Category: Chicken Breeds

Which Breeds Make My Top 10 Prolific Egg Layers List?

Can’t decide which breeds to choose for your Spring flock? Of all the breeds that have been on our farm, these 10 were by far the best egg layers.

White Leghorn
Rhode Island Reds
Easter Egger

Leghorn: These chickens are the most popular breed for commercial egg production, known for their high egg-laying rates and large, white eggs.
Rhode Island Red: These birds are popular for backyard flocks due to their good temperament and consistent production of large, brown eggs.
Easter Egger: This is not an actual breed but rather a type of chicken that can lay eggs in a variety of colors, including blue, green, and pink. They are popular for backyard flocks due to their egg color and good egg production.
Plymouth Rock: These birds are also dual-purpose and known for their brown eggs, good meat quality, and calm temperament.
Australorp: This breed is known for its docile temperament and excellent egg production, laying large, brown eggs.
Orpington: These birds are known for their calm demeanor and are popular for backyard flocks due to their good egg production and meat quality.
Wyandotte: These birds are known for their hardiness and consistent egg production, laying medium-sized, brown eggs.
Marans: This breed is known for its dark brown eggs, which are highly prized by many egg enthusiasts.
Sussex: These are dual-purpose birds, meaning they can be raised for both meat and eggs. They are known for their sweet disposition and good egg production.
Ameraucana: These birds are popular for their blue and green eggs and are known for their hardiness and good egg production.

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Silkies, A Unique Breed of Chicken

Silkie chickens are a unique breed of chicken known for their distinct appearance and personality. They are the best breed if you’re looking to hatch eggs because they are excellent dedicated mothers, and you can count on them to be broody many times a year.
Silkies can come in a variety of colors, including splash, white, black, blue, buff, gray, and partridge. Their feathers have a unique fluffy and soft appearance because they lack the barbs and barbules that hold the feathers together in most other chicken breeds. This gives Silkie a distinctive appearance and texture.
Additionally, they have black skin and bones, and their feathers can have a slight iridescence or shine to them.

Here are Some of the Key Characteristics that Make Silkies Different

Appearance: Silkies have a unique appearance that sets them apart from other breeds. They are covered in fluffy, fur-like feathers that feel soft and silky to the touch. They also have black or blue skin, dark-colored meat, and a distinctive crest of feathers on their head.
Personality: Silkies are known for their friendly and docile nature. They enjoy affection and attention and are a great choice for children to raise.
Broodiness: Silkies are known for their broody nature, meaning they have a strong instinct to sit on and incubate their eggs. This makes them popular among backyard chicken keepers who want to hatch their chicks.
Size: Silkies are a smaller breed of chicken, weighing between 2-3 pounds on average.

When it comes to egg production, silkies are not considered to be prolific egg layers.
On average, Silkies lay around 100-120 small, cream-colored eggs per year. As a comparison, the popular Rhode Island Red hen lays approximately 250-300 eggs per year. Keep in mind, egg production for all breeds can be influenced by various factors, such as age, diet, and environment.

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Silkie Bantam

All About the Beautiful Silkie Bantam

Silkies are a breed of chicken known for their fluffy, soft plumage that resembles fur. They have a distinctive appearance, five toes, and with combs and wattles should be a mulberry color or black. Their beak is usually a blue-gray color. They have black eyes and are described as exotic chickens. They are prized for their soft fluffy appearance and are quite popular in showing and exhibition.
They are known for having a calm and docile temperament, making them a popular choice for backyard flocks. They are a bantam breed, which means they are smaller in size compared to other chicken breeds. Silkie bantams typically weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. The weight can vary slightly depending on the sex of the bird, with roosters generally being slightly heavier than hens.

Silkies are thought to have originated in Asia, with China being the most likely place of origin. They were brought to Europe in the 13th century by Marco Polo and were later introduced to the Americas by early settlers. They are a hardy breed, able to tolerate cold weather, and can be raised in both free-range and confined environments.
Silkies are not known for being great layers, but I don’t find this to be true. My Silkie ladies lay most every day…. when not broody. They do indeed tend to be quite broody but are very attentive mothers, so they’re a great option for people who are interested in breeding ornamental chickens.

The Silkie chicken breed is available in bearded and non-bearded varieties. The bearded Silkie strain has a muff under the beak which covers the earlobes – this is absent in the other non-bearded Silkies. The Silkie rooster has a circular-shaped comb while the hen has a small, flat comb.
Silkie chickens come in many interesting colors, but accepted varieties include black, blue, buff, and white colors. Splash and partridge are also recognized and accepted APA colors.
Silkies are rather slow to mature, and usually don’t start laying until they reach 6 or 7 months. Eggs are cream in color and are considered small to medium.

Interesting fact: Silkies cannot fly, so roosts in the coop should be positioned low to the ground. You can offer a ladder to a higher roosting bar, but for the most part, I find Silkies prefer to be no more than 2 ft off the ground.

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