wich chickens lay the most eggs in a day and are reccomended?

Try Bovans Nera she is an excellent hen she may only lay 280 eggs but is excellent for free range as she is very hardy. If you live in the Cheshire or North Wales area I can sort you out with some, other wise call meadowsweet poultry on 0191 384 2259 Gold line is a better layer but not as hardy. It depends if you want them for free range or barn you sound like you are looking for free range.

I have kept Black Roocks for several years and they are very good layers and are extremely hardy. We live in Lincolnshire and there can be some very cold winds. At the moment we have about 4" of snow and my girls are still out there. They are realatively easy to obtain - look in smallholder mag. There is also a chap in Scotland who sells them as day old of you want to raise them from this age. Good luck.

the bovans looks identical to the black rock and is even hardier and lays about 30 more eggs than the black rock

Hi

Read your email with interest I am looking for 3 POL Hens

1 or 2 Meadowsweet Rangers GOLD STAR

1 x Bovans Nera or similar Black rock

1 x white star

if you can assist me then please call 07958 038148 mobile no or 01253 725116 home

Also, if you were to choose out of 3 hen house which one would you recommend my choices are : -

The Happy Hen House

the haven hen house by Flyte so fancy?

Or the HENHOUSE (HENLEY)

allan hardy

tel 07958 038148  

 

As far as the Best Sitting Hens goes, (but not necessarily the best layers) I find Light Sussex likely to wander off after about two weeks. Marans seem to go to full term as do Orpingtons and Dumpies. However that is only my experience.

 

Probably anything with Rhode Island Red blood in it is a good bet. There are a lot of new hybrids about (or rather new new hybrid names) as they all look like Warrens to me!

Marans, Speckeldies and Welsummers are good for brown eggs although all our Welsummers go broody if the temperature gets above 15 degrees.

Take the eggs per year numbers quoted with a pinch of salt, these are for very good laying strains of the particular breed and the chances are that you will not get anything like these numbers of eggs. 

paddington bear:

Probably anything with Rhode Island Red blood in it is a good bet.

Paddington bear is right as far as laying goes but the modern high layers such as ISA Brown and Hisex but, despite there being Rhode Island antecedents in some of them, they are no good for sitting. The tendancy to brood and therefore, go off lay has been pretty well bred out of them.

 

 

I agree, Peter, that modern hybrids have had the tendency to go broody bred out of them, however I was just replying to the best egg laying hen part of the question. Our Welsummers would quite happily sit in a nest box for most of the summer until we started using a "sin bin" which seems to cure broodiness. 

   there are many good laying breeds... but it depends what other qualities you want...

Buff Orpingtons and Wyandottes are good layers, good mothers, the cockrels are surprisingly quiet and they are very hardy

other good laying breeds...

Ancona, Araucana, Lakenvelder, light sussex, Leghorns, Marans, Welsummer   

 

However you may want the birds for alot of other qualities that you havent thought about... Breeding, Quietness, tameness, appearance, wheteher there free range or barn birds and many other things.                                                                    

Ive just built a small chicken house in my garden and have fenced off a bit of rough ground for them to scratch around in, during the day, i want 4 hens to supply us with eggs, im in Burton on Trent, staffs, any recommendations as to breeds and or local suppliers?

Stupid question do i have to register anything anywhere as to me having hens? I know its a daft question but with this government you never know and i wouldnt want the jobsworths getting their feet dirty coming to inspect my flock!

If it's eggs you want then the cheapest source of hens will be the nearest battery farm. They move the birds out at c102 weeks and they will invariably be the brown layers based on Isa Browns or Hisex which are derived from 1920's Xs of Rhode Islands. You should get four or five at about £1 each. These layers, or Speckladies, or Black Rocks will give the most eggs per annum. Should you want meat or aestically looking hens the breeds (and costs) escalate.

If you are keeping them at home you may not want to check if there are local authority restrictions on keeping poultry in the garden. As to registering the flock with Trading Standards, Animal Health or Defra, the answer for four birds is no.

Should you sell eggs as a commercial activity, (with four birds you won't be doing that) then the world of bureaucracy opens up its splendours before you.

I cannot give you local suppliers but the farming and smallholding press carry advertisments from suppliers.

 

 

 

As always Mr Wells Thank you!  

I found that welsummers are the best for laying. I have had them for 5 years and have laid for 8 years. Savage

chicken george:

I have had them for 5 years and have laid for 8 years.

I guess from this that you didn't get them as Point of Lay (POL) otherwise, you would have found the miracle answer to the world's food problem.