PoultryTalk.com

hi everyone.
I'm new to the forum, but I share my interest in chicks with everyone else on this forum.

I'm currently constructing my hen house 7' x 8' with a small outside run, I'm looking to purchase about 4 hens POL shortly, I would prefer a breed that excells in large/jumbo eggs with a good high annual yield.
I also understand that there may be other factors in attaining this standard, my question to the experienced members is.
What types of breed should I be considering to go down this route?

your replies would be most appreciated
thanks & rgds

Billy
SW scotland

Hi Just like to ask if you are interested in pure large breeds or Layers!!
regards
Paco

Large jumbo eggs are a result of commercial breeding, only certain hybrids will lay jumbo eggs. Hens have a finite number of eggs, the more prolifically they lay the quicker they will use them up, so in 18mths they will considerably reduce laying and in some cases stop.

Intensive farming units use hybrids, add artifical lighting and the hens will lay large eggs more or less everyday. Units are then emptied and birds culled at around 18mths.

In summary if you want high yield and large eggs go with hybrids and artifical light. Now the downside is they tend to die on you, laying huge eggs and so frequently means a great strain on their reproductive organs and often immune systems, so you may find increased problems associated with laying dysfunction.

Society demands jumbo eggs, so, the commercial companies work hard at breeding a hen that will do that.

My advice? Use 2 eggs instead of one and go for a nice egg laying pure breed like a sussex, leghorn, legbar or welsumer for lovely brown eggs and for a good number of years too!

Thanks for your comments Paco & Foxy, certainly food for thought....!!!

I wish to give my hens a long and natural lifetime, and as such I would not wish to have jumbo eggs at the expense of an unatural co-existance, bearing this in mind I guess I will have to have a slight re-think.

My hen house will be complete in a few weeks time, this will give me the opportunity to go further down this road.

Much obliged for your responses.

In answer to your question Paco, I'm now not too sure.

Go for Welsummers! They lay a good number of dark eggs and they are lovely friendly birds. Rhode Island Reds are also very good, but i would certainly agree that the Hybrids have far more health probs due to laying a unnatural amount of eggs. Good luck with it all!!

There's also a halfway house - get a couple of hybrids as well as Welsummer/Sussex/RIR or whatever takes your fancy. The hybrids do 'burn out' more quickly, don't have as much genetic variability and their egg colour can be hit and miss, but they can be great little characters with the added advantage of laying right through winter. With 5 hybrids last year I didn't go a day without an egg, even through that dreadful weather, and we live in a frost pocket (which also seems to be a wind tunnel - great for drying washing, rubbish for the hens!), so they really had a lot to contend with. As long as you get the birds all at the same time, and/or are careful about introductions, there shouldn't be any problems with a mixed flock. I like to have a colourful egg bowl, so I don;t have two hens that look the same. They look good to me, though! Good luck and have fun with your new girls. They'll be entertainment, pets and food producers all rolled into one.