Chickens for Eggs

There are over 200 recognised breeds of chicken around the World but not all hens are equal in their laying ability so if you would like chickens for eggs, look at my top 10 laying hens below first. It is commonly accepted that all chickens decended from the Jungle Fowl. Pure breeds of chicken have been developed over many hundreds, even thousands of years from the Jungle Fowl (although science is still challenged by the Auraucana that lays blue eggs).

A Little History of Laying Hens

Feeding Chickens 1910Before the First World War, ducks were the better egg layers and chicken breeds that layed 100 eggs or more per year were considered good layers. Most of the development of pure bred laying hens came after the Second World War when there were many laying trials and tests and it was common for breeders to ‘trap nest’ hens to record their individual output so that they could be used to produce further generations of laying hens.

Development of the ‘Hybrid’

The developments with pure breeds were soon to be followed by hybrid (a cross of pure breeds) laying hens. There were millions of pounds spent during the 1950’s on creating hybrids that were not only capable of laying more eggs but also had a good feed conversion.

During this development, the parent flocks that created these hybrid layers were becoming a different ‘strain’ of their own because hens were selected for egg production rather than the way they looked.

Interestingly, duck eggs could have been on our breakfast table rather than chickens eggs… but they did not do well kept in confined conditions like chickens.

keeping chickens for eggsMy Top 10 Chickens for Eggs

The following table lists my top 10 laying hens (a mixture of hybrids and pure breeds) and gives an estimate of the number of eggs they are capable of producing if kept in the right conditions.

Note that there are many different strains of hens from different breeders that will perform differently… egg numbers can vary on a number of other factors too, particularly with feeding and daylight levels.

Exhibition strains that have been closely bred are not usually selected for their egg laying performance. Try to purchase hens from a good ‘Utility Strain’. There are some breeders that advertise utility strains and the number of eggs they expect from their strain every year.

Hybrids are much more reliable at producing a given number of eggs and are bred mainly for this purpose.

1. Goldline (Hybrid)

The ultimate egg machine. This little commercial brown hen will lay up to 320 large brown eggs in her first year. They have a good feed ratio and are very similar to the birds used on farms to produce eggs for the consumer market. A very  friendly bird that will be in your house if the door is left open!

2. White Leghorn (Pure Breed)

Small attractive birds with a good feed efficiency that lay up to 300 large white eggs in their first year. These are the standard commercial hen used in the U.S. for egg production (because white eggs are preferred). They can be quite flighty and can fly well so make sure they can be kept securely before you buy them or clip a wing to keep them on the ground.

3. Nera (Hybrid)

Hardy birds that are great foragers and layers of a good quality large brown egg. The Nera is a cross between a certain strains of Rhode Island Red and Barred Plymouth Rock, originating in Scotland. You can expect around 270 eggs in their first year.

4. Amber (Hybrid)

The Amber is a Rhode Island Red based hybrid that looks attractive and has very soft feathering. She is a fantastic layer of up to 300 medium eggs in her first year.

5. Speckledy (Hybrid)

The Speckledy is a flecked dark hen, a cross of a Rhode Island Red and Marans. She lays around 270 large dark brown eggs in her first year.

6. Rhode Island Red (Pure Breed)

The Rhode Island Red is a good layer of up to 220 large brown eggs in their first year. Be sure to get a utility strain though as these are a popular show bird.

7. Marans (Pure Breed)

Good layers of medium to large dark brown eggs. Copper Black Marans seem to be the best layers laying up to 200 eggs in a year. They are often good winter layers, with pullets coming into lay during January.

8. Light Sussex (Pure Breed)

Attractive birds that will reward you with up to 200 medium tinted eggs.

9. Araucana (Pure Breed)

Araucanas are very unique looking. They initially came from Chile in South America. The Araucana lays around 200 medium sized blue to bluish-green

10. Crested Cream Legbar (Pure Breed)

An attractive hen with a small crest that will lay up to 180 medium sized blue to bluish-green eggs that will add a little colour to your egg boxes.

302 Comments

  1. Hi, I have an Ixworth (7 months old), an Indian Game (about 18 months old) and I’ve just got 2 Copper Black Marans (20 weeks old) and not a single egg.
    I know the 2 Marans are still to young to lay, but any suggestions for the other 2? I feed them layers pellets and a hand full of corn in late afternoon, and they can free range around our garden. They all seem very happy and are always pleased to see me and have learnt to ignore our dogs
    Help!?!

    • Are you sure they are not laying away? The Ixworth and Indian Game should certainly have been laying this spring / summer and the most likely cause (if it’s not health related) is that they have found another place to lay whilst free range or the eggs are being taken.

      Their combs should be bright red when they are in lay.

  2. I have a little silkie/pekin cross hen who is now on her own so I need to get her some house-mates. I would like some small hens – so my little hen doesn’t get picked on – which lay big eggs.

    Any ideas would be much appreciated.

    • Umm small hens laying big eggs – tricky, other than hybrids I haven’t come across any pure breeds (from those I’ve kept) that do this.

  3. We have 2 Black Rock chickens who are now 20 weeks old and are not laying yet, is there anything we should be doing to promote egg laying

    • I think it will be the time of year, the daylight hours are much reduced and hens will stop laying until January / February time. Pullets sometimes come into lay at a reduced rate over the winter months.

    • Well, it’s getting to that time of year (in Northern lattitudes) so they may not lay until the Spring, although many new pullets will lay a little in the Winter. Large Fowl do take a long time to fully develop and to be honest, the longer they take, the better as they are growing more and will start laying bigger eggs than they would have done. My guess is patience is the only answer. Sorry!

  4. please more updates on rescent productive breeds of layer chicken especially hybrids and their prices and and how to get connected with the suppliers

    • I only deal with hobby chickens and suppliers do vary around the country. I would suggest you look at Poultry For Sale pages on poultrykeeper to find breeders in your area and then go along, see what they have.

      Oh and ask loads of questions and don’t be afraid to walk away if you are not happy with welfare standards.

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