Egg production between different chicken breeds can vary quite a bit. These three breeds are our best egg laying chickens. They have proven to be good winter layers as well.
Black Australorps
During their peak laying season, about 2 months after they had come into lay, our Australorps had an average lay rate of 85%. Now that spring has arrived, several of them have begun to go broody, and the lay rates have fallen some, but they are still our best layer.
Their eggs are a medium to large in size and a medium brown in color, with an occasional lighter colored egg.
New Hampshire Reds
The New Hampshires are our second best layers. They lay a medium brown egg that is medium to large in size.
Welsummers
Our darkest egg layer is the Welsummer. It is also a prolific egg layer, ranking third behind our Australorps and New Hamps. Most of the eggs are copper-brown in color, with darker speckles. The egg color lightens as the hen grows older.
