TOP 9 Best Breeds Of Chickens For Eggs For Your Backyard

Are you looking for the best chickens for eggs? Well, this is a complete list of the best chickens for egg laying. If you choose a chicken breed from this list, then you can be sure that you are going to be well-stocked when it comes to eggs for the rest of your life (assuming you keep your chickens, of course!)

It is important to note that the number of eggs on this page will be guidelines. There are a lot of factors that can influence how many eggs a chicken can lay.

So, make sure that you pick up a few of a particular breed and give them a solid diet. With a flock of 6 or more, you should be having a decent number of eggs laid each day.

Best Chickens For Egg Laying

Australorp – 250 Eggs per year

Best Breeds Of Chickens For Eggs

The large Australorp chicken was developed to be a multi-use chicken. However, it just so happened that it could pump out a considerable number of eggs. More than most other breeds out there.

In fact, this chicken was so prolific when it comes to egg-laying, for a good while it is one of the most popular egg-laying breeds in many parts of the world.

While it isn’t used quite so much in the commercial industry nowadays, it is still a fantastic option for those who are looking to raise chickens for eggs in their backyard, particularly if they want a good meat chicken to boot.

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Dominique – 230 to 275 Eggs per year

Best Breeds Of Chickens For Eggs

Next up on our list of the best chickens for eggs is the Dominique chicken. This is actually the oldest breed of chicken in America, being the first that the pilgrims were able to breed.

It is a testament to the quality of this breed to show that it doesn’t need to change all that much in the centuries it has been kicking around.

Now, this chicken is a fantastic egg-layer. You will only have about 100-days a year where it isn’t producing an egg.

However, the Dominique chicken is fantastic as a utility breed too. It is large and produces a lot of meat. In the past, the softness of the feathers made great pillow stuffings too.

Hamburg – 200 to 225 eggs per year

laying chicken breeds
Hamburg Chicken (Photo By Joe Mabel)

If you do not need the larger eggs that the other chickens boast, then the Hamburg chicken breed is the way to go. This small to medium-sized chicken (which originates in the Netherlands) is able to put out a sizable number of eggs per year.

Although, it is going to be a bit more limited than the previous two breeds. So, if you do love your eggs, then you may need a decent number of Hamburg chickens to keep the eggs flowing in.

Leghorn Chicken – 250 to 300 eggs per year

 best chickens for egg laying

This Italian chicken was primarily developed for eggs, so if you are looking for a multi-use chicken, you are not going to get that here. Instead, you will end up with a chicken that ends up pumping out eggs throughout the entire year.

This makes the Leghorn one of the best chickens for eggs.

The one thing that you do need to be aware of the Leghorn chicken, though, is that this is a chicken that can get a bit nervous and flighty.

So, it isn’t really a chicken that you are going to want to be interacting with all that much. It is, simply, a breed of chicken for eggs.

Ameraucana – 200 to 300 eggs per year

 best chickens for egg laying

One of the two recognized breeds that lay blue-shell eggs the Ameraucana chicken breed is famed for the large blue eggs that it lays. In fact, this is probably one of the best chickens for eggs of the blue variety. This chicken was solely created for its egg-laying capabilities.

However, the Ameraucana chicken is also fantastic for those who are breeding chickens.

This is because it is a ridiculously broody breed, and you could probably use it to hatch eggs that do not belong to it if you really wanted.

Fayoumi – 250 to 300 eggs per year

Fayoumi Chicken (Photo By Joe Mabel)

The next on our list of the best chickens for eggs is Fayoumi chicken. Originating in Egypt, and still very much farmed there, the Fayoumi chicken breed is one of the oldest in the world.

This chicken looks absolutely stunning too. As a result, a lot of people will use them as ornamental chickens.

However, even though most people do not buy the Fayoumi for their egg-laying, you will be pleased to know that the Fayoumi can lay a considerable number of eggs throughout the year.

Don’t forget; just because it originates in a relatively hot country, it doesn’t mean it can’t thrive in colder climates. It may just be a little bit more difficult to get hold of.

Araucana – 250 eggs per year

best  Chickens For Eggs

Nowadays, people do not opt for the Araucana. It is essentially the Ameraucana, just with more health issues. That being said, if you know how to care for your chicken breeds, then there is no reason why you should not have an Araucana chicken in your flock.

It is one of the best chickens for eggs out there and they lay a good number of eggs. There isn’t really anything that hampers their egg-laying on the health front. They make a great meat chicken later on down the line too.

Norwegian Jaerhon – 250 to 300 eggs per year

As the name suggests; the Norwegian Jaerhon is from Norway. In fact, it is pretty much the only domestic breed of chicken from there. At least, ones of note. The Norwegian Jaerhon, as you probably guessed, thrives in colder climates.

The hens are good layers of white shell eggs and it is astonishing just how many eggs this stunning chicken can pump out even during the coldest of winters.

One interesting fact about this breed is that they are capable fliers and require a high fence or a covered run to keep them from flying outside the yard to lay.

Another interesting fact about the Norwegian Jaerhon is that it is autosexing, just like the California Gray chicken. Meaning that you are not required to be an expert in chick sexing in order to determine when a chick is a hen or a rooster.

Minorca – 250 to 300 eggs per year

The Minorca originates in Spain. As you can probably tell from the look of the chicken, it is mainly meant to be an ornamental breed. As a result, it is either going to be tough to get your hands on or, more likely, if you can find it, it is going to come in at an expensive cost.

They are not bred extensively in the United States. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on these chickens, however, not only are you going to have something that looks absolutely stunning, but you also end up with one of the best chickens for egg laying.

It is worth noting that this is a self-sufficient breed, since the chicken is known to be aggressive forager, they tend to be more low maintenance than other breeds.

Best Chickens For Eggs – Summary

Generally speaking, if you keep 6 mature hens, from any of the above breeds, they should give you at least 4 eggs per day, with a maximum of 6.

So, there you have it, now you know what are the best breeds of chickens for eggs that you can keep in your backyard. With a proper care and a balanced diet, any of the above chickens will lay a lot of eggs for you and your family.

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