Breeds of laying hens: photos, names and descriptions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Planning to get chickens that will bring fresh eggs every day, but do not know which breed to choose? We have prepared for you a rating of breeds of laying hens, which will allow you to find out which birds are unpretentious in care, lay large eggs!

Egg Breeds

Chickens of such breeds differ from others in their smaller size. The weight of an adult varies from one and a half to three kilograms. Chickens are active, mobile, fussy. Young hens start laying eggs at four months of age, and one bird can produce at least 300 eggs in a year.

Breeds of laying hens with photos and names

To create a bird flock on your farm, you should choose well-established breeds. Through the selection and regular culling of poultry, it is possible to preserve its best qualities and get the maximum economic return.

Leghorn chickens

This is one of the most popular chicken breeds and is highly efficient. In a year, from one you can get more than one hundred eggs, weighing up to 60 grams. The constitution of the bird's body is strong, has the shape of a triangle with a head on top. Usually everyone has this body structure.laying hens with good egg production. When purchasing a bird, you need to pay attention to this. This can be clearly seen in the photo of Leghorn laying hens below.

A he althy bird should have clear eyes, wattles and crest are pronounced. Chickens of this breed are very mobile, so they must be provided with a full range. If such conditions are not created, the bird may even die.

On average, the weight of an adult hen is about two kilograms, males are slightly higher. Chickens significantly supplement their diet while on a walk and eating grass, insects and small pebbles. Leghorns lay well, the eggs are large and clean. The genetic material of this bird is used all over the world to create new breeds.

Some breeders breed the Leghorn for their own small business, constructing large cages for the hens to move about. After the egg production of hens begins to fall, the hens are slaughtered for meat.

In a small farm, you can keep dwarf leghorns, which also have an egg specialization. Despite the fact that the weight of an adult bird is no more than 1.7 kilograms, they are not inferior to a large bird in terms of egg production.

Chickens "Belarus-9"

The breed was based on a gray Californian and a white leghorn, paternal and maternal lines, respectively. From the name it is obvious that the breed was bred in Belarus. Chickens adapt well to various conditions of detention, so the breed has become widespread.

At the chickensplumage white. The bird has a small weight - from 1.3 to 2 kilograms. Chickens become sexually mature at the age of 160-170 days. On average, egg production is about 290 for 12 months, egg weight is 60 grams. "Belarus-9" is one of the top five breeds of egg-oriented chickens.

Highsex Brown

Very popular breed of chickens in our country. It is valued for good egg production, large eggs, calm character, strong immunity. Bird of small size, strong constitution. The color of the chicken is bright brown, sometimes with small white markings on the tips of the feathers.

The weight of an adult bird is 2.5-3 kilograms. Egg laying begins at 20 weeks of age. The breed is considered highly productive, the number of eggs per year is 280-315. The products of these chickens have a high nutritional value with a lower cholesterol content. Unlike eggs, poultry meat has no such value, it is tough even in young birds.

Loman Brown

Which breed of laying hens is the best? Without a doubt, the leader is the broken brown of the German selection. The main reasons for popularity are:

• high egg production;
• quick adaptation to containment conditions.

Chickens have beautiful red plumage. Broken brown eggs are brown. The breed is early maturing, the beginning of egg-laying falls on the 140th day from the moment of birth. In a year, one chicken lays 250 eggs, those hens that begin to lay on the 150th day give310 or more eggs. The survival rate of young animals is quite high - 98%. Little chickens differ in color: in hens, the shade of down is fawn, and in males it is white. Chickens have an accommodating character, calm, quickly become attached to the owner.

Birds can be kept in cages, they tolerate captivity well. But you should know that, keeping the bird in such conditions, it is necessary to give it compound feed in the amount of 114 grams per individual.

Isobraun

Isobraun laying hens are birds of French selection. With proper care and feeding from one chicken, you can get about 320 eggs weighing 63 grams. At the age of four months, they reach half their productivity. The color of the plumage can be light brown and dark brown with a red tint and small white patches on the neck and near the tail of the body.

Chickens of this breed are early maturing, unpretentious in content, have a high level of egg production. Perfectly adapt to any climatic conditions. But it should be noted that after two years from the start of laying, productivity drops.

Tetra chickens

You can hear another name for the breed of laying hens - tetra tint. Often this bird can be found in farms. She fell in love with her high performance and rapid growth of chickens.

Chickens have lush brown plumage, and cockerels are white. Tetra is a hybrid breed, the weight of an adult chicken is about 2.5 kilograms. This is one of the most productive breeds, by 21 weeks all chickens beginoviposition. In 52 weeks, a laying hen can lay about 300 brown eggs, which weigh 60 grams.

The best breeds of laying hens for the home

We offer to pay attention to a number of breeds suitable for home farming. Keeping even a small number of birds can fully provide a family with domestic eggs.

Minorca

Birds of large size, beautiful black plumage. Representatives of this egg breed carry the largest eggs. Minorca is not suitable for breeding for meat, it does not have valuable taste qualities. When buying this bird, you should pay attention to the exterior: the closer it is to the breed standard, the higher the performance will be. Chickens are very demanding on the conditions of detention. At low temperatures in the room, they stop rushing. In cold climatic zones, in severe frosts, their earrings and comb can completely freeze. It is better to breed poultry in households, growing for commercial purposes is unprofitable.

Minorca laying hens have an average egg production of about 260 eggs per year. On average, the weight of one egg is 90 grams, sometimes there are specimens weighing 115-120 grams. By the age of three, the performance of hens drops, but the quality of the eggs improves and their size increases. Eggs have excellent incubation qualities, but laying hens lack maternal instinct, they do not incubate chickens.

Shaver Cross 759

Chickens are small in size, the weight of an adult is 1.5 kilograms. Laying hens start laying eggs at the age of 17, and lay most effectively from 25 weeks. For 365 days, up to 320 eggs can be obtained from one laying hen. Hens have a very high laying efficiency.

Chickens are hardy, calm, not afraid of people. They do not require any special care. The calculation of the feed is as follows: 7 kilograms of feed will be enough for one individual for 18 weeks. This breed can be bred even at their summer cottage.

White-36

The breed was bred by Hain-Line. The chicken is used on the farm for 70 weeks, during which time an average of 270 eggs are produced from it. Laying hens are unpretentious in care and very beneficial in keeping.

At the beginning of laying, a young hen weighs a little more than one kilogram, after a period of effectiveness, which falls on the 29th week, the weight increases to 1.6. Due to the fact that the bird is small, it requires little maintenance costs. For a period of 18 weeks, six kilograms of feed is enough for one bird, which is 100 grams per day.

Russian Whites

This breed of laying hens is similar in characteristics to the leghorn, they are in the same weight category. The egg laying of a laying hen for 12 months is 255 eggs, although some individuals of this breed carry 320 eggs each. The weight of one is 62 grams, the color of the shell is brown.

Russian white chickens are very hardy, they do not react to temperature changes, they are unpretentious in food and maintenance. The breed adapts well to keeping in the country. Unlike Leghorns, the Russian White giveshigher yield of dietary meat.

Czech dominant

Relatively recently, this breed of laying hens was bred (photo attached below). The birthplace of the bird is the Czech Republic. The chicken is a cross (hybrid). The dominant is distinguished by endurance, good he alth, resistance to a number of diseases. This breed is grown in many countries, including Russia. Laying hens are valued by the fact that, with minimal costs for feed and maintenance, they give egg and meat products to the maximum. The breed belongs to the egg type, but, having excellent taste and high meat yield, it is also grown to obtain a carcass.

Dominant chicken weighs from 2.2 to 2.7, males - half a kilo more. The growth of hens continues until 11 months of age. As for the color of the bird, there are about seven colors. By nature, the bird is calm, moderately active, but too noisy: singing and clucking lasts throughout the day.

Dominants are famous for their egg production. To date, there are few laying hens capable of laying such a number of eggs per year at minimal feed costs, without certain additives to stimulate egg laying. Usually chickens start laying at 5-6 months, sometimes at 7. It is for such layers that the laying period will be longer. The number of eggs weighing 65 grams is 320 pieces per year. Eggs are covered with a brown shell of different shades.

The maternal instinct is too weakly developed; To bring out babiesit is better to use an incubator or buy chickens from trusted suppliers.