Topic: What breeds are best for egg production

[kt.]

I am looking to get 8-12 hens specifically for egg production.  My first flock were bantams that were good but laid small eggs.  My 2nd flock were white leghorns and blackrocks that were lost to illness.  At £10 each, I was dissapointed.  With the cost of replacing POL hens every 2 years spiralling,  I am also considering rearing chicks.  So my question is in two parts:

1)  Which hens are best for prolific egg laying?
2)  Which of the above would I be able to get a cockerel as not all breeders sell cockerels of certain breeds?  (My lottie neighbour got 20 ISA Browns 3 months ago at only £4 each.  They are excellent layers but no breeders sell cockerels from these.  Not sure how long they will produce eggs for)

Many thanks.  (In anticipation).

[growmore]

Your best laying birds are gonna be hybrids something like Warrens .You should get 2 maybe 3 years of good egg production out of em ..
If you want to breed your own hens I would suggest you get a Light Sussex cockerel and Rhode Island Red hens both of these breeds are fair layers and when the chicks hatch the Yellow ones should be pullets and the brown ones cockerels.. Both these breed have a good temperament and usually make good broodies.. I would suggest you get around 10 hens to 1 cockerel.
I would only  buy point of lay birds for your eggs .They are gonna be dearer but you know what age they are and you are getting all  the eggs they are gonna lay .. If you buy yearlings at a cheaper price ,You don't know what your getting and a bad layer eats as much as a good one ..

[teresa]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-FERTILE-HEN-CHICKEN-HATCHING-EGGS-300-EGGS-A-YR_W0QQitemZ250284488623QQihZ015QQcategoryZ46292QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
that would be a good laying strain, I have 2 wellsummerXwarren hens very good layers. RIR are a hardy hen ,
the cockrells of the likes of warren ISA and some others are culled at a day old when sexed they cannot sell cockrells only pullets. Unless you find some small breeder who will save you a young bird.
Do you have any cattle markets around that sell poultry might be worth taking a look see whats local or check ebay may be a seller near you?
the high laying hens lay for 2-3 years as long as they get through the moult and winter with no illness. Egg production slows down as the time goes on.
I find Xbreeds do better for me but I do hatch my own and they dont get injected I only do a few so not cost effected.
You can hatch your own and in 6-7 months they will be laying.
I use a incubator 18 egg manual turn but have had it a few years and it has paid for its self hatching eggs.
But my chicks at 12 weeks  had eaten £5 worth of food so cost effective ?
I class it as a hobby so I dont worry I am small time and buy form a pet supplier.

[B7jac]

I go my hens POL and are a Hybrid RIR I believe, they cost me only £4 each as I knew a small farmer who was getting himself 60 so he sold me some.

I had eggs very early at about 18-19 wks old (they still looked young birds) and have had plenty ever since.  Now I get 1 egg per hen per day, so 4 a day I have had loads of double yolkers too ! I used to get at least one a week but not so often now (hens are about 30 wks old now, so still in first year) but I dont know whether this is due to red mites which I am fighting at the moment.