Chicken breeders, especially backyard poultry breeders, usually wonder about chickens that can produce eggs all year round to double the benefit of chickens. Since chickens occupy space and are fed, so they wish that there was a return for that throughout the year, especially since they do not own a lot of chickens. That’s why getting a return from them is important.
Also, many backyard poultry keepers like to provide their families with healthy, home-grown eggs all year round. The eggs produced by backyard poultry are much more nutritious than store-bought eggs from farm poultry.
Backyard poultry feeds on a variety of foods, not just feed packed with antibiotics and other drugs that double production.
Also, backyard chickens are raised in a healthy way, as they have enough space to roam and forage, which reduces their stress and increases their happiness, and of course, this positively affects egg production.
It is also exposed to sunlight, which has many health benefits, one of which is also an increase in the production of healthy eggs.
That’s why we have conducted our research to collect for you the most important information about chickens types that lay eggs all year round so that you choose the right breed for you to raise and get eggs from them throughout the year.
4 Breeds Of Chickens That Lay Eggs All Year Round
Here is the breeds of chicken that we’ve found to lay eggs throughout the whole year:
- Leghorn Chickens.
- Rhode Island Red.
- Plymouth Rock.
- Light Sussex.
Now, let’s talk about each one of them in a bit of detail:
1. Leghorn Chickens
Leghorn chickens are among the most intelligent and resourceful chickens. They are able to find their own food when left to their own devices! Leghorn is usually shy but can also be flighty at times. Not very social as Leghorn does not interact much with humans but does not cause any harm to humans in general.[1]
As for eggs, Leghorn is the highest breed in egg production, with an average egg production of about 280-320 eggs per year! That’s the equivalent of at least four eggs a week!
Leghorn eggs are usually white, medium to very large in size. Leghorn eggs become larger with age of Leghorn hens until they reach their largest size at the age of four.
They also continue to lay eggs regularly until the age of four years, and then the number of eggs begins to decrease.
Pros Of Leghorn Chicken
- Leghorn hens tend to produce a large number of healthy eggs throughout the year.
- Leghorn chickens do not usually suffer from health problems, which makes them a favorite breed for many breeders.
- Intelligent and resourceful, they can get their food anywhere, which makes them good grazing birds in a wide yard among the weeds. Where you can eat from nature, whether insects or worms and herbs
- Very calm birds and they have a good ability to fly, which makes them able to protect themselves in the event of any danger.
- They are considered dual-purpose chicken. In addition to their large eggs, their meat is also good.
Cons Of Leghorn Chicken
- Not often broody hens, Although they have a higher fertility rate.
- They do not tolerate extreme cold due to the size of their large comb, which is quickly affected by frostbite. However, it thrives in all weather, even hotter.
- They do not remain productive throughout their lives, as they stop producing eggs at the age of only years, unlike some other breeds that continue to lay eggs for a decade.
2. Rhode Island Red
Rhode Island Red chicken is a wonderful breed that adapts to all environments and climates Cold, hot, dry, wet, and all other weather conditions. So they remain productive and active throughout the year often.
Most chicken breeds stop laying eggs completely during the cold winter months. Rhode Island Reds will continue to produce in the winter, but it will be somewhat lower than normal in temperate climates.
Rhode Island Red is a great chicken if you want to have healthy, delicious eggs all year round. Rhode Island hens usually start laying eggs when the young are only 4 to 5 months old! This is early compared to many other chicken breeds. [1]
One chicken lays approximately 270 light brown eggs a year! At a rate of 4 to 5 eggs per week! The other advantage here is that their eggs are very large in size. The color of Rhode Island red, whether dark or light, does not indicate the color of her eggs. Where she usually lays brown eggs.
Pros Of Rhode Island Red
- Great egg layers as it is one of the chicken breeds that backyard chicken owners are interested in growing because of its great ability to lay large eggs almost continuously throughout the year.
- It bears the cold because it is covered with a layer of fluff topped with a layer of close feathers, which helps to warm it and protect it from the cold. However, you should pay attention to combs and pendants to prevent you from catching a cold if the weather is very cold.
- It is very tolerant and adaptable to any atmosphere and environment and can thrive in marginal or even poor conditions.
- An excellent pets as they are outgoing, talkative, and friendly with humans.
- Easy to maintain, as it can be taken care of very easily even by beginners in raising chickens. where they do not need any complicated care, they are usually healthy and rarely get sick.
Cons Of Rhode Island Red
- They are a bit opportunistic and are at the top of the pecking order, which makes them bully meek breeds when raised in mixed flocks.
- The Rhode Island red rooster is known to be very aggressive, especially in the breeding season. So it is not preferable to keep roosters if you have young children.
- Rhode Island Reds chickens don’t usually go brooding like other chickens. Therefore, it would not be an ideal choice for those looking to hatch eggs and get chicks.
3. Plymouth Rock
It is one of the oldest breeds of chicken in North America. They call it Plymouth Rock, after the historic place in Massachusetts where the first immigrants to North America landed in 1620. They have strong bodies as they have a triangular body with a full chest and a broad back as well.
It is a friendly breed that loves to scratch and run around the yard so it would be a good idea to keep them in a spacious yard that allows them the freedom to range and roam. They are quite a healthy breed with no major problems.
Plymouth Rock chickens are good egg layers, laying eggs all year round, even in the cold winter months. The rate of its production of eggs is high, as one hen lays about 280 eggs per year! At the rate of about 5 eggs per week. It lays large, light brown eggs.
They start laying eggs at 16 to 22 weeks old. Their production rate remains good during the first years. While they start decreasing egg production at only 3 years old.
Pros Of Plymouth Rock
- They are quiet, as although they make noise, they remain at a low volume. This makes them an excellent choice if you are raising them in your home and have close neighbors.
- Plymouth Rocks are low maintenance as they are healthy and can adapt to any environment.
- They are not very good flyers so it does not cost you extra to secure them or build high fences because they will not fly very far.
- Plymouth Rockies have a good temperament and are friendly and calm, which makes them great pets, especially if there are children in the house. It is very easy to approach and play with humans.
- They get along well with other chicken breeds and rarely fight, assault other breeds, or cause trouble. They are even more likely to be bullied by more dominant breeds.
Cons Of Plymouth Rocks
- Plymouth Rocks don’t usually go incubating. But on the other hand, they are reliable mothers if they are allowed to keep their eggs.
- It does not remain productive of eggs for long, as its production begins to decrease gradually at the age of three years and then stops. It is known that some breeds of chickens remain egg-producing until the age of ten!
- Very meek, which makes it vulnerable to bullying from strong breeds, so it should not be combined with any aggressive breeds so that it is not subject to constant pecking and bullying. You can grow it alone, that is, with individuals of the same breed, or with other breeds, but with a calm nature, such as Silkie chicken.
4. Light Sussex
Light Sussex chicken is a quiet, intelligent breed that adapts to any environment. Adapt to free spaces and confinement, but it will thrive more in wide yards and large spaces, as it is good fodder and loves to run and move.
They are social birds and deal well with people, as they have a gentle and friendly nature. Light Sussex is a strong and largely healthy strain, the warm months are the months in which they breed.
As for the eggs, it lays large eggs that are creamy to light brown in color. It is classified among the chickens with high egg production, as it ranges from 240 to 260 eggs per year.
Pros of light Sussex
- Easy to maintain as it has no health problems and is not susceptible to certain diseases.
- Its behavior is friendly and inquisitive, so it is a very suitable choice as a pet for families with children.
- A good layer of light brown colored eggs.
- The Sussex is a dual-purpose chicken as they are good at producing eggs and meat as well.
- They are not noisy, so they are a good choice for indoor breeding if there are neighbors nearby.
Cons Of Light Sussex
- It grows very slowly so it does not make a good commercial chicken.
- Not good foster mothers.
Factors that Affect Egg Laying
1. The Role Of Daylight In Egg-Laying
Light is one of the factors affecting egg production in chickens. Lighting helps stimulate many of the hormonal reactions and cascades that promote egg production.
Therefore, low light times that occur as a result of the short day in winter or the use of low lighting hours in barns and farms lead to a decrease in egg production.
It is recommended that hens have between 14-16 hours of light in order for the completion of reactions required to produce eggs to take place. 8 hours of darkness is required for chickens to take a reasonable amount of rest, sufficient to avoid stress and discomfort.
2. The Role Of Nutrition In Egg-Laying
Proper balanced nutrition is the most important key element in egg production. The necessary nutrients required for egg production must be taken into account in terms of energy requirements, proteins, calcium, and other nutrients.
- Energy
The stretching process of the hen to lay eggs requires a lot of energy, so the chicken diet must contain a large amount of energy.
- Protein
Protein is the main ingredient in laying eggs because eggs contain a large proportion of protein. Therefore, food sources rich in protein must be provided for chickens.
- Calcium
It is a very necessary element for the production of healthy eggs as it is the main component in the formation of eggshells. Calcium should make up about 3.25% of the diet in laying hens. As less than that will reduce egg production.
- Vitamin D
It is no less important than the age of calcium, as vitamin D is what regulates the absorption of calcium in the chicken intestine, so it is very necessary to ensure efficient absorption of calcium.
- Water
Hydration of the chicken helps in egg production to an extent. Since water enters the formation of eggs in a large proportion. Eggs are a liquid that contains several nutrients. Water is involved in all physiological processes in general because it makes up the fluid both inside and outside cells.
Lack of water leads to dehydration, a factor that greatly reduces egg production.
3. The Role Of Stress In Egg-Laying
Stress reduces egg production, so stress causes such as sudden changes in temperature, location, feed, herds, humidity, noise, predators, and diseases should be avoided, all of which lead to reduced egg production. So it must be avoided as much as possible.
