What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[TAJ]

I was thinking a need a green/blue egg layer, plus a whit and a dark brown, but need a bit of advice. For the Brown & white I think I have got it:

 

Chestnut brown eggs = Pure breed Marans approx 180 eggs per year v. hybrid speckledy 270 eggs

 

White eggs = Pure breed leghorns 220 a year v. hybrid white star 320 eggs.

 

But when it comes to the blue/green ones it isn't so clear - so far I have this information:

 

Pure breeds = Araucana 170 eggs and cream legbar (autosexing) 200 eggs per year - both with some cresting (araucona looks more like a beard to me), both are shown as hardy and would be fine in a run. Both a rare breed, so worth protecting

 

Hybrids - they seem like different brand names for the same thing - Heritige skyline, columbine, Merrydale crested all quoted as 70-80% chance of geeting a blue/green egg BUT only one place quotes the number of eggs and that says 250.

 

What are the benifits of these hybrid blue/green egg layers over the pure breeds?

 

If there are any other hens you think I should be considering please let me know - plus your experience with any of these breeds much appreaciated.

 

Tracy

[Egluntyne]

Fenton Blues lay greeny blue eggs.

[helenc]

I have a Merydale Crested and she lays blue eggs, she was laying every day in the summer and now lays 6 a week, my in-laws also have one and she lays green eggs and 6/7 days.

 

I also have a Merrydale Cpper Black and she lays lovely dark brown eggs also 6 days a week, and she very friendly.

 

Hope that helps

 

Helen

[Madbird]

I think with the hybrids you are more likely to get eggs all year round.. whereas the pure breeds will stop laying over winter? Hybrids are also less likely to go broody...

 

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will correct me if I've got that wrong!

[Snowy]

My hybrid (merrydale crested) has laid for a lot longer than the pure breed araucana and hybrid araucana that I had. Eggs are bigger as well. The araucana only got up to 55g, whereas the crested is now laying 65g eggs. The other araucana hybrid I have does lay brilliantly, but they are pink eggs!

[TAJ]

I think with the hybrids you are more likely to get eggs all year round.. whereas the pure breeds will stop laying over winter? Hybrids are also less likely to go broody...

 

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will correct me if I've got that wrong!

 

I think what I am struggling with if I want a hen to lay dark brown eggs or white eggs I can see it being a clear pure breed v. hybrid choice. But with the blue/green egg layers it seems less obvious which to go for as the difference number of eggs is not as great, plus the hybrids are only 70-80% likely to lay the correct coloured egg (pure breed 100%?), plus not all the hybrids have 'the look' i.e. they are not all crested - Meerydale even say 'some' of the hens will be crested, though it is in the name.

 

Such choice

...and now I have been moved to 'eggs' when I want advice about breeds of hens it is all so confusing.

 

Tracy

[ubereglu]

I have a lovely cream legbar, who when she lays, lays blue eggs. Spice, my barnevelder, when she lays, lays lovely dark brown eggs too.

[Cinnamon]

I have a Cream Legbar too, & a pair of Columbines which are a blue laying hybrid.

 

The Cream legbars eggs are sky blue, & the Columbines lay green & blue too, so I am very lucky.

If you do go for a hybrid then I would get a couple to increase your chances of a nice coloured egg.

 

My White Star lays purest white eggs that look like china, she is a hybrid too.

My Welsummer lays deepest brown - she is a pure breed.

 

I have 8 hens in total & find that a mixture of pure breed & hybrid works well for me. Hybrids are great as they lay year round & pures are unusual & just a little bit more special, as well as being longer lived. In winter I get 2-4 eggs a day, in summer its 6-8

 

There is a picture of some of my coloured eggs in the other thread here 'Willows first egg'

 

 

By the way, you are right that the hybrid blue layers have different names depending from where you buy the, They can also be called a Jasmine, along with all the names you first mentioned.

 

Tracy, if I had your flock & wanted coloured eggs too, I would add a Cream legbar, a White Star (lovely hens) & a Welsummer, if I could make the space

 

I hope this helps.

[Omletina Kyckling]

My merrydale crested girls lay about 6 days a week, one green eggs and one blue.

 

Once Karin, my welsummer starts laying (she's crouching so any time now), I will have blue, green, white, brown and dark brown eggs. They look so pretty in my egg basket!