Laying Hen Breed Selection and Tracking

Each year we add new hens to our flock to ensure a diversity of ages and traits. To ensure a consistent supply of eggs, we retire hens after three summers of laying. We can properly identify the ages of every hens in our flock by cycling through different chicken breeds each year. By phasing in different breeds in back-to-back years, we can easily know the ages of each bird. An alternative method of age tracking is using leg bands, however due to bands breaking, this method is not 100% reliable.

At RBR we value diversity in our laying hens. On the production side, different breeds exemplify different traits and have different drawbacks. We include a combination of Heritage and Hybrid Layers. We look for a mix of hardiness, friendly dispositions, liveliness, rate of egg production, good foraging, disease resistance, and other personality factors. No breed has every trait, but a diverse flock allows us to have a balanced flock that fits well in our pastured systems.

There are marketing benefits too. A mixed flock adds intrigue for our visitors and a mixed color egg carton is an exciting marketing tool. Each season we aim to have brown layers, white layers, blue and green layers. Depending on ages and breed specific laying vigor, the color ratios in each carton are never completely consistent but we aim for about 30-50% blue,green or white and 50-70% brown eggs.

Breeds we have used in the past include:
Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Barred Plymouth Rock, Ameraucana, Ancona, Black Australorps Whiting Blues, Whiting Greens, Pearl White Leghorns, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Back Stars, Black Minorcas, Silver Leghorns.