I would like your in-put please.

[dabsisme]

Hi there, I don't post to must so most of you don't know me but I hope that does not make any difference to your reply.


We have had chcikens now for about two year's the first year we had 10 x-bat's and they got coxy so we lost 6 of them...we waited till we knew they had all got over it and i did move there house on to new land before we got new hens.

We got 11 more x-bats so then we had 15 they where all fine till a fox got in and we got cut down to 8, but now I want to get some more this time I what to grow my own so to say.

I have all the stuff ready to hatch and grow them on with a new pen to keep them in before adding them to the other hen's....but I can't make my mind up on what kind of hens to go for....I.S.A browns are good laters this i know but I was thinking of something with a bit more jazz, after all I will be putting in all that time to hatch them, so this brings me to what I want to know.


What kind of hens do you lot on here think are best for egg laying....I have read up a lot on this but I want to know first hand what you people think.

Thanks. Dave.

[lesleygl]

Yes please, I would like to know the answers to this question as well?

[bluemoon]

Warrens are hybrids, so it might be difficult getting fertile eggs from which to hatch them. I can recommend Rhode Island Reds, easy to obtain, lay well, and are very hardy.

[RedThorn]

unless you've got place to keep them, I would suggest that you wait until it warms up what ever you decide. I've got them indoors and they just over 3 weeks old now and you clean them out twice a day and they still start smelling rather quick.

Try considering day old's in the Spring, that way you could get some warren X's and you can then get them sexed as well so no cockerels to worry about....

[RichmondHens]

For egg production go for hybrids every time. Rhodies probably next best for laying in the pure breed line. Hybrids will be vaccinated so good for newbie keepers. Light/Buff Sussex pretty good layers too but have a tendency to go broody.

Dave, I would go for maybe a combo of Rhodies and Light Sussex.
Lesley, you could go for the above too, or maybe some of the pretty hybrids - amber links, white stars, black rocks etc

[bravo2zero]

Unless you are an experienced breeder/hatcher i wouldnt do it now but wait till the spring when your birds will have the summer to grow on naturally in the warmer months of summer. Regarding commercial hybrid eggs you may have difficulty in sourcing them.If you was to buy birds at POL warrens,isa browns and my favorite lohmanns are very popular and hardy. Eggs to look for would be rhode island reds, sussex,leghorn,marans and black rock but beware what you order from a popular auction site .I prefer to buy in person from the breeder if i can, if the breeder wont deal in person i dont buy.

[Bramble-Poultry]

good pure breed layers are Rhode Island Reds, Light Sussex and Marans, trouble with hatchingyour own have you given any thought to the boys. With both Light Sussex and Marans the boys will make nice eaters.

Hybrids are not so good on that front but make excellent layers, obtaining hybrid eggs of any worth is difficult as others have said but at least the chicks are sexed linked, there are some lovely hybrids they are not all "wee brown hens" To be a breed in their own right they must breed true and most of these hybrids do not hence why they are called hybrids - so they need to be first generation crosses.