Hens~ Our Egg Layers

We have always gotten lots of eggs from our hens! Sometimes we've had eggs running out our ears! Which is always nice, cause we have been able to share with family and friends! Most of our chickens even laid eggs in the winter months. Of course they may have slowed down some, but generally we would still get some eggs in the colder months. We usually go to our local farm store and buy Rhode Island Reds, Sex Links, Buff Orphingtons and we have even had some Easter Eggers (not sure which breeds on those). Recently we bought Light Brahma hens. We haven't gotten any eggs from them yet, but we are going through the winter months, so I will update on that when they start laying and I can write on how they lay. So for now, I'll go ahead and go through the list of the breeds we have had and the pros and cons to each one.

*Rhode Island Reds: These hens are always very nice. They are extremely good at laying and we always got tons of eggs from them. They do very well in the hot and cold temps and are hardy chickens. Our hens always laid very well and even laid in the cold months, even if they slowed down a little. They are often vocal and you always know when someone laid an egg! They can be a bit noisy at times. lol The Roosters however were very mean! So what we did, was kept the hens and got rid of the roosters. Rhode Island Reds are beautiful hens. They are nice and big and could be used for dual purpose, though we just used our for the eggs. So I would definitely recommend
Rode Island Red Hens!

*Sex Links: Sex Links are a mix breed of chickens, but they are egg laying MACHINES! We had them in the past and they were great layers! I actually just purchased some sex link chicks to grow, as I am wanting to sell eggs this summer from our farm. They come in different colors, usually black and red and are just nice layers. They are called Sex Links because it is easy to tell their gender at a young age, from my understanding, that is why it is easier to buy pullets (hens). Definitely recommend them. I do recommend handling them from a young age though. We had some black ones that would always roost in the trees and were a bit wild, so keeping them in the coop and keeping them gentle is a good idea with these chickens.

*Barred Rocks: We have tried Barred Rocks two different times and they were just so mean we just couldn't keep them, so I can't say much for their egg laying. The roosters were so mean to the hens, the hens would hide under our feet. I know people have good luck with them, but personally we just couldn't keep them.

*Buff Orphington: I love Buff Orphingtons! They are a beautiful light tan/red color and are very docile and sweet. They are good layers and we have often had broody hens. We even had one hen that hatched her own chicks! Our Buff Orphingtons are quiet and such good-natured! Our Buff Orphingtons don't lay much in the winter, but definitely do in the warmer months. We have never had a Orpington Rooster, but the hens are definitely one of my favs!

*Light Brahma: Light Brahma chickens are a beautiful white with a little black on them. They are extremely docile and even our rooster is as sweet as can be. They are a very quiet chicken. We have about 13 chickens total at the moment and our Orphingtons and Brahmas are mixed in together and you would hardly know they are even out there. So if you are wanting a peaceful barnyard, these chickens are a pleasure to have around! I bought these hens and our rooster already grown, around 13 weeks old. I think it was around fall that I bought them. I have yet to get a single egg out of them, which is completely different from our reds or sex links that lay most all the time. So coming into March I'm hoping to start getting some eggs. They will most likely be warm month layers, which is why I just bought the Sex Links. But all in all they are the nicest breed I have come across. I will update once we see some eggs.

All these breeds of hens are wonderful layers and I highly recommend them!