I want to get a few more chicks in the spring so could someone tell me (what breed) of chickens give the biggest white & biggest brown eggs? ~: >
Thanks a bunch!!
What breeds of chickens give the biggest white & brown eggs?
I believe Delawares lay very large brown eggs. Pretty large ones from Buff Orpingtons, R.I. Reds, Jersey Giants I *think* the largest white egg is from the Single Comb Leghorn or Exchequer Leghorn. I'm sure others will have more info.
See these sites for info on what eggs are what size (and what kind of production to expect):
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#d
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html (scroll down to "egg weights by breed." Very useful.)
The eggs get bigger as the hen gets older.
They will also lay more double yokers too.
This pic shows a double yoker.
Them's some pretty eggs, Cottage_Rose! I want to get some Cuckoo Marans this year for the really chocolate brown eggs.
My buff orpington has started laying eggs of enormous size! They are pretty and golden brown, just like her!
Thanks Zeppy!
I have considered Marans as well but I have heard that the really dark eggs layers aren't that common especially if you buy Marans from a commerical hatchery. I have also heard reports of bad temperament and poor egg production....so I've held off on getting some.
Rose is right. The Marans I ordered from a small hatchery last year lay a terra cotta colored egg, similar to the Welsummer's....not at all like the dark chocolate color advertised. Still, I'm happy with them, and even though the eggs are not "chocolate", they're definitely darker than the standard brown egg layer. The Welsummer's egg is interesting in that it's often splotched with a darker brown, giving it an interesting look. Friends and neighbors whom I share eggs with often say they're too pretty to eat.
I'm looking for good winter layers in a dual purpose breed. Cold winters ,but I have insulated chicken house and small covered area in their run. My chickens are pets, so nice diposition would be nice
See the database I linked above, but off the top of my head I'd say Wyandottes (comb close to head), Rhode Island Reds, and Orpingtons would be good choices. I believe the Chantecler's from Canada and does well there...?
Oltmanns...White Rocks, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Production Red Hybrids, Black Australorps, Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons....any of these would do well for what you are seeking.
Thanks everyone. Availability is another hurdle for me. I couldn't decide between Rhodes or Rocks, so sending for some of each. If I had easy access to all the choices you have, I would have a chicken pet farm, I love them all.
An easy way to sample a variety of breeds is to order chicks from Murray McMurray.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
They have a big selection and you can mix and match in any amounts...as an example you get say just one RIR or Buff Orp. Just so you meet the minimum order they ship, which as I recall is 25 chicks. You can always butcher or sell off any extras you don't want.
Have fun! :o)
Getting them to Canada is not that easy.
Opps! (blush) Didn't notice you were in Canada.
Don't you have any big commerical hatcheries up there?
I have a Black Australorpe hen that lays dark brown eggs, they are about regular "large" size, and she is very consistant. I have a couple Buff Orppingtons that lay a nice brown egg, mostly "Jumbo" size and their qualtity and quantity are superb. I have a couple young Rhode Island Reds that lay nice eggs, but not as frequently as the Orps. I have 4 Silver Laced Wyandottes that hardly lay eggs at all in the winter, and they are about 3 years old. I will not be getting any more Wyandottes.
http://www.poultryconnection.com/casources.html
a listing of Canadian hatcheries. I don't know which ones are reputable or anything.
Only 1 hatchery, and their selection is pretty limited.
Well, this list is a bit better (scroll down to Canada);
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKHatcheries.html
But you're right: not tons of selection. Berg has light brahmas and ameraucanas, which are dual purpose and lovely birds.
Here's the site for Rare Breeds Canada: they should know where to get certain breeds, if anyone does. Good luck. http://www.rarebreedscanada.ca/
Hmmm...I'm just wondering... why there is such a lack of poultry and waterfowl in Canada?
I've heard others say the same on other forums...people seeking poultry or waterfowl but can't find it.
We do have hatcheries in Canada , there just isn't a big selection.
The only one viable for me is www.rochesterhatchery.com
Thanks hmstyl for the info on the Silver Laced Wyandottes, had concered ordering them, but i definately want winter layers
My mom has Black Sex Links and is very happy with them They lay large, often double yolk brown eggs and they are very good layers.
My 2 cents worth....... the buffs and road Island reds lay a real nice size brown egg and also so does Austroplorps, all have excellent disposition.
Right now I have 2 buff orpingtons, 2 rhode island reds, 1 black australorpe and 4 silver laced wyandottes. I have been getting 5 or 6 eggs a day, even today when the temps barely got above freezing! I think that is pretty good to get 6 eggs a day from 9 hens.
For those of you in Canada, I think I can help ya'll get some chickens! All you have to do is pay for my gas and I will be happy to bring up a truck load of chickens for ya! :-)
We have been raising a breed called Comets for many years. They lay very large eggs consistently. Sometimes triple yolks, many double yolks. You can get them at www.meyerhatchery.com out of Ohio.
:) Kathy
hi, just dropping in. wish i could upload my picture [ i will bering it to the library next time] of a triple yoker next to a double yoker nexxt to an extra large, all above a huge piece of Jewish seeded rye bread!!!
I love my Buckeyes. they have a small pea comb, which is great for cold weather esp i n Canada.
gotta log off now. let just say most of my eggs don't fit in the large containers...
tf
Yes, we have to buy Jumbo containers and a lot of our eggs don't even fit in them...:)
LOL, i was telling some folks at church and the pastor when i delivered eggs last week, that I need a bigger container for my blessings literally. in other words, stop giving me the store bought containers for large eggs, unless all you want are the smallest eggs i have!
i should have clarified yesterday that the Buckeyes lay brown eggs. the shade seems to depend on the coloring of the breast feathers on the hen, which varies from mottled blonde/brown to a deep red/brown. mottled isn't the correct word, someone who breeds or shows could say it right, penciled maybe?
i also have rose combed brown leghorns, and we love em to pieces. nothing fo reating, but they started laying two months sooner, and their eggs were bigger to start with. now i get almost as many browns most days. the browns are extra large plus in size, the whites are large to extra large, depending on the size of the hen. they are all ten months old...
lemme see if i have any pictures...
tf
here are the large eggs i got last fall, when the chickens were 8 months old...
on the left is an extra large egg, the middle was the triple yoker [can you believe i dropped it!], and on the right is a double yoker. i have a picture of them in a skillet too, but have to sign off for now...
tf
How do you clean yours? I wash mine with antibacterial dish soap. Soak them in hot water for a little while w/o soap and then hand wash everyone of them. I used to have an egg washing machine and had to buy this soap which was quite expensive. I still had to wash some by hand as the machine didn't clean it all off. BTW, the hot water does not cook the egg :) The state says its okay to do it the way I've been doing it.
We can't keep up with the demand for eggs. I don't have cartons big enough for my biggest eggs, so we keep them for our own. The greatest thing is making a cake that calls for 3 eggs and using those, wow what a cake it makes.
:) Kathy
I Dont think there is a White and Brown Egg Regards Paul
You know Paul, you could be right. :) Some of the best oranges I ever had I went right to the orchard in Lakeland, FL. It was an organic orchard. Yum, yum. :) Kathy
Here is a picture of some eggs from a friend. They are the biggest chicken eggs I have ever seen. I think they came from White Rocks.
I put the quarter there for size comparrison.
i know barred rocks never heard of white rocks
That is what another friend told me they were. He is the one who brought me the eggs from his friend who actually has the chickens. I didn't see them and I don't know anything about them. I am assuming they are white. LOL I have also heard of Bared Rocks. What color are they?
Yes, there are white plymouth rocks. Do a google search and hit "image" above the window to see a bunch. You can do the same with "barred rocks" to see them, or just go to www.mcmurrayhatchery.com or www.feathersite.com to see them.
I want to get some Cuckoo Marans for those lovely dark brown eggs...
I have barred rocks, RIR, and golden laced wyandottes. The wyandottes' eggs are consistently bigger than a jumbo graded egg and are a rich brown. RIR are the smallest. I love the personality of the barred rocks. They are so friendly and lay beautiful light brown eggs. I would like more wyandottes and barred rocks. The wyndotte hen is medium size, so I feel she is a very efficient layer. I am running my layers on pasture with my cows. It has been an amazing experiment in multi-species pasturing. It's very encouraging and the hens are foraging far and wide with the cows.
jazzyl
Where do your hens lay? I love eggs from free range hens.
Kathy, i have been meaning to ask how you wash them... i don't produce/sell enough for the state to give me washing suggestions LOL, but i use tepid water to float test them [even though i usuallly gather three times a day], and then use a clean wet sponge under running water. no soap of any kind, and don't scrub. they are usually not pooped on, unless i wait too long to go out there, since they prefer to take turns in just a few boxes and pile their eggs together. i usually keep those that are stained to eat, but when i don't nobody complains. i air dry them in a widcker basket or on a clean dish towel, then into the cartons and the fridge they go! i have only one customer who requests heres not refridgerated, and she give me plenty of notice when she needs some. also, i never put ours in the fridge, they stay in a basket on the counter. i once did a grading test with a Braums Grade AA Extra Large and two of mine. one was refigerated after laid and the other was not, and was five days old. their was no difference in mine, and they graded better than Braums except for at that time not being an extra large. the investigator/inspector from TDA keeps promising he'll bring me a grading tool... one of these days LOL
sorry, totally off the subject. now, if there were a bird who laid a brown egg AND an white egg every day, WOW, that would be cool. my understanding is, if the earlobes are white, they are liekly of Mediterranean descent, which lay white eggs, and if ear lobes are red, they are of American breeding, more modern, and lay brown eggs. kinda weird to think that brown layers are more "modern", huh?
when we get a new barn and livestock, we will start some chicks to pasture with the goats, cow, horse, etc... i rthink that is soo neat, to have farm animals together. there is a free government publication [somewhere online] concerning the benefits of livestock integration for betterpasture management...
tf
Hi I live in Fla and raise chickens I have the marans had a lot of different chickens. If you want winter egss you put lights in the coop on a timer to make them think days are longer. i ordered my eggs from ebay and hatched what I wanted or you can go to darkegg.com and order day old chicks. They are very good, or for eggs eggbid.com is a good one. Hope this helps you White leg horn is a good layer and very cheap to feed medium chicken with a big egg.
Hi Tamara, I actually have egg baskets that I bought from Nasco. They fit perfectly in my kitchen sink. I fill my sink up with hot water. It will cool down pretty quick and I don't have many broken eggs. I then put the basket into the water (no soap) and let them soak about 10 to 20 minutes. When I go to wash them, I wash every one by hand. I take a dishcloth type cloth and I use palmolive antibacterial soap. I just lather up my cloth and wash away, rinsing under warm, not hot water. Then I lay out on a towel on the countertop. I have a fan that I turn on next to them and it dries them pretty well. They dry fairly quick anyhow. My egg candler is always on my countertop and then I just process right there. I now sell mine as ungraded eggs, but package in sizes close in proximity. I used to have a list for the egg sizes and I will see if I can rustle it up and send to you. Basically I would fill up a dozen and weigh the dozen and that would determine whether they were small, medium, large, or jumbo. If you package them close to the same size it works out almost perfect every time.
I still stand by my Comets. They are the best egg layers we've ever had and they sell well. We get our chicks from Meyer Hatchery out of Ohio, but that may be too far for some of you. You really need to find a place that is closer to you, so you can get them the next day. I think that Welp Hatcheries out of Iowa is near you Tamara.
Good luck, Kathy
BTW, we have had so much rain lately that the hens have made their egg boxes a muddy mess. Soaking as I suggested above, doesn't leave many stains on the eggs. And..............we have been inspected several times at stores and markets and the egg inspector gets frustrated because he can never find anything wrong with our eggs. He even came to the farm one time, said he couldn't believe we never have an infraction. Our farm got an A as well and they don't let you know they are coming :)