My Favourite Breeds
Top Flight Birds
Best Bet Birds
Of course, you should keep in mind what is important to you. Ease of care, family-friendly and outgoing, egg production, broodiness (remember you will need a rooster for this too).
There are breeds that consistently lay 5 or more eggs per week and some less. And in winter production seems to slow. And egg production declines with age. I plan for my hens to live a year or two after eggs stop. And I enjoy watching them as they get older and just roam around the yard.
What is most important to me is egg colour, as I love to give away eggs to friends or take them as hostess gifts when invited out to a home. It is not only great to look at but for children opens the door from the typical white/brown that they find in stores.
Here are my favourites (I tend to favour larger birds)
Marans
Friendly and sweet. Good Egg layers. Bred by the French for baking so their egg yolk yield is larger than most. My favourite breed is Copper Marans (beautiful birds with the darkest eggs). Other Marans, while not as stunning to look at, produce eggs more than 5 per week.
Ameraucana
Beautiful blue eggs. Bred in America to retain the blue egg gene, but eliminate the lethal gene that creates so many troubles for the Araucana from Chile. Friendly, large beautiful birds in a variety of plumage.
Golden Comets
Reliable egg producer. Bred specifically for eggs. They are fast-growing and produce many rich brown eggs. I like them to ensure I always have eggs in the fridge. Because of the breeding though, they don’t live as long and are more susceptible to health issues.
Easter Eggers
Smart and Friendly. They have to be at the top of my list because of the variations not only in looks but egg colours too. Blue and Green mostly, but olive and the rare pink ones. While not an official breed yet, they are an excellent addition to any coop.
Orpingtons
Large sturdy hens with full bodies. Excellent egg producers and beautiful birds to look at. My favourites are Buff Orpingtons and Lavender Orpingtons.
Wyandotte’s
Visually stunning birds in their variations. Strong and reliable egg producers.
I like to have a couple of each type when I can. And I also like to have a couple of the most reliable egg producers to ensure I always have eggs, those typically produce white or brown eggs, which I love in the egg carton for contrast. I always want to give away eggs as gifts.
And as always, I am always eager to try others and love their quirkiness too. Isbar’s produce green or blue eggs and are very flighty, which warns all the other girls, but they prefer to roost in trees than then their coop (which is fine in the warm summer nights – even with our owls). So don’t be afraid to add a new hen here and there.
Things to Note
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Other Resources
Egg Freshness Test
Always wondered how long an egg is fresh. Here are a couple of tips for you to use.
How Egg Colors Happen
How egg colours happen: Understanding what and who lays different colours can be very interesting for children. Giving away a carton of multi-coloured eggs is always prized by whoever gets one.
The Happy Chicken Coup
Create a safe and healthy space for your hens. And doing it right will prevent many possible troubles down the road. Use these helpful tips.
Top Tips for Raising Chickens
Chickens’ needs are very simple. Done right will prevent many issues that we learned in our early years of raising chickens.
Troubleshooting for Chicks
While some things are unavoidable, most are. These most common issues can be easily treated and if not, most times then hens will die. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Baby Chick Care
Simple needs. And simple things to keep an eye out for. With these helpful tips your family will enjoy the experience of raising chicks.
