egg layers are LF lakenvelders. They are a flighty breed but aren't too bad if handled alot as they are growing up, and make a good free ranging bird. The roosters are 5 lbs and hens are 4 lbs. The hens are pretty decent egg layers and none of mine have gone broody yet. These unfortunately will be a little harder to find from a breeder than a leghorn would be though. Flighty and white eggs don't equal backyard popularity

 

[Wishapup]

I think for large white eggs you can't really beat commercial White Leghorns, they are flighty, but I don't find the commercial whites from any of the big hatcheries that bad. I've had some browns, McMurray, Sand Hill, Meyer, they actually all seemed flightier to me than the ComWL. Had Exchequers from Sand Hill, love the color, but very flighty. Had a couple Leghorns that were other colors from Sand Hill, but when you start getting into the other colors, liked the Ancona better overall. My #2 choice is the Ancona, McMurray, Sand Hill, Whitmore Farms, like them quite a bit, not as flighty as the Leghorns, but don't lay quite as well either, also their eggs are white, but not that chalk white like the ComWL. Had Minorcas from McMurray and Sand Hill, the Blacks from Sand Hill are big birds, lay quite well, but are pretty bossy. Andalusians from McMurray and Sand Hill, don't lay as well as the Ancona or Minorca, just like the blue color.

Minorcas sound okay--but maybe I shouldn't completely rule out Leghorns. Thank you for the info on the different breeds! I'm thinking not Andalusian, but possibly Leghorn, Minorca, or Ancona.

My white egg layers are LF lakenvelders. They are a flighty breed but aren't too bad if handled alot as they are growing up, and make a good free ranging bird. The roosters are 5 lbs and hens are 4 lbs. The hens are pretty decent egg layers and none of mine have gone broody yet. These unfortunately will be a little harder to find from a breeder than a leghorn would be though. Flighty and white eggs don't equal backyard popularity

You're right about that! I will have to look into Lakenvelders!

 

[Wishapup]

I think you have to choose if you want a white egg layer or a great pet hen lol.

I've had brown leghorns and really didn't find them much "flightier" than the rest of my flock, but then again I don't pet/hold my birds at all. They did make more noise and move away from me the fastest, but were just as eager to come for treats as anyone else.

Thanks! I might have to just try a couple of Leghorns!

 

[Wishapup]

The Lakenvelders do interest me the most. However, I'm not sure where I would get them, being located in Canada. How much difference is there in hatchery and non-hatchery Lakenvelders? Would hatchery Lakenvelders still exhibit that crisp black and white colouring?

They are a rarer breed...so are hatchery types similar to the "true" type at this point?

 

[ramirezframing]

There are a few people here (byc) with them, but I don't know if the USA could mail eggs to Canada. From pictures I have seen on here, the birds color looks the same for the most part. Hatchery birds earlobes aren't as white, the hens don't have a solid black head on either breeder or hatchery stock (that I have seen, and is one thing I will be working on), and the hatchery roosters aren't colored as nicely as breeder roosters but still have a solid black head. If I could choose as to where I could get some from, I'd be getting them from Europe. But if you're not 100% set on which white egg layer breed you want, you might think of getting a few of each breed from a hatchery to test out and see which one(s) you would like to do the work for finding a breeder on.

 

[Wishapup]

I do really like the solid black head. I did some searching and only found roosters for sale---5 roosters in Alberta, and a crossbred rooster in Nova Scotia. I don't think eggs can be shipped to Canada.

There are only a few hatcheries here, anyway. One I found with Lakenvelders is Performance Poultry, but they don't have any pictures.

I looked at some general hatchery Lakenvelders (that being in Canada, I don't think I could order from) and I found that all the hens had streaked rather than solid heads.

 

[bdjh]

We have two white leghorns, and of the 7 birds we have, they let us get the closest before walking just out of reach again. When we pick them up, they don't freak out nearly as much as the barred rocks or columbian.

The eggs, though, are on the smaller side.......probably the equivalent of a commercial 'medium'. They are only 8 months old at this point, though, so maybe they'll get larger as time goes on. When they started laying, they were no bigger than a ping pong ball! Very cute.