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If a household decides to breed chickens for eggs, then it is necessary to acquire a breed whose females have good egg production. The task is not easy, because poultry, like garden crops, requires a certain climate. For example, not every breed of chicken is capable of laying eggs well in the harsh climatic conditions of the northern region. Today we will try to find out what kind of chickens laying hen breeds most suitable for home breeding.
Features of egg-laying breeds
When choosing the best breed of laying hens, you must be prepared for the fact that it is almost impossible to get meat from them. Males and females are characterized by low weight and early sexual maturity. The hen begins to lay eggs at about four months of age. If we take a female of the meat breed for comparison, she begins to lay eggs three months later.
The general characteristics of egg-laying breeds look like this:
- A purebred cockerel weighs around 3 kg.The weight of the female usually varies from 2 to 2.2 kg.
- Egg-laying chickens are not assiduous. The bird is characterized by high activity and mobility.
- Increased appetite is explained by the need to nourish the body. The norm for a chicken is to lay one egg every 25 hours. To restore strength and replenish lost calories, the female constantly needs food.
The egg production of a female of any breed depends on the number of eggs. This trait is established at the birth of a chick and remains unchanged throughout the life of the bird. Females of egg-laying breeds can grow up to 4 thousand eggs, and this is considered the norm. However, you should not expect that the chicken will be able to lay the same number of eggs during the entire period of keeping it. A hen can produce 100% of her laid eggs within 15 years. But birds are not kept at home or at a poultry farm until this age, since many individuals simply will not survive.
In the table below you can see which breeds of egg-laying chickens produce the most eggs.
The standard for industrial egg-laying chicken breeds is 220 eggs per year. There are, of course, record holders in this direction. For example, a female Leghorn breed laid 361 eggs in a year.
Overview of egg-laying breeds
When choosing the best egg-laying chicken breeds for home breeding, one must remember that the number of eggs laid by the female largely depends on the conditions under which the bird is kept, as well as the experience of the owner providing care. Great influence on chicken breeding has a climatic factor. You should choose a bird not only for its breed name. It is important to consider whether this chicken will lay eggs, for example, in Siberia or the Moscow region. Now we will make a review with photographs, which contains a brief description of the egg-laying breeds that are best suited for home breeding.
Loman Brown
A female of this breed can lay up to 300 eggs per year. Most often at home this figure is 280 pieces. The weight of one egg is about 60 g. In terms of early maturity, this breed ranks first among chickens of the egg production. The hen lays her first egg on the 136th day of life. Full egg production occurs at the age of 180 days.
However, this breed has a significant drawback. The female's egg production period is no more than 80 weeks, which is 140 days less than that of chickens of other breeds of this type. After this period, females sharply reduce the number of eggs they lay. On a poultry farm, further keeping of poultry is unprofitable, so the old flock must be culled.
Contents of laying hens "Loman Brown» uncomplicated. The chicken easily tolerates temperature fluctuations and is undemanding when it comes to food. Cage housing of poultry does not reduce egg production.
Russian white
The name of this breed already suggests that this bird is best adapted to our climate. Chickens are characterized by calmness, although they lead an active lifestyle. Individuals grow small in size, have white plumage and a large crest hanging to one side. In a year, a chicken is capable of laying 280 eggs weighing up to 65 g. “Russian White” is best suited for breeding in the Moscow region and other cold regions, as it does not require special housing conditions. The survival rate of young animals is 95%.Birds rarely become infected with common chicken diseases. The appearance of chickens is very similar to the Leghorn breed. The hen weighs no more than 1.8 kg, males - about 2.2 kg.
Leghorn
This breed of chicken was developed through several stages of selection. This is the only way to achieve the highest egg production rates. Today, poultry is in demand at many domestic and foreign poultry farms. A special feature of the breed is the presence of several subspecies, but the bird with white plumage has received the most recognition. A chicken can lay up to 300 eggs weighing about 58 g each in a year.
Females begin laying eggs at the age of 24 weeks. An adult female weighs about 1.6 kg. The weight of the cockerel reaches 2.6 kg. The most productive female is considered to be in the first year of life. Further, the egg production rate drops. At poultry farms, such birds are culled.
Cages are considered the best conditions for keeping laying hens. The bird feels comfortable in a limited space, the main thing is that there is good lighting around. Keeping chickens is profitable due to low feed costs. The female eats exactly as much as her body requires and never overeats. The only requirement is that the food must contain mineral supplements, and the drinking water in the drinking bowls must be kept clean.
Kuchin anniversary
A very good breed of chickens for home breeding. The bird adapts to different weather conditions. The female begins to lay eggs at the age of five months. Typically, at home, chickens lay about 180 eggs per year, weighing up to 61 g each.However, better egg production can be achieved from this bird by improving its housing conditions and the quality of feed.
Adler silver
The name of this breed is associated with the city where it was bred. Over the long period of its existence, the bird has adapted to various climate conditions and has taken root throughout the vast expanses of the post-Soviet space. Chickens lay eggs well only in favorable conditions. The bird needs a mandatory walk outside. This is not only due to freedom of space. Chickens find healthy protein feed in the soil. Under normal conditions, a female is capable of laying 280 eggs per year, weighing up to 61 g each.
Hisex Brown
We have already looked at Leghorn chickens above. So “Hisex Brown” is a hybrid of this breed. Despite the fact that egg production lasts 80 weeks, the female manages to lay up to 360 eggs per year. In poultry farms, as well as with proper home care, you can get fairly large eggs weighing from 63 to 71 g. These qualities have made the breed very popular.
Tetra
Chickens of this breed are famous for their high and early productivity. Starting from the 17th week, the female is able to lay eggs. Day-old chicks can be easily distinguished into females and males by the color of their plumage. Over the course of a year, a hen lays about 330 eggs with a brown shell color and an average weight of 61 g. It is enough to feed the female 125 g of mixed feed per day.
Isa Brown
The breed of egg-laying chickens of French selection has adapted well to the vastness of our homeland. In a year, the female is capable of laying about 320 eggs with brown shells. The beginning of egg production is observed at 135 days of age.The eggs are large, some specimens reach a weight of 63 g. Poultry can be kept in cages, and about 110 g of feed is required per head per day.
High Line
Females are incredibly calm and easily adapt to all living conditions. What is very important is that this does not affect the quality and quantity of eggs laid. Starting at eighty weeks of age, the female is capable of laying up to 350 large eggs in a strong shell.
Selecting laying hens based on productivity
When raising chickens at home, each person is primarily interested in the productivity of the breed. If it is an egg-laying bird, it means that it has requirements for the number of eggs laid per year. Here the Leghorns can be considered the undisputed leader. If you manage to find purebred chickens, then the hens that grow from them are guaranteed to lay up to 300 eggs per year. By paying more attention to the bird and providing proper care, the hen can thank the owner with even better egg production. Indicators such as 365 eggs per year were observed.
The video talks about laying hens:
Italy is considered the birthplace of Leghorns. For many years, domestic breeders have tried to increase the productivity of the breed using new technologies, but the result has remained unchanged. Crossbreeding work continues to this day, however, even in their original form, laying hens are popular in many countries around the world.
In the vast expanses of our homeland, “Leggorns” have taken root thanks to their very dense plumage. It protects the chicken's body from strong winds and frost. There is probably no region where this beautiful chicken has taken root.
What breed of chicken is best to avoid?
In principle, almost all breeds of laying hens offered on the domestic market are capable of laying eggs in farms and households in any region. The only question is how many eggs they will lay and what kind of care the bird will need. Since it’s a matter of choice, it’s better to refuse to grow “Minocorks”.
Chickens are characterized by a high rate of egg production. Adults have a slender, elongated body, a long neck, a small head with a large red crest. The feather color can be black, white or brown. The eggs are laid in a white, strong shell.
So, why then is it undesirable to start a breed at home if egg production is high? The thing is that the bird was bred in Spain, and it loves warmth very much. In the southern regions, chickens will still be comfortable. If we take, for example, the Moscow region, not to mention the Siberian region, with the sudden onset of cold weather, egg production will drop sharply. In severe frosts, the ridges can actually freeze. Even if it is possible to provide a chicken with warm living conditions, it needs a lot of walking, otherwise you can forget about productivity.
The video shows the best breeds of laying hens:
To summarize the review of breeds, it should be noted that laying hens for breeding should be purchased from trusted producers. This is the only way to guarantee that you will get a pure breed and not a mixture.
