I'm about to buy some chickens, I wanted y'all's opinions on which are the best layers.
Opinions wanted
- Thread starter Chesney Richardson
- Start date
Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2017
- Messages
- 7,998
i always had good luck with barred rocks or Australorps for best layers especially in colder regions
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2020
- Messages
- 703
Golden Comets are nice, too. To me, disposition is better than egg production. The Leghorns that I got gratis after State Fair exhibition were so high strung that it was annoying. Heirloom, dual purpose birds are so much more enjoyable than spaz birds that can crank out more eggs.
I put a laughy face because if you ask my opinion, boy-howdy watch out. You might get it
Oh and about chickens: I hope not ever to have Rhode Island Reds again. They are psychotic! They would peck and eat the dark green house paint, but not the light green. Were always under-foot. Would peck their own reflection on vehicles. Tore up more spots in the middle of the lawn for dust baths. All around nuisances - but yes good layers.
I do like Barred Rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes, buff orphingtons etc. All good layers but relatively sane as far as chickens go.
Mama used to get Rhode Island Reds or Dominique, IM just curious if there might be anything better out there ya know
I definitely understand the psychotic nature of Rhode Island Reds lol and Leghorns are straight up attack chickensI put a laughy face because if you ask my opinion, boy-howdy watch out. You might get it
Oh and about chickens: I hope not ever to have Rhode Island Reds again. They are psychotic! They would peck and eat the dark green house paint, but not the light green. Were always under-foot. Would peck their own reflection on vehicles. Tore up more spots in the middle of the lawn for dust baths. All around nuisances - but yes good layers.
I do like Barred Rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes, buff orphingtons etc. All good layers but relatively sane as far as chickens go.
I like Buff Orringtons. Pretty big birds for meat, and great layers. Pretty calm birds as well
I keep ISA Browns. A smaller bird, very gentle but they are laying machines! They were bred for egg production in france in the 60's. They'll lay an egg every 22hrs the first few months.
Best part, Tractor supply has them every spring!!! Convenient, don't have to worry/deal with shipping and the post office. If I need a few replacements I'll get them while in town grocery shopping, easy.
This time of year you'll probably have to order from a hatchery. Might have to contact several to see whats available when you are ready. And find what you need.
Oh, I like having a couple RR's in the pen because they are a little more aggressive. They'll loudly let you know if something is amiss.
Here are the last dozen ISA's I raised. Only time they all survived to start laying, I count on losing one or two out of a dozen chicks. Chickens just die for no apparent reason sometimes. After that... I lose 4 to 6 a year on average. One will get out of the pen and become lunch for a predator. So every couple or 3 years it's time to get another dozen.
Best part, Tractor supply has them every spring!!! Convenient, don't have to worry/deal with shipping and the post office. If I need a few replacements I'll get them while in town grocery shopping, easy.
This time of year you'll probably have to order from a hatchery. Might have to contact several to see whats available when you are ready. And find what you need.
Oh, I like having a couple RR's in the pen because they are a little more aggressive. They'll loudly let you know if something is amiss.
Here are the last dozen ISA's I raised. Only time they all survived to start laying, I count on losing one or two out of a dozen chicks. Chickens just die for no apparent reason sometimes. After that... I lose 4 to 6 a year on average. One will get out of the pen and become lunch for a predator. So every couple or 3 years it's time to get another dozen.
By the time I get caught up on the garden, and build a coop, it'll probably be just about spring time lol I also research things to death before deciding
Well dang Peanut. I got ours at TSC and they were labeled Easter Eggers. I figured an off shoot of Buffs. We had some before. But as they got older the coloring was off. Mine look just like your picture. Guess we have ISAs as well. They, well one or two have started laying as of last week. Eggs are tiny right now. But the sure are good
They are usually labeled 'pre-sexed layers'. And the people working at tsc usually don't know what they are. So yeah, I've seen them labeled several different ways. Once I got the real scoop... now i recognize them as little chicks, don't even notice the sign. They have little white tips on their wing feathers...
This was the last batch... I use an automotive laser thermometer to check the temp where I have them. But they can't resist the red dot... They look funny chasing it.. I usually keep them in my herb room for a couple weeks then move them to a big container on my porch
This was the last batch... I use an automotive laser thermometer to check the temp where I have them. But they can't resist the red dot... They look funny chasing it.. I usually keep them in my herb room for a couple weeks then move them to a big container on my porch
Last edited:
I got the last batch in march, still having cold nights so I keep them inside almost a month. After a week I bought a 100g livestock water trough and moved them to it.
Thats them for sure. Kinda look like Buffs at that age. Pretty making as they get older. The wife ha one that comes over for her to pick up and rub
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2022
- Messages
- 3,150
Right now we have some Bielfelders, Red Stars, Dark Brahmas, Neiderhiners, Salmon Favrealls, Columbian Wyandottes for layers and Ginger Broilers for meat chickens. Most of these were chosen for their tolerance of the climate at our location.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2022
- Messages
- 3,150
We buy all of our chick's from either Murray McMurray or Stromburgs hatchery. Due the politics of TSC we will never step foot in their stores. Plus we can choose which chick's we want from the hatchery.
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2020
- Messages
- 3,642
we have all sorts of different ones so we get white, brown and green eggs.
We have some barred rock, some easter eggers, some brahmins, some leghorns, some black sex linked
Only chickens that ever caused problems were 2 evil leghorn roosters that would attack you ( they went into the freezer)
We have some barred rock, some easter eggers, some brahmins, some leghorns, some black sex linked
Only chickens that ever caused problems were 2 evil leghorn roosters that would attack you ( they went into the freezer)
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
- Messages
- 18,336
My favorites are Buff Orps, Jersey Giants, Easter Eggers, and Americaunas. They're decent layers and decent sized for butchering your excess roosters.
There's nothing worse than a Rhode Island Red Rooster.
BUT
A Rhode Island Red hen crossed with a Black Jersey Giant Rooster is an outstanding bird.
There's nothing worse than a Rhode Island Red Rooster.
BUT
A Rhode Island Red hen crossed with a Black Jersey Giant Rooster is an outstanding bird.
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2023
- Messages
- 167
Isa browns are among the best, but they don't live very long, and tend to have health problems. Plus, you can't breed them. Well, you can but you won't get more isa brown, even if bred with an isa brown rooster. That's what I've heard anyway...
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2023
- Messages
- 167
I have a RIRxISA Brown rooster and he is a complete jerk. Unfriendliest little creature I've met in a while.
The last batch of chickens I had were a little bit of everything I reckon lmao but my hubby got them in trade from the lil Guatemalan guy down the road for fixing his mower lol, sadly the neighbors dogs got loose and killed all 10 while we were gone one day broke my daughter's heart...those mean a** dogs didn't make it to long after that tho 
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2017
- Messages
- 10,046
he Australorp is a chicken breed of Australian origin, developed as a utility breed with a focus on egg laying and is famous for laying more than 300 eggs per year. It achieved world-wide popularity in the 1920s after the breed broke numerous world records for number of eggs laid and has been a popular breed in the western world since.[4] It is one of eight poultry breeds created in Australia and recognised by the Australian Poultry Standards.[citation needed] The most popular colour of the breed is black, which is the only colour recognised in the United States of America,[4] but blue and white are also recognised in Australia[5] and the Poultry Club South Africa recognises buff, splash, wheaten laced and golden in addition.[6]
For what it's worth, mine are easter eggers from Rural king. I did not know chickens lived that long, 10 1/2 years for most of em to date. It was an experiment, I will not repeat, I learned things 
The look I imagined on your face at I learned things is hilarious but I've never seen chickens that old
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2023
- Messages
- 167
Can chickens use a walker?For what it's worth, mine are easter eggers from Rural king. I did not know chickens lived that long, 10 1/2 years for most of em to date. It was an experiment, I will not repeat, I learned things
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
- Messages
- 18,336
Oh, wow, I'd put them down long before that, at least for cat/dog food. Usually a favorite of mine gets a pass. The last one I had was a white fluffy cochin, a big hen named Babs (because she was fabulous). I gave her to a lady who loved her when we moved. She was already 6 yrs old.
