Best laying chickens
Breeds whose figures reach 200 eggs or more a year, at the top of their range. Hybrid figures are for the first year, fall in later years and vary by supplier. Strain and feeding matter a lot in pure breeds.
Showing 40 of 40 breeds
| Breed | Eggs a year | Egg colour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancona chicken180–220 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–220 | White | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Andalusian chicken160–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Appenzeller Barthüner chicken190–220 eggs a year · white eggs · Bantam | 190–220 | White | Bantam |
| Appenzeller Spitzhauben chicken230–280 eggs a year · white eggs | 230–280 | White | – |
| Araucana chicken170–200 eggs a year · blue/green eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–200 | Blue/green | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Australorp chicken200–250 eggs a year · light brown/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 200–250 | Light brown/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Barnevelder chicken180–230 eggs a year · dark brown eggs · Bantam | 180–230 | Dark brown | Bantam |
| Belgian chicken200–250 eggs a year · white/cream eggs · Bantam | 200–250 | White/cream | Bantam |
| Bluebelle chicken260–300 (first year) eggs a year · brown eggs | 260–300 (first year) | Brown | – |
| Brakel chicken180–200 eggs a year · white eggs · Bantam | 180–200 | White | Bantam |
| Cochin chicken150–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority | 150–200 | Tinted | RBST priority |
| Columbian Blacktail chicken280–300 (first year) eggs a year · light brown eggs | 280–300 (first year) | Light brown | – |
| Cream Legbar chicken180–200 eggs a year · blue/green eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–200 | Blue/green | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Croad Langshan chicken180–240 eggs a year · brown (plum-tinted) eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–240 | Brown (plum-tinted) | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Derbyshire Redcap chicken150–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 150–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Dominique chicken160–200 eggs a year · brown eggs · Bantam · Beginners | 160–200 | Brown | Bantam · Beginners |
| Faverolles chicken160–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Fayoumi chicken180–220 eggs a year · white/tinted eggs | 180–220 | White/tinted | – |
| German Langshan chicken150–200 eggs a year · brown eggs · Bantam | 150–200 | Brown | Bantam |
| Gingernut Ranger chicken300–320+ (first year) eggs a year · brown eggs · Beginners | 300–320+ (first year) | Brown | Beginners |
| Hamburgh chicken170–200 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–200 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Houdan chicken180–240 eggs a year · white eggs · Bantam | 180–240 | White | Bantam |
| ISA Brown chicken300+ (first year) eggs a year · light brown eggs | 300+ (first year) | Light brown | – |
| Ixworth chicken160–200 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 160–200 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Leghorn chicken180–250 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–250 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Lohmann Brown chicken300+ (first year) eggs a year · light brown eggs | 300+ (first year) | Light brown | – |
| Marans chicken160–210 eggs a year · dark brown eggs · Bantam | 160–210 | Dark brown | Bantam |
| Marsh Daisy chicken160–210 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority | 160–210 | Tinted | RBST priority |
| Minorca chicken170–220 eggs a year · white eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 170–220 | White | RBST priority · Bantam |
| New Hampshire Red chicken160–240 eggs a year · brown eggs · Bantam | 160–240 | Brown | Bantam |
| Norfolk Grey chicken150–220 eggs a year · tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 150–220 | Tinted | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Plymouth Rock chicken190–240 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · Bantam | 190–240 | Tinted/light brown | Bantam |
| Rhode Island Red chicken250+ eggs a year · brown eggs · Bantam | 250+ | Brown | Bantam |
| Rhodebar chicken180–200 eggs a year · brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–200 | Brown | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Scots Grey chicken180–200 eggs a year · white/tinted eggs · RBST priority · Bantam | 180–200 | White/tinted | RBST priority · Bantam |
| Speckledy chicken250–300 (first year) eggs a year · brown, often speckled eggs | 250–300 (first year) | Brown, often speckled | – |
| Sussex chicken180–210 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners | 180–210 | Tinted/light brown | RBST priority · Bantam · Beginners |
| Welsummer chicken200–250 eggs a year · dark brown (speckled) eggs · Bantam | 200–250 | Dark brown (speckled) | Bantam |
| White Star chicken300–350 (first year) eggs a year · white eggs | 300–350 (first year) | White | – |
| Wyandotte chicken100–200 eggs a year · tinted/light brown eggs · Bantam · Beginners | 100–200 | Tinted/light brown | Bantam · Beginners |