There are so many different chicken breeds to choose from. It can become overwhelming quickly. Working on a farm in Colorado I was responsible for 600+ chickens at any given time. We ordered roughly 200-300 new chickens each year to replace older chickens. We needed hardy birds that would survive Colorado winters and free-ranging around the fields. They also needed to be high-production egg layers in order to provide eggs for our CSA members and community.
When looking at chickens for homesteads, egg-laying is only one factor in selection. You want to look at how well they forage, their temperament, how much feed is needed for egg production, and overall hardiness.
It is important to know all these aspects before purchasing your chickens or you may end up paying more than you expect and get less yield than you want/need. Check out my Backyard Chicken Getting Started Guide for information on everything you need to have chickens!
Heritage breed chickens are traditional, time-tested poultry breeds that have been raised by farmers for generations. These breeds are valued for their unique qualities, often including hardiness, adaptability, and the ability to forage for their food. Unlike modern commercial breeds, heritage chickens are selected for their ability to thrive in diverse environments, produce flavorful meat and eggs, and preserve genetic diversity within the poultry population. They stay true to the original type, making breeding possible. They are also less susceptible to health issues that hybrid chickens may have. There is a reason they are “heritage” and have been around for several generations.
Even though it may seem like heritage breeds lay fewer eggs than hybrids that is not really the case. If you look at it from a yearly standpoint, yes hybrids do lay more eggs in a 1 year period. But after the first year, most hybrids are culled due to burnout or health problems. Year after year heritage breeds will continue to produce. The oldest chickens I have personally seen still producing eggs were 4 years old and heritage breeds.
Here is my list of the Top 10 Best Egg Laying Chickens based on all the factors listed above. I put it in the order of my personal favorites but you really can’t go wrong with any of the 5. The top three each lay a different color, white, brown, or blue. So if you are looking at only a few chickens, I recommend getting one of each
- Plymouth Barred Rock
- Ameraucana
- Leghorns
- Speckled Sussex
- Australorps
This is my number one breed. They are great layers with an average of 210 large brown eggs per year. Super hardy, they do well in cold winters. Dual purpose, you can use them for meat and egg production and they live 6-8 years. They are also the friendliest birds you can have. At the farm I worked at, the owner’s daughter had a pet-barred rock she named Daisy. Daisy would come up to her, sit on her lap, and follow her around everywhere.
Ameraucanas are known for their beautiful blue eggs. They were bred to retain the blue egg-laying genes and eliminate health issues with the Ameraucana breed. They lay about 250 eggs per year and have a few different varieties. I have a Blue Ameraucana and I will be completely honest, she is really prissy. The wheaten variety is a little broody but friendly. My Blue Ameraucana will let you pick her up and follow you around. She will also be very vocal when she feels the chicken coop/ nesting boxes need to be cleaned out. She will stand outside the coop and squawk until you give her the attention she wants. I don’t know if that is all the Blue Ameraucanas or if mine is just super spoiled but keep that in mind.
Leghorns are a high production white egg layer averaging about 280 eggs per year. All the eggs I have gotten from them have been extra large but they traditionally lay large eggs. They come in a couple of different varieties with the white leghorn being the most common. They are a bit nervous and I have seen them fly over 10-foot fencing. When they get used to you they are super friendly. I had a leghorn at the farm that I named Clark because she was always getting out and exploring. When I would yell her name she would come.
Speckled Sussex to me are one of the prettiest birds you’ll ever see. They are white and brown with some having turquoise feathers. They lay about 250 large cream/tan/brown eggs per year and are super friendly. They are also really good foragers and make good mothers while also being pretty hardy.
If you are looking for high production brown egg layers, Australorps are it. They average about 260 eggs per year but are famous for laying 300+ eggs per year. They are a good dual-purpose breed that is pretty docile and hardy. They also have beautiful coloring. They are black with a turquoise tint that looks stunning in the sun.
I hope this helps you see why these laying hens are my top 5 chicken breeds. I recommend Meyer Hatchery or Murray McMurray Hatchery for your Chicks. We did bulk ordering from both when I was at the farm. My personal chickens come from Meyer because they are less than 2 hours away from me in Ohio and I could pick them up in person. They are both really great with their birds and if something happens to them in transit, an unfortunate thing that can happen, they will replace the birds right away. You just need to let them know within 48 hours. I also recommend trying to get your birds to be ready/delivered in the late fall. This will have them ready to lay eggs by early spring and they will be in peak production mid-summer.
