Choosing for home breeding egg-laying chickens is a rather difficult task. However, having certain knowledge in this direction, to cope with it, of course, is possible. In this article we will consider the most popular breeds of egg laying hens and their characteristics.
Common signs of egg-laying hens
There are many different breeds of egg hens , but all have many common characteristics:
- Egg - bearing breeds of chickens are relatively light in weight, which does not exceed 2.8 kg. However, representatives of meat and egg direction are at a height and meat indicators, and egg production.
- The wings are long, with a wide scope.
- The crest is straight, bright red, large.
- Egg-bearing breeds of chickens - active and mobile.
- The birds have a good metabolism, so they constantly need feed.
- Hens of the egg direction quickly mature and are ready to rush at the age of five months.
- Hatching instinct is absent or minimized.
Egg-bearing chickens do not require any special care and do not need any special conditions. But at the same time, for the egg shell to be strong enough and firm, they constantly need various vitamin and mineral supplements.
Benefits
Breeds of egg-laying chickens (a description of the best representatives will be provided below) have the following indisputable advantages:
- High egg production.
- The big weight of eggs.
- The hardness of an egg shell.
- Disease resistance.
- Good offspring survival.
- Unpretentious diet.
- Lack of aggression.
Thanks to the efforts of poultry farmers in modern representatives of the egg direction, all these qualities are developed to the maximum.
Consider which egg breeds of chickens are the best.
Leggorn
White Leghorn is a classic poultry egg. This is perhaps the most egg-laying breed of chickens that was bred in Italy in the 19th century.
The bird is relatively small in size: the live weight of an adult laying hen is 1.6 kg, and that of a rooster is approximately 2.5 kg. The body is quite proportional, the chest is round, the back is wide, slightly elongated. Representatives of the Leghorn breed have a medium-sized head with a bright red beautiful scallop. In roosters, it is erect; in hens, it hangs slightly to one side. Eye color changes with age. In young animals they are orange, in adult birds they are pale yellow. The color of the legs changes with age. In young chickens they are bright yellow, in older individuals - pale, bluish-white. By these signs, you can determine the age of the birds. There are more than 20 varieties of colors of chickens of this breed, but in Russia it is white representatives that are most common. There are birds with golden, black, brown, blue and motley plumage.
Leggors begin to hike at the age of five months (approximately 18-20 weeks), especially birds are productive in the first year of life. Under comfortable conditions, one layer is capable of producing 250 and even sometimes 300 eggs per year. The eggs are quite large (average weight 60 g). The breed of white egg-bearing chickens leggorn carries white eggs, in motley birds, eggs are brown.
According to the owners, the Leghorn chickens are quite active and are almost always in motion. Keep birds preferably in a barn with the possibility of walking. There should be enough light and fresh air in the place of detention for full development. It is also important to ensure cleanliness. Perches, feeders and nests should be equipped in the barn.
A small area enclosed by a net is sufficient for walking the birds.
White Russian
This is a hybrid of leggorn and Russian outbred birds. White Russian is considered one of the best egg-bearing breeds. Productivity is 230-250 eggs per year (in some cases it can reach 300 pcs.), Which is slightly lower than that of leggorn. The average weight of one egg is approximately 55 g. In size, this breed of chickens is slightly larger than the leggorn. Birds have a large, leafy, bright red crest.
According to the owners, the undoubted advantage of this breed of chickens is their resistance to stress, cold and many diseases. Birds mature quickly, balanced, and are not aggressive.
Broken brown
This is a very productive breed. The bird is great for growing in regions with a cold climate. Broken brown perfectly tolerates severe frosts, hens rush even in winter. This hybrid breed was bred in Germany.
Since these are egg-meat hens, they are large and massive. The body is wide, the back is round, slightly bent. The tail is large, the beak of both hens and roosters is quite powerful. Color - brown. The live weight of an adult laying hen is from 2 to 2.5 kg, a rooster weighs an average of 2.5-3 kg. Rush start at about 5 months. For a year, one bird can produce about 320 eggs weighing 63-64 g. The shell is light brown. According to reviews, representatives of this breed are distinguished by a calm temperament, resistance to stress, friendliness. Birds calmly carry the content in the cells.
Tetra
This is a universal breed of egg and meat, bred by one of the Hungarian companies.
Hens practically do not differ from birds of similar breeds. The body is well developed, rectangular, the head is not very large with a beak solid light yellow. The neck of the hens is quite long, the tail is medium in size. Legs are white-yellow in color, medium length.
Wings of medium size, tight to the body, plumage of birds silky. The hens have a red or brown color, the cocks are white.
Birds begin to hike as early as four to five months. Up to 300 eggs can be raised per year. Like all egg-laying breeds of chickens, tetra is especially productive in the first year of its activity, after which egg production gradually decreases. Eggs large (up to 65 g), brown shell.
Like all universal breeds, the tetra is also famous for its delicious dietary meat, and it is gaining marketable weight quickly enough - in just four to five months. Reviews about these layers are only good.
Dominant
Considering the egg-bearing breeds of chickens (the names of the best representatives are given in the article), one cannot help but mention such a bird as a dominant bred in the Czech Republic. According to the owners, the breed has a beautiful appearance, feed quality, disease resistance. It is also unpretentious to the conditions of detention, but the best quality of chickens is, of course, their good productivity and tasty healthy meat.
The breed has several subspecies that differ in color and body shape. However, they all have a large, massive body and a small head. The wings of the birds are tight-fitting, the plumage is magnificent, the legs are short, which gives the dominants a squat and dense look. The plumage is light, black and white, colorful, dark.
The live weight of an adult laying hen is about 2 kg, a cockerel is 2.5-3 kg. Chickens begin to hatch at 4.5 months, and in the first year they give up to 310 eggs. The eggs are large - up to 70 g, the shell is strong enough, brown, white or cream in color, which depends on the subspecies of the laying hen.
Minorca
The name of this breed comes from the area where it was bred by breeders (Minorca Island, Spain). Minors were brought to Russia in 1885.
The breed looks very original. The birds have black plumage, a red comb, rather large white earlobes and wide long scarlet earrings, giving them a pretty impressive look. The back is long enough, with an inclination to the tail, the chest is wide, legs are high. The head is black, medium in size, graceful. The neck is long, the beak of the birds is black. In roosters, the crest is erect, large, hanging in chickens.
Minors are not suitable for industrial breeding, as they are demanding on the conditions of detention.
Minors begin to rush at the age of five months. In the first year, they are able to lay up to 2000 eggs. Large eggs (60-80 g). The advantage of this breed is also that they can be carried regardless of the time of year.
The disadvantages include bird effeminacy: in frost, legs and scallops can be frostbite. Also, this breed does not tolerate drafts, high humidity, cold.
In birds, there is no instinct for hatching, as a result of which eggs must be laid in layers of other breeds or laid in an incubator.
Pushkinskaya striped and motley
This is a relatively new breed, bred in 2007 in Russia.
The body of the birds is wide, trapezoidal, wide, neck, long vertical neck. A spike is clearly visible on the crest, which goes to the frontal part from the back of the head. The back of the birds is even, narrowed to the tail, wings are long. The shape of the head is elongated, the size is small. Beak of medium length, slightly bent. Eyes are bulging, orange. The legs are long, gray. Color can be striped-motley with white down or black and white.
Pushkin chickens are slightly larger than other breeds of egg direction, which is especially attractive for their breeding, because after the end of the period of egg laying, they can be put up for meat.
The weight of an adult chicken is 2 kg, the cock is close to 2.7-3 kg. Egg production starts at about 5 months. Productivity is up to 280-290 eggs per year. The shell is strong, white or light cream, weighing up to 60 g.
The Pushkin breed of chickens is unpretentious to the conditions of detention. The character is calm. According to farmers, in case of danger, the birds do not run away, but crouch, leaning to the ground, so when they are slaughtered, they are easy to catch.
Hamburg breed
The bird was bred in Germany by crossing chickens brought from other countries with local individuals.
The Hamburg breed is characterized by a slender, elongated body of medium size, a long neck, and a raised chest, which gives it a proud look. The color of the comb is pink, the earlobes are as white as those of the minor.
Since several breeds of chickens participated in the breeding of the Hamburg breed, their color can be very different - black, white, fawn, silver-striped, partridge, spotted, golden-striped, blue.
Layers weigh 1.5-2 kg, cockerels about 2-2.5 kg. For a year, one laying hen is able to lay up to 380-400 eggs weighing 45-50 g. White egg shells.
Summarize
So, we examined which breeds of chickens are the most egg-laying, learned the reviews of the owners. When choosing poultry, it is important to consider:
- Breeding purpose: for the periodic sale or uninterrupted production of eggs.
- What is the area designated for breeding chickens.
- Conditions in which the bird will be kept: in cages, aviary.
- In which region, and in what climatic conditions, hens will be raised.
- The degree of adaptation of a particular breed to these conditions.
- Availability and price of chickens of the selected breed.
It is worth buying young animals only after all the nuances of the future breeding are thought out and premises intended for keeping the bird are organized. It is also important to read detailed literature on which breed of chicken is egg-laying and a complete description of breeding. Only if these conditions are met, hens will be able to please beautiful, large and even eggs throughout the year.