A few good laying chickens can put you on the road to entrepreneurship and more fulfilling life. Keeping chickens for their ability to lay eggs is a popular and profitable venture. Your chicken breed will determine how many eggs you can expect per year.
Let’s have a look at the highest achievers in the chicken world.
- Brahma
- Dominique
- Black Star
- Welsummer
- Ancona
- Golden Laced Wyandotte
- Sussex
- New Hampshire Red
- Australope
- Hamburg
- Labresse
- Ameraucana
- And More
These Are the Best Egg Laying Chickens
Some breeds are specially bred to produce more eggs and yield better meat. These are called dual purpose birds.
The following breeds are a compilation of dual and single purpose birds who yield high volumes of eggs yearly.
The Brahma Towers Over The Rest
Characteristics: This chicken is huge! It ranges from eight to eighteen inches tall, and the hens usually weigh between ten and fifteen pounds.
Their feathered legs give them a pompous, pretentious air that is absolutely hilarious.
They come in three colors:
- Light
- Buff
- Dark
Each color has characteristics that are unique from the others.
Brahmas are friendly and trusting. They can’t fly well, so they are content to live in closed-in spaces.
Laying habits: Brahmas start laying around six months old and produce 120 eggs per year. They are a cold-hardy breed and can continue laying eggs through the winter season.
Egg Characteristics: Large and usually brown, but sometimes spotted. The yolks are larger than average.
Brahmas are a good starter breed because they are so easy to raise.
The Dominique Is A Rare Bird
Characteristics: This breed is small. Hens reach only about four and a half pounds. They are a calm breed that thrives in either confinement or free-range conditions. The hens are broody and good mothers.
Their color and feather pattern is so similar to the Barred Rock hen; it can be difficult to distinguish between them.
Laying habits: Dominiques start laying at about six months old and produce, on average, 230-275 eggs per year. They are a cold-hardy breed that continues to lay through the winter months.
Egg characteristics: Medium sized and brown.
Dominiques are currently a rare breed, but up until the 1920’s, they were bred not only for their egg production but also for the quality of their meat.
The Black Star Is A Hybrid Chicken
Characteristics: The Black Star breed is a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a Barred Rock chicken. They are moderately sized; a hen usually weighs about 6 pounds.
They are black with rust-colored marking on the breast. The roosters are identifiable from the hens as soon as they hatch because of their gender-specific colors.
They are friendly, flight-challenged, and happiest when allowed to free-range.
Laying habits: Black Stars usually begin laying at about eighteen weeks old. They produce an average of 250 eggs per year: that’s one egg per day with weekends off!
Their best producing years are the first two to three. After the third year, egg production begins to decline.
Egg characteristics: Large to extra-large and brown.
Black Stars aren’t quite as talkative as some breeds which will be a huge plus if you have neighbors living nearby.
The Welsummer Is A Social Bird
Characteristics: The Welsummer is a breed that includes several variations; among them are the:
- Partridge
- Silver Duckwing
- Gold Duckwing
- Bantam
This breed is of medium size, with a hen tipping the scales at about six pounds.
The Welsummers are good brooders and a hardy breed. They are intelligent and friendly birds who like the cooler climates. They need a cool shelter in warmer temperatures.
Laying habits: Welsummers produce about 150-160 eggs yearly except for the bantam that produces about 180. Welsummers stop laying in the winter months but resume with no hesitation in the spring.
They hate brooding and motherhood, so you may need an incubator if you want to hatch some.
Egg characteristics: Dark brown, sometimes speckled.
“Wellies,” as they are affectionately called, are quite the talkers. So, you may want a little extra distance between the house and the chicken pen.
The Ancona Is A Frugal Bird
Characteristics: Anconas are small chickens, with most hens weighing just under four pounds. They are active and good flyers and do best when allowed to free-range.
They are cold-hardy and require little maintenance. They hate brooding, so forget raising hatchlings without an incubator.
Laying habits: Anconas usually start laying at around five months old and produce an average of 180-220 eggs yearly. They need less daylight than the average breed, so they continue laying through the winter with no trouble.
Egg characteristics: Large and white.
Anconas produce a massive number of eggs on less feed than most other breeds. When allowed to roam freely and forage for themselves, they’ll cost even less.
Golden Laced Wyandotte Rules The Roost
Characteristics: Wyandottes are a medium-sized chicken with hens that weigh about six pounds. They sport seventeen different colors across the full range of the breed, although not all of them are common.
They are calm birds, but they tend to establish themselves at the head of the pecking order.
They do best when allowed to free-range. The hens enjoy hatching their eggs and usually are good mothers. They are a cold-hardy breed.
Laying habits: Wyandottes start laying at about eighteen weeks old and produce an average of 200 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large and brown.
Wyandottes are bred as much for their meat as for their egg production.
The Sussex Like To Explore
Characteristics: Sussex chickens are bred for both meat and egg production. They are a medium-sized bird, weighing about 7 pounds.
This breed can sport eight colors, but the most common design is white with black accents.
They are tame, friendly birds, cold hardy with a tendency to brood. Unusually curious, you may have trouble keeping them at home if they are allowed to roam freely.
Laying habits: Sussex hens lay approximately 250 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large and light brown or tinted.
These chickens are often used for showing as well as producing eggs and meat.
New Hampshire Reds Are Picture Perfect
Characteristics: New Hampshire Reds are a spin-off of the Rhode Island Reds, but they have been modified so much that by now, they are considered a breed in their own right.
They are feisty aggressive birds weighing in on the heavy side at 7 pounds. They are beautiful, colorful birds: the stuff of farmhouse paintings.
The hens like to brood and make good mothers.
Laying characteristics: Hens start laying around eighteen weeks old and lay about 200 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Medium-sized and brown.
New Hampshire Reds have been bred more as a table bird than a laying hen.
The Australorp Is The Egg-Laying Champion
Characteristics: The Australorp is a big bird with hens weighing up to eight pounds. Three colors are predominant. They include:
- Blue
- White
- Black.
These are a hardy breed, tolerating both cold and heat with little problem. Since they are so heavy, it is difficult for them to fly, so there are easily contained inside a low fence.
However, egg-production rates increase if they are allowed to free-range.
Laying habits: The Australorp is the world champion layer. The world record for most eggs laid in a year was set by an Australorp who yielded 364 eggs in one year. They typically begin laying at about five months old. Over the years of crossbreeding and overbreeding, egg production has decreased somewhat. The average now is about 250 eggs per year from a single Australorp.
Egg characteristics: Large to medium sized and white or various shades of brown in color.
Australorps were bred to be dual purpose birds. That’s why their breasts are so plump and full. When egg production ceases, the hen becomes dinner.
The Hamburg Is an Ancient Breed
Characteristics: The Hamburg hen is small, weighing in at just under four pounds. This is a very old breed that boasts six varieties.
They are cold-hardy and strong flyers. They will fly the coop if you don’t keep the wings clipped.
These chickens do best when allowed to roam free because they are natural foragers. If you confine them, fights are sure to break out, and your ladies will be most unhappy.
They get bored quickly and need plenty of room to keep themselves busy.
They seldom brood and are not friendly towards humans. They need tall roosting places since they love the trees.
Laying habits: Hamburgs begin to lay at around four or five months old. On average, they will produce 150-170 eggs per year. The bantam version produces more.
Egg characteristics: Small to medium sized and white.
They are not as good as a table bird because of their gray-colored skin.
The LaBresse Is A Blue Blood Bird
Characteristics: The LaBresse is a French breed of hen. It is a medium sized bird weighing between five and six pounds.
These are not a cold-hardy breed, nor are they super egg producers. They come in three colors: black, white, and gray.
Laying habits: LaBresses typically lay 160-180 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large and white. The American Bresse’s egg is large and brown.
The French LaBresse is known more for its quality as a table bird than for its egg production.
The Ameraucana Is Rare
Characteristics: The Ameraucana is a medium sized breed that usually tips the scale at five and a half pounds for hens. They are available in a variety of colors but can only be obtained from a professional breeder.
This bird is rare. They tend to do better in the cold than in heat and are generally docile and calm. They are friendly toward humans but don’t like to be handled.
Laying habits: The Ameraucana is in no hurry to be a mother; they typically don’t start laying until at least five months old. On average, they produce 170-180 eggs per year.
Egg Characteristics: Large in size and bluish-green in color.
Often this breed is erroneously called Easter Eggers because of the blue colored shells. This is unfortunate since the true Easter Eggers are a different breed altogether.
The Buff Orpington Is An Excellent Brooder
Characteristics: The Orpington is an old breed dating back to the late 1800s. Until very recently, they were considered endangered.
They make excellent backyard pets because they are:
- Quiet
- Calm
- Docile
They do well in confinement and cold, but they’ll need a place to stay dry because they will die if they get soaked.
They don’t tolerate the heat well, so shade is a necessity. They love to eat, and you’ll have to monitor their weight.
They are big birds, to begin with, and their fluffy feathers make them look even larger. They do brood a lot, so if raising hatchlings is your thing, you may appreciate this trait.
Laying habits: Orpingtons usually produce about 180 eggs per year. They only brood in summer, so don’t expect winter eggs.
Egg characteristics: Large in size and brown in color.
Orpingtons are bred to be dual purpose birds, so they taste as good as they look.
The Barnevelder Is A Mild-Mannered Bird
Characteristics: The Barnevelder is a cross between the Asian jungle fowl and the Dutch Landrace. These beauties are rather large birds, weighing anywhere from five to seven pounds. Thankfully, their ego doesn’t match their size.
These birds are:
- Social
- Calm
- Gentle
They should not be placed with aggressive breeds, or they will end at the bottom of the pecking order.
They do okay in confinement, but since they are so laid back, they do better if they are allowed to free-range for exercise.
They are good brooders.
Laying habits: On average Barnvelders lay about 200 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large and brown.
Since they are considered a rare breed, you may have difficulty finding them.
The Plymouth Rock Is A Polite Breed
Characteristics: The Plymouth Rock hen is colored gray with white stripes. She typically weighs about seven and a half pounds.
Their disposition is calm; they almost never pick fights. They are tame and will follow owners around hoping for a treat.
They do best as free-range animals but can tolerate confinement if space is large enough.
Laying habits: A Plymouth Rock typically produces about 200 eggs per year for the first three years. After that, production declines, but some can continue laying up to ten years old.
Egg characteristics: Large and brown in color.
Plymouth Rock chickens are dual purpose birds.
The Lohmann Brown Classic Is A Dutiful Breed
Characteristics: The Lohmann Browns are small-bodied chickens. They eat far less than most breeds do while producing more eggs than most.
Laying habits: Start laying at about eighteen weeks old and lay almost every day. They average 313 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Medium to large and brown in color.
Lohmann Browns are commercial chickens because of their high egg production.
The Rhode Island Red Is A Dominating Bird
Characteristics: Rhode Island Reds are a medium-sized bird with hens weighing between six and seven pounds. They adapt well to the backyard lifestyle, and since they are disease resistant, they require little maintenance.
This breed is very aggressive and dominant. They usually can’t get along with any other breeds.
Laying habits: They usually start laying at about eighteen weeks old, but some have been known to start at sixteen weeks. On average they produce about 260 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large and brown colored.
Rhode Island Reds are bred for both meat and eggs.
The Golden Comet Start Laying Early
Characteristics: Golden Comets are quite small. Hens reach about four pounds. This breed is tame, making them a good choice for backyard pets.
They are curious and may fly away to explore unless you clip their wings.
Laying characteristics: Usually starts laying at about sixteen weeks old and averages 250-300 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Medium-sized and brown colored
Golden Comets do not make good table birds, nor will they live as long as some other breeds. Their lifespan is usually five years at most.
The Leghorn Is A Legend
Characteristics: The Leghorn comes in twelve color variations, but the white variation lays the most eggs. Leghorn hens usually weigh about five pounds.
They are intelligent and prefer to be left to their own devices. But they will adapt to confinement if necessary.
They are good fliers, so you’d better keep those wings trimmed if you don’t want to round up your hens often.
Laying habits: They usually start laying at about sixteen to seventeen weeks old and will lay an average of 200 eggs per year. Their best laying years are the first four. After that, egg production decreases.
Egg characteristics: Large to extra-large.
Leghorns are too thin bodied to be good table birds. The comic character Foghorn Leghorn was from this breed.
The Marans Take Their Time Before Laying
Characteristics: Marans are a French breed of chicken that is medium in size, with hens weighing in at seven pounds. They are calm, docile birds who get along well with humans.
Laying habits: Marans are late bloomers. They don’t start laying until about 30 weeks old. They average about 180-220 eggs per year.
Egg characteristics: Large to extra-large in size and chocolate brown.
Marans are dual purpose birds bred for meat and eggs.
What Breed of Chickens Lay Eggs Earliest?
The average hen starts laying at about eighteen weeks, but there is one over-achiever in the mix.
The Red Star hen Gets Started Earliest
The Red Star is undeniably the winner when it comes to earliest egg production. These hens start laying at about ten weeks old and average one egg per day.
They even continue laying through the winter months, totaling a yearly production of about 300 eggs.
Egg Production Tips
Your egg production rate will depend on your breed of hen. You also need to remember that for most breeds, egg production drops after 3 years old.
However, there are a few things you can do to encourage your ladies to give their best.
- Hens need about 20 grams of protein per day for egg production, so be sure your girl’s diet is best for her.
- Most hens lay best when they get 14 hours of daylight every day. You can be sure that they get plenty of time in the sun to boost egg production.
- Free-range chickens lay the most and the best-tasting eggs, so let your girls forage for themselves as much as possible.
The breeds bred, especially for maximum egg production, usually don’t have long life spans; they lay themselves to death. Try to give your chickens a break in winter to recoup, if possible.