Choosing a Chicken Breed for Eggs

How Much Room Do You Have?

One of the foremost considerations when raising chickens is the amount of room you have available.  If you only have a limited amount (if, for example, you live in the city,) then this will restrict how many chickens you will be able to accommodate.  Furthermore, as some breeds are bigger than others, you will want to take room size into account before settling on a breed.  A shed/coop that is ten feet by ten feet can comfortably accommodate ten grown chickens, so use this is as a standard when deciding how many chickens you are going to purchase.

How Much Time do You Have?

Raising chickens for eggs can be a very time-consuming hobby.  The more chickens that you propose to own, the more time is required to give them adequate care.  So, if you can only give them a small amount of time, then I recommend just buying a few chickens to start out with.  If you find that you want to take on more (and have the time to take care of them,) then increase the size of your flock.

What Color of Eggs Do You Want?

Although many people don’t realize this, chicken eggs can actually come in several different colors.  There are, of course, the standard brown and white, but within those two divisions there are a multitude of different shades, ranging from an almost chocolate brown to bleached white.  However, there are chickens that lay a variety of colored eggs, including blue and pink.  So, if you have a particular preference for what color you want your eggs to be, educate yourself on which breeds lay what color.  Typically, the American breeds (Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Giants, etc.) and the English breeds (such as the Orpington) lay varying shades of brown eggs; Mediterranean breeds (Leghorns, Minorcas, etc.) lay white; and the South American Auracana lay various colored eggs.

How Many Eggs do You Want?

One thing many first-time chicken owners don’t realize is that some chickens can lay up to an egg a day.  Even when you only have a flock of ten chickens, you’ll still be getting over 40 eggs a week.  If you don’t have a means of dealing with this large amount, you’ll soon be overwhelmed.  So, be sure to take this into account when deciding what breed of chicken you want to purchase.  If you don’t want a lot of eggs, then consider choosing one of the heavier breeds that might not be as prolific.

An Overview of Some Chicken Breeds

If you’re looking for a good layer of brown eggs, then I recommend the following breeds:  Black Australorps, Plymouth Rocks (there are several varieties, including Barred, White, and Buff,) Buff or White Orpingtons, as well as several hybrids (which tend to be even more prolific than their pure-bred counterparts.)  On the other hand, if you want excellent layers of white eggs, I recommend the Leghorns (again, there are several varieties, including Brown and White,) the Minorcas (Buff or Black,) and again any number of hybrids (many of which are descended from Leghorns.)  

In summary, raising chickens can be an incredibly rewarding experience.  There’s nothing like eating eggs grown right in your backyard.  If you take these questions into consideration before you buy chickens, you’ll be that much more pleased with the final result.