Top Egg Laying Breeds

Top Hybrid Breeds for Eggs

There are many choices when it comes to choosing a breed of chicken for your family. I know many people have just one breed of chicken, but I personally love a colorful egg basket and to look at my flock and see all kinds of different colors, shapes, and sizes.

You can choose a hybrid breed for laying or dual purpose, which are good for both laying and meat,  many people choose this option so after a few years when egg production slows they harvest.

There are plenty of hybrid chicken breeds that have been designed for optimal egg production. Those girls can produce cartons of eggs every week! There are many other benefits to hybrids over heritage breeds.

Benefits of Hybrid Chickens

• Easy to acquire: Many hybrid chicken breeds are easy to find and buy from online hatcheries or feed stores.

• Are superior egg producers: Most hybrid chicken breeds have been developed to outperform their heritage, purebred ancestors. However, they only lay well for the first year or two of their life.

• Have good feed to egg ratio: Since they were developed for the commercial industry, hybrid chickens can eat less feed for the number of eggs they produce.

• Require less space: The are usually small bodied, highly efficient egg layers who don't need as much space as their larger-bodied purebred relatives.

#1: Lohmann Brown

Eggs Per Year: 320+ 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large 

Lohmann Brown chickens are a hybrid breed of chicken which was thought to originate in Germany. The breed was developed by crossing New Hampshire Red chickens or Rhode Island Red chickens with White Rock chickens. The result was a prolific, brown egg laying breed of chicken. Lohmann Brown chickens mature quickly and start laying as soon as 21 weeks of age. 

#2: ISA Brown

Eggs Per Year: 300+

Egg Color: Brown

Egg Size: Large

Isa Brown chickens are a hybrid breed of chicken developed by the commercial industry for the purpose of producing large quantities of brown eggs. ISA Brown is actually and brand, much like Apple or Ford. ISA actually stands for "Institute de Selection Animale" - a French company that developed the breed in 1978 for optimal egg production. While their exact genetic makeup is unknown, they are thought to have genetics from Rhode Island Reds, White Leghorns, and other white variety breeds in their genetic history. Being a hybrid means that ISA Browns do not have a breed standard as set by the American Poultry Association. However, the breed is ‘copyrighted’ and random breeders can’t just make up a similar hybrid and call them ISA Browns. 

#3: Black Star

Eggs Per Year: 300 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large 

Black Star hybrid chickens are a popular sex-linked chicken breed to choose for egg laying! Black Stars are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire Red rooster and a barred Plymouth Rock hen. The cross results in chicks who can be sexed as soon as they hatch based on their down color. As the chicks mature, the roosters will have barred coloring and the hens will be black with some gold streaks in their feathers.

#4: Golden Comet

Eggs Per Year: 250-300 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large  

Golden Comet chickens are a crossbreed that are usually bred from a New Hampshire Red rooster and White Rock hens. This combination results in sex-linked chicks which can be sexed as soon as they hatch based on the coloring of their down feathers. This breed was created by the commercial egg industry in order to have a breed that excelled in laying brown eggs. Golden Comets also mature quickly and start laying sooner than many heritage or purebred chicken breeds.

#5: Austra White 

Eggs Per Year: 250+ 

Egg Color: White 

Egg Size: Large  

Austra White chickens are a hybrid chicken breed created from crossing white Leghorns and black Australorps. One advantage that Austra Whites have over their purebred relatives, the white Leghorn, is the fact that Austra Whites have a calm, docile personality compared to the flighty disposition of white Leghorns.  

  

Top Heritage Breeds for Eggs

In addition to hybrid breeds, you will find many heritage chickens breeds that produce ample eggs. These hardy hens also have many benefits you may not find in hybrid breeds.

Benefits of Heritage Chickens

• Live longer than hybrid chickens: Since purebred chickens have better genetics, they have both a longer productive lifespan and a longer lifespan in general.  

• Are less disease prone: Genetics plays a role in good health, and heritage chicken breeds are less prone to reproductive ailments, diseases, and cancer.  

• Are more self-sufficient and sustainable: Heritage chicken breeds retain all the instinctual habits of their ancestors, such as broodiness, being good foragers, and hardiness. 

• Help preserve the breed: You can help preserve endangered or rare chicken breeds by raising them in your backyard flock. 

• Often have docile personalities: Better breeding often leads to nicer dispositions, and many heritage chicken breeds are more friendly, calm, and docile than hybrid chicken breeds.  

#1: Australorps

Eggs Per Year: 250 

Egg Color: Pinkish brown to light brown 

Egg Size: Large 

Australorps are a heritage, dual-purpose chicken breed who can be raised for egg production. While most heritage and purebred chicken breeds can’t compare to hybrid chicken breeds when it comes to how many eggs they lay in a year, the hens of heritage chicken breeds have a longer productive lifespan than hybrid hens. Australorps are known for their calm, friendly disposition and are great for young chicken keepers.  

#2: Rhode Island Reds

Eggs Per Year: 250 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large 

Rhode Island Red's are a heritage chicken breed known for its superior egg production. Rhode Island Reds are actually used for creating many of the commercial hybrid chicken breeds due to its naturally high egg production. Not only are they good layers, they also have a longer productive life span than many of the hybrid chicken breeds. The also have a very good feed-to-egg ratio, making them an economical breed.

#3: Plymouth Rocks

Eggs Per Year: 200 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large 

Plymouth Rock are another heritage breed that can be raised for egg laying. There are many varieties of Plymouth Rock recognized by the American Poultry Association. One of my favorites is the Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock, they are stunning! The barred variety is actually known to be the best egg layers of the breed. They are known to have a friendly disposition and are great for beginner chicken owners. They are a well known and popular breed which makes them easy to acquire, even locally. 

#4: Wyandottes

Eggs Per Year: 200 

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large

Wyandottes are a beautiful large, dual-purpose breed who are quite good layers! The Wyandotte breed has several recognized varieties, of those the golden-laced and silver-laced are the most popular due to their stunning feather pattern. Blue Laced Red Wyandotte's are becoming quite popular as well now. Wyandottes are great cold hardy chickens and the hens make for good winter layers.

#5: Leghorns

Eggs Per Year: 200

Egg Color: Brown 

Egg Size: Large

Leghorns are likely one of the most well-known purebred chicken breeds; think Foghorn Leghorn and they just so happen to be excellent layers. Leghorns come in many varieties though white is by far the most popular. White leghorns are a the standard for the commercial egg industry in white egg production. Some white Leghorns, depending upon the strain can reach a production of 300-350 eggs a year!

An Abundance of Eggs!

Whether you're looking for enough eggs to feed your family or are wanting to start a small business by selling fresh eggs, these breeds are a few of the top layers in the chicken world! Love your flock and you will be rewarded beyond measure!