Guide To The Best Chicken Breeds For Laying Eggs

Not all chickens are created equal when it comes to egg laying. Some hens are suited for egg laying while others just simply don’t lay that many eggs. If you want a flock of egg laying hens that can lay baskets of eggs, then keep reading to learn the best chickens for laying eggs.

Heritage vs. Production Breeds

I strongly suggest you raise heritage breed chickens for multiple reasons, and I will share those reasons in a bit, but first lets define heritage breed chickens.

If you are a gardener, heritage breed chickens can be compared to heirloom seeds. Heirloom seeds grow better under organic conditions because they were developed when organic practices were more common.

They can also resist diseases and pests. Due to the fact that they have been grown for many generations they often have great taste and productivity.

The same is true for heritage breed chickens. They have a longer history of being raised and often are great breeds. By definition heritage breed chickens have to be a descendant of a breed that was recognized by the American Poultry Association before the 20th century.

Reasons To raise heritage breed chickens

Here are a few reasons I choose to raise heritage breed chickens.

• Lay eggs longer than production breeds: Heritage breed chickens lay eggs longer than other chickens that were bred for production. These chickens may grow slower and lay fewer eggs in the year, but they will produce an even pace of eggs for up to 5-7 years. Production breed chickens only lay eggs for 3-4 years.
• Have less egg laying complications: Because production breeds are bred to produce a high volume of eggs they can have more egg laying complications like getting egg bound. Heritage breed chickens lay at a slower pace so they are less suspectable to egg laying complications.
• Many heritage breeds are dual-purpose chickens: Many heritage breed chickens can be raised for both meat production and eggs! While I only keep my hens for eggs having the option to raise them for meat birds is great!
• The history: Heritage breed chickens can have some of the neatest backgrounds that make raising chickens fun. Knowing that your breed was raised by some historical figure or that is hails from France can make chicken keeping fun!

Those are just a few reasons I believe heritage breed chickens are the best chicken breeds available.

My favorite chicken breeds

Let me introduce you to a few of my favorite chicken breeds that I have raised. These chickens have done great in my small flock of egg laying hens and they are well suited for my cold climate.

Salmon Faverolle

By far, Salmon Faverolle chickens are one of my favorite chicken breeds that I have raised. They have a great temperament, are a winter hardy breed, and lay cream colored medium sized eggs!

These hens actually originated from France in 1886 so they have supplied the French people with eggs for over a century. After being introduced to England and the rest of the world they really caught on!

These hens have feathered feet and dense down feathers which help them survive cold temperatures. These hens lay between 150-200 eggs every year!

You can learn even more about Salmon Faverolle Chickens here.

Plymouth Rock

AKA Barred Rock these hens are an all American breed originating in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In fact until WWII no chicken breed was kept and bred as extensively as the Plymouth Rock was!

It is said that these hens helped people survive the great depression because they were both good egg layers and meat chickens.

The Plymouth Rock is an excellent layer which produces around 200 brown eggs a year! I have found that these chickens are docile and I love the feathering patterns.

Golden Laced Wyandotte

One chicken breed that really has ornate feathering patterns is the Golden Laced Wyandotte. This chicken’s feathers look like fine lace and they come in many variations!

These chickens aren’t just good for their beauty; they can lay around 200 brown eggs in a single year. These hens are also bred to withstand cold winter conditions and mine have done great.

I have raised these hens and never had complications with them! The Golden Laced Wyandotte is a great laying hen and you can learn more about them here.

Americana Chickens (AKA Easter Eggers)

Have you ever seen those pictures of blue and green eggs that almost seem fake? I also used to think that these pictures were too good to be true, that is, until I raised Americana chickens.

Americana Chickens lay both green and blue eggs. While this does not change the part of the egg that you eat, the added variety to the egg basket is really fun.

Often times the eggs will become a talking point because not too many people have seen blue and green colored eggs. These hens lay around 250 of these colorful eggs a year.

One thing that I loved about my Americana chickens is that each hen has a different feather pattern! This creates a flock of chickens with splashes of all sorts of colors and feather patterns, and it makes it easier to tell the hens apart!

Buff Orpington Chickens

Orpington chickens are one of the most popular chickens raised in the USA! These hens are so popular because they can be raised for eggs and meat.

My Orpington hens lay about 250 large brown eggs a year. These hens can reach up to 8 pounds in weight which helps them survive frigid temperatures.

These hens are also very docile and gentle around people. Orpington chickens are a great breed of chicken that rarely (if ever) gets aggressive with you.

Cold Hardy Heritage Breed Chickens

If you live in a cold climate like I do you need to raise chickens that can survive your cold winter months. I don’t heat my chicken coop and my chickens have seen real temperatures reach -20^oF. Here are just a few chicken breeds that are both heritage and cold hardy.

Australorp

As the name implies these hens originate from Australia being one of the best egg layers. While these hens don’t have the fanciest feathering they do lay around 300 brown eggs a year!

Australorp chickens are very prolific egg layers which makes them a good choice for your flock. These chickens can handle the cold weather and are considered a dual purpose breed.

Dominique

Dominique chickens are still on my list of chickens that I want to raise. These hens have been in America since its founding, coming on the scene in 1750. So if you raise a Dominque chicken you are basically raising a piece of living history!

These hens almost went extinct with only four known flocks existing in 1970! Thankfully these chickens have made a comeback and the breed is considered stable.

These hens lay around 275 light brown eggs and are considered good mothers. Dominque chickens have a barred feather pattern that is similar to the Plymouth Rock.

Dorking

One of the most ancient breed of egg laying hens, the Dorking is believed to have been raised by the ancient Romans. The Romans brought these chickens with them when they invaded Britain in 43 A.D.

There is even evidence that these chickens were raised during 1st century A.D. It is amazing that these hens have survived since the time of Christ!

These hens were so valued that the town of Dorking, England, (where the hens are most popular and were named after) once had a law that these hens could not be sold alive! It was because of their meat qualities and egg laying abilities that these hens were so prized.

Unlike most chicken breeds the Dorking chicken will lay eggs all through the winter! So even though these hens only lay about 170 eggs a year they will give you eggs when they are the most scarce!

If you raise a flock of Dorkings with other egg laying breeds you could get fresh eggs in all four seasons! If you want to learn more about this bird’s unique history read this article.

Black Copper Maran

These birds have gained popularity in recent years because of the rich color of their eggs. Black Copper Marans lay the darkest brown eggs of all chicken breeds!

The hens, just like their eggs, are also black in color with dark brown feathers around their necks. These hens will lay around 200 eggs a year. This hen is also on my list of chickens I want to raise in the future!

While egg ,shell color does not affect the nutritional value of the egg, raising a mixed breed of hens can give you an egg basket full of color and interest!

Jersey Giant

Jersey giant chickens are good layers laying around 200 eggs per year. These eggs are very large and have a light brown color.

These chickens are one of the largest breeds with the hens weighing in at 11 pounds! Because of their size these birds are a great dual-purpose breed and they can withstand the cold winter months.

The Jersey Giant comes in three different feather variations of blue, black, and white. These hens will really stand out in your flock of laying hens.

Heat tolerant heritage chicken breeds

If you happen to live farther south there are many heritage chicken breeds that will be well suited for your warm weather. These hens will lay eggs even while the temperatures are warm, and they are less susceptible to heat related issues.

Catalana

These hens can really take the heat and that is one reason they have become so popular in Latin America. These hens look like a Buff Orpington chicken that is lighter in weight.

Catalana hens are excellent layers laying 200 light pink colored eggs a year! If you experience high heat in your area then the Catalana chicken is a great option for you.

Minorca

These hens are known to lay the largest white eggs of any other chicken breed. These hens were first developed in the Mediterranean, so breeding for heat tolerance was a priority.

These chickens lay around 200 eggs a year and have all black plumage. Minorca chickens have a fancy look to them because their tail feathers stick up making it look like they have a fan.

Rhode Island Red

These hens are one of the most popular egg laying breeds in the world! Rhode Island Red chickens were originally bred to be a dual-purpose chicken breed.

These hens have a deep red color that almost looks iridescent. Rhode Island Red chickens will lay around 250-300 eggs a year making them a great egg laying breed for warm climates.

When do chickens start to lay eggs

Before you buy laying hens you first need to know when to expect your birds to start laying eggs. Chickens will start laying eggs in their first year, but they won’t begin laying until they are six months old.

So after you buy chicks, you need to weight six months before they start to lay eggs. The hens will reach their maximum egg production in the spring time before they gradually slow down in the fall and stop laying in winter.

You can keep your hens laying through the winter if you put a light in their chicken coop. There are mixed opinions on whether this is good for the chickens and you can read more about it here.

If you are raising heritage breed chickens, they will start laying less eggs when they reach five years of age. Production breed chickens stop laying at the earlier age of 2-3 years.

Best Egg laying chicken breeds for beginners

My very first flock of chickens was an all Americana flock and I believe this breed helped me get hooked on raising chickens! These hens have interest because of their colorful eggs and plumage.

As a beginner you will want to look for chickens with a good disposition because you don’t want your chickens to be scared of you.

Americana, Salmon Faverolle, and Orpington chickens all have good dispositions and I think any of them would be a great choice for a first time chicken keeper.

If you are just beginning to raise chickens make sure that you find hens that interest you either in their history, eggs, or plumage. This will help you stay interested in the hens and make it more fun! (I think it is fun to raise any breed of chicken!)

If you happen to have a rooster you can use these tips to keep him from getting aggressive. These tips are also great to use on all your hens so that your chickens don’t grow up to be afraid of you.

If you are new to keeping chickens make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter so you can continue to get tips and tricks to help you raise your first flock of laying hens!

Final thoughts on egg laying chicken breeds

In this post I have given you just a few breeds of chickens that are great for egg laying, but there are hundreds of different breeds out there. That’s one reason I always like to buy a mix of chicken breeds when I need more laying hens.

Keeping backyard chickens is a great way to raise some of your own food even if you don’t have much land. I raise a flock of laying hens on our small 1/2 acre lot in the northern United States and they supply us most of our eggs!

Whatever breed of chickens you decide to raise I hope you enjoy having your own flock of happy chickens!

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