If egg production is the main goal of having a homestead flock of chickens then the best choice of breed is the Leghorn. They have long been recognized as the most proficient egg producers. The Leghorn lays a pure white egg nearly every day of the laying cycle. The best brown egg layers are from breeds whose ancestry traces to Rhode Island Red chickens.
What to Expect
You can expect a chicken, that comes from egg laying stock, to produce eggs in about five months from her hatching. In the first year she will likely produce 20 to 22 dozen eggs. The normal lifespan of a chicken is ten to fifteen years but her egg production will taper off much sooner than that. Chickens bred for egg laying require fewer nutrients than meat chickens because their consumption of feed goes toward eggs and not toward body mass making them less expensive to maintain.
Dual Purpose Chickens
If you plan on using the chickens that no longer produce eggs, for meat you need to find a dual purpose breed. Layers are skinny in body and not destined for the table. The dual purpose chickens will have enough body fat to make a good roasting fowl when eggs are no longer laid. These breeds include the New Hampshires, Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks. They will not produce as many eggs as the layers but can be used for meat when their productivity dwindles. Dual purpose chickens will mature later than the layers and will produce around 18 to 20 dozen eggs in the same cycle as the layers. They will also cost more to feed because some of the nutrients they consume are going toward body fat.
Meat Chickens
Some chickens are bred for meat production and although they lay eggs their output is sporadic and the quantity of feed they eat makes them less cost effective. These chickens are actually combinations of breeds rather than being a breed of their own. For specific strains of meat producing chickens a useful website is maintained by the Mississippi State University Extension Office.
Brief History of Farm Chickens
Dual purpose chickens, for eggs and meat for the table, were primarily kept by the farmer until the 1930s when specialization of breed became popular. With the advent of the broiler industry in the United States farmers soon learned that they could make more money by raising chickens exclusively for the meat market. Breeding and marketing eggs, from the lighter breed chickens, also became a viable business and many farmers turned to that avenue of commerce. But, for the purpose of the small hobby farmer, who simply wants to feed his family, the layers and the dual purpose chickens are the best choice.
Source: Raising Poultry Successfully, Will Graves, Williamson Publishing Company, 1985
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