Your experience with egg layers, how good are they?

[LoneCowboy]

Ok, we've all been directed to the chicken chart that gives us a good idea about chickens color, egg info etc. However, a lot of us agree the info in incorrect. I'd like to see us here come up with more correct info.

What is your experience with different breeds of chickens? How well do they lay? What size eggs do they lay?

NO Exaggerating! Let's try to gather BYC accurate info.

I keep looking for that perfect chicken, you know the one, the beautiful plumage, friendly, and lays 2 eggs a day, Jumbo size, 365 days a year. Ok, I know I'm not going to find that chicken, but I'd like to know your experience with different breeds to help me pick out good ones for my own flock and for those who want chicks.

For instance. I'd like some Barr Rocks. The chick's I raise to 7 weeks seemed so friendly and happy. Do they really lay only about 3 eggs a week? Are they large eggs? Let us know your breeds and your personal experience so we can make better decisions. Sound like a plan?

If we come up with this info, I'll put it in a chart form and sent it to somebody to maybe post somewhere it can be found. (Easily that is)

Thanks

 

[paganfish]

My best layers are Red Stars. Out of the 14 that I had I would get about 12-13 eggs a day/5 doz a week...give or take 6 eggs. They laid straight through Winter last year (their first year) though not as much as Summer/Fall (about 9-12 eggs daily). They recently went through a molt and I was getting, now 8-10 eggs daily. Even though it's gotten real cold (15 degrees yesterday) I get 6-8 a day but they are now HUGE eggs! I heard that after initial molt their eggs would get bigger but I didn't think they'd be that much bigger.

They lay a beautiful medium/large colored brown eggs. Red Stars.

As for disposition. They are the friendliest/less skittish of all my chickens. I have about 8 breeds (mostly bantam varieties) and it might be because out of all of them, the Red Stars I raised as brooding chicks. The others I got from a neighbor. I don't know? I do know that my Red Stars are very calm and hardy. They can live anywhere. What I call my ghetto girls. LOL!

I also have a couple of EE and they've laid consistently all Spring/Summer but not sure about Winter...I'll find out. An Andalusian and a Sicilian Buttercup that lay 3 eggs a week, at most.

The bantams don't lay all that many eggs. Out of the 13 I have I get, maybe, 5 eggs a week...but they are good mothers and will sit on eggs whereas my other breeds will not. So, it's all win-win no matter how I see it. LOL!

GO figure!

Pedro~:-V

 

[karri25]

I agree with everything Paganfish said. I have red sex liks and they ARE great! Mine are only 7 months old but they lay everyday, I am hatching out 8 of their babies which are growing perfectly right now, and they are sweet!

I have alot of other birds but the reds meet the most of your "recquirements for a perfect bird."
Good luck on the hunt!

 

[speckledhen]

Sexlinks are good layers, but if you prefer purebreds, my favorites are Barred Rocks. They are just as good layers as my Rhode Island Reds, to tell the truth. It's rare that Lexie, Ivy, Becca or Amanda skips a day. Lexie and Ivy's eggs would qualify as jumbo, but the other two are still pullets and their eggs havent gotten up to full size. They are friendly, curious, and good foragers to boot. If I had to average their production, I'd say six per week. Lexie has been molting and she never stopped laying, just skipped a day or two one week. Poor girl must be freezing, too!

 

[Chirpy]

My experience is limited since I've only had these chickens since last spring and got them as chicks. So - we haven't been through a winter yet to see how well they continue to lay.

My RedStar was the first to lay at 17 weeks old. She has laid very consistently since then. I get one egg every day for three or four days and then she may take a day off. Her eggs right now are large size (not extra large). She is very sweet and loves to come into the hen house to 'help' me when I'm doing chores. Because she laid first and was laying for several weeks before my next ones started to I was able to keep track of her laying record.

My white leghorns lay a little smaller egg but still considered large by me. They also lay very consistently although they will skip a day more often than my RedStar. I have two of them and I will get 2 eggs/2 eggs/2 eggs/1 egg/1 egg/2 eggs/2 eggs/1 egg/2 eggs/ no eggs/1 egg/2 eggs/2 eggs/2 eggs, etc. (I took this off my calendar as I keep track). They are quite skittish although we can pick them up - they won't come to us though. They lay white eggs.

I also have four Australorps and one RIR. Once they started to lay it became impossible to determine who was laying on which days between them and my RedStar and RIR. Between the six chickens that lay my brown eggs I get eggs like this: 4/6/3/5/5/5/6/3/4/5/5/5/4/3/4 That was the last 15 days. I don't know if that helps since I can't break it down by breed.

The Aurstralorps and RIR are also very friendly and will readily let us pick them up and hold them. They will also come to us.

My SSHamburg just started laying about a week and a half ago so I don't have a good track record for her yet. She is very skittish and has to be cornered to pick her up.

 

[nccountrygirl]

I have Black Sex Links and I get an egg a day from them, they are super freindly too, if I can I will get more of them in the spring.

 

[Katy]

I have to agree with Cyn about Barred Rocks.....they've always been some of my best chickens...both in personality and egg laying. My New Hampshire Reds also have been good. Don't have any NHRs right now and wish I did. I like my Marans and Welsummers. The Marans are very laid back and have good dispositions, but they seem to after their first year like to be broody more than lay eggs. My welsummers have been very consistant layers for me.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Get, this is what I'm looking for, but remember, it's not just for me. I want to compile this as a help to everybody. See, my charts show that Barr Rocks only lay 3 a week. So if it's really more like 6, I'll sure be adding a couple of those to my flock. Maybe I can get a few eggs from you Cyn?

Keep the info coming. My little sex-links are laying and they haven't missed a day since just after they started. I'm on 10 in a row from one of them. I figure that it's 2 of the reds that are laying and my one black, since they are the ones that squatted for me today. But see, I don't have enough experience to use any of my own data, (been laying for 12 days is all)

I'm mostly interested in standard size breeds, as I don't think people raise bantums for eating eggs. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[silkiechicken]

For brown eggs, nothing has beat my red/gold/black sexlinks. For over all eggs though... nothing beats my white leghorn. Laying right through molt time and is still laying about 6 eggs a week when the ground freezes over at night. She even sleeps outside with the rest. Her eggs are Jumbo and don't fit into the Jumbo cartons sometimes. Flighty but follows so close that if you stop she might run into the back of your legs.

As for my barred rock experience, they just haven't thrived or produced many eggs. Production reds are pretty good at egg laying too. My wyandotte isn't the best layer and pops out small eggs. My silkie though, silly thing, not a broody bone in her and will lay 6 eggs a week when not in moult! Tiny though.

 

[speckledhen]

Deniece, I added BRs to your egg order in February, okay? There can be individual differences in birds of any breed, but every BR I've had is wonderful.