What are the best laying hens for your garden?

For starters, you can choose between hybrid chickens and purebred chickens. Hybrid chickens are not strictly speaking purebred chickens. Hybrids are crosses between different chicken breeds. They were crossed with the intention of enhancing a particular trait, such as consistent egg laying.

Examples of the best hybrid laying hens are Black Star, Golden Comet, ISA White and ISA Brown, Hisex White and Hisex Brown, and Bovans Nera. You can expect these sturdy, calm chickens to lay about 250 to 300 eggs per year.

The disadvantage of hybrid chickens as opposed to other chicken breeds is that they are bred specifically for commercial egg laying. After a year, their egg production therefore decreases. Of course you can keep these chicken species longer as a fancier, even if they don't lay many eggs anymore.

Purebred chickens usually live a lot longer, but these chicken types are not as hardy as hybrids and require more attention and care. Some of the best laying hens in this category include the Leghorn, Australorp, and Rhode Island Red chicken breeds.

Laying eggs requires a lot of energy regardless of the chicken species. If you want an egg every day, or almost every day, then adapted nutrition is absolutely necessary. Country’s Best Gold 4 Mix provides all the nutrients in the right amounts and proportions to produce nutritious, firm eggs, whether you go for hybrid chickens or other chicken breeds.

Would you like to know more about laying hens and how to best care for them? Find more advice on different chicken breeds at Welcome Home Nature.