Advice on chicken breeds.

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm looking for chicken breeds that are very productive and preferably lay more often than other breeds in the winter.

If bought early enough (March/April), but not too early in the year (Jan/Feb).. ALL of my birds lay through their first winter without artificial lighting.. at the California/Oregon border with coop under heavy shade of Sitka Spruce and Redwoods and all windows facing north. I've found if bought too early in the year they may still molt their first fall/winter season.

Most all birds (chickens) will take a break from laying while they molt to replace their feathers around their 2nd fall/winter season.. regardless of breed. I usually add in a few pullets earlier in the year to combat the lull in eggs.. and sell off some of my older ladies while they're still productive.. keeping enough of the older gals to keep me in eggs until the pullets start laying.

I do have a golden sex link (possibly Comet) that has almost Marans colored eggs and has never taken a break from laying or molted yet and will be 3 years old this coming April. She is very clearly a production breed.

My pullets that produced plenty of eggs this winter were Wyandottes and Welbar. The Welbar eggs look almost pinkish.. due to a heavy bloom that if washed off is Welsumer color underneath.

 

[Andkingquail]

If bought early enough (March/April), but not too early in the year (Jan/Feb).. ALL of my birds lay through their first winter without artificial lighting.. at the California/Oregon border. I've found if bought to early in the year they may still molt their first fall/winter season.

Most all birds (chickens) will take a break from laying while they molt to replace their feathers around their 2nd fall/winter season.. regardless of breed. I usually add in a few pullets earlier in the year to combat the lull in eggs.. and sell off some of my older ladies while their still productive.. keeping enough of the older gals to keep me in eggs until the pullets start laying.

I do have a golden sex link (possibly Comet) that has almost Marans colored eggs and has never taken a break from laying or molted yet and will be 3 years old this coming April. She is very clearly a production breed.

My pullets that produced plenty of eggs this winter were Wyandottes and Welbar. The Welbar eggs look almost pinkish.. due to a heavy bloom that if washed off is Welsumer color underneath.

I have one blue laced gold wyandotte and it lays horribly for me she is about a year old and she probably laid about 20 eggs the whole time I had here she also consumes a lot of feed so the feed to egg radio is very very bad and so far she hasn't laid a single egg in the winter. What would you say is the best laying heritage chicken breed that's not a production hen. Thanks.

 

[Andkingquail]

Hmm, if you want color you can't go wrong with easter eggers

Yes, i have two im thinking of maybe getting olive eggers?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have one blue laced gold wyandotte and it lays horribly for me she is about a year old and she probably laid about 20 eggs the whole time I had here she also consumes a lot of feed so the feed to egg radio is very very bad and so far she hasn't laid a single egg in the winter. What would you say is the best laying heritage chicken breed that's not a production hen. Thanks.

I would agree about the feed to egg ratio not being that good for Wyandotte. I would also note that I've had varied experineces with hatchery sourced birds (and even breeders), still having to select and keep only the birds that meet my expectations, selling off those that don't. Easter Eggers are not truly consistent layers in my experience and typically speaking (again according to my personal experience), the darker or more complex the egg color is the less eggs overall. My personal favorite with regards to personality coupled with egg production (size & number) would be (barred) Rocks.

Here is a nice comparison chart..

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Of course picking a breed that will do well in your climate and set up are hugely important to both production and hardiness.

 

[Winderdear]

When I started keeping chickens, I’d heard that Dominiques are good winter layers. In my experience, only having one hen, this seems to be true. In her first year of laying, starting in December, she laid 305 eggs, and has not stopped to molt. She’s currently laying 3 times a week while growing in the occasional new feather, whereas 6 eggs a week was her norm while the light levels were high.

I personally wish she’d stop laying and take a break, as I worry about the stress on her body. I keep my chickens as pets though, production is very much a secondary thing to me.

The only downside for some might be that Dominiques lay a medium sized egg, but I actually prefer it to my Marans eggs, which are sometimes huge and seem like they are painful or difficult to lay.

Dominiques lay a beige egg, though my hen in particular lays more of a cream or tinted egg for some reason. In the photo below, her egg is on the far right, next to my Dominique pullet’s egg (she just started laying, yay!), which is, I believe, the proper color for the breed.



They’re overall great birds, lots of personality, good foragers and heat tolerant. They’re good girls. Would highly recommend