Everybody seems to be into raising their own backyard chickens these days. So, knowing which chickens are the best egg layers is an important part to having your own.
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Just remembering these terms for chickens can help someone decide what kind of chicken they may want to start out with.
Do they want a standard size chicken or a small chicken called a bantam?
* Hen: is a female chicken over one year.
* Cock: is a male chicken over one year.
* Pullet: is a female chicken under one year.
* Cockerel: is a male chicken under one year.
* Bantam: is a small miniature chicken.
* Large Fowl: is a standard size chicken.
Which Chickens are the Best Egg Layers?
According to the 4H Skills For Life, Animal Series the breed of chicken that is best for egg laying is the Leghorns. The next in line are the Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds.
Leghorns:
* are mostly used for laying eggs.
* can lay up to 280 eggs a year. (Now, that’s a lot of omelets!)
* are not usually used for meat except the males can be used as fryers.
* are not good brooders. (meaning they do not like to sit on their eggs).
* may not be too friendly and are good scavengers.
* come in a variety of colors.
* lay white eggs.
* resistance to disease is good.
* do not eat as much as other good layers that are used for meat also.
Plymouth Rocks:
* are used for both egg laying and meat.
* there are a variety of Plymouth Rocks: Buff Rocks, Partridge Rocks, Barred Rocks, White Rocks.
* lay brown eggs.
* are a bigger breed of bird so they need more feed to produce more meat.
Rhode Island Red:
* also used for meat and egg laying.
* lay brown eggs.
* also need more feed as it is a larger breed.
* the Rhode Island Red also has a good disposition making them a popular breed.
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Some Information About Which Chickens are Better Egg Layers
Due to the fact that sex hormones increase to prepare the chicken for egg production there are certain characteristics that appear and you can observe when selecting a hen for good egg production.
Hens will have:
* an enlargement of their comb and wattle.
* pubic bones will be flexible and wide apart.
* should be room between the pubic bones and keel bones.
* large soft vent.
* large soft abdomen.
Finding the best chickens for laying eggs doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you pick Leghorns which are used primarily for good egg laying or you go for the friendlier Rhode Island Reds raising chickens can be an entertaining and fun for the whole family or single person.