Hi Treats for Chickens community; it's Dawn here!
Our Treats for Chickens Dawn has written a great article about the Top 5 Best Brown Egg Laying Chicken Breeds, now it’s time to cover their white egg laying counterparts. We couldn’t leave you white egg lovers hanging! If nobody else does, you can rest assured that Dawn has got your back!
Knowing what the best white egg laying chickens (best white egg layers) are means more money in your pocket if you’re selling eggs for profit, and more brownie points if you are sharing eggs with friends and family for food! Who couldn’t use more money and appreciation in their life? Hack, maybe even that glorious Instagram photo for National Eggs Day [psst, that’s June 3- an eggcellent day to practice egg photos and puns].
Time to get down to business, chicken parents. Break [beak] out your pencil and paper because Treats For Chickens are about to discuss the top 5 best white egg laying chickens!
Let’s begin with some Leghorn Chicken history. I thought my favorite Italian contribution to the world was pizza, or maybe pesto, that is until I found out that Leghorn chickens originated from rural Tuscany, Italy. Curious where the name “Leghorn” came from? Well, it’s just the English translation [albeit poor translation] of the word “Livorno”, which is the Tuscan sea port from which Leghorn chickens were first exported to North America in 1828.
There are almost too many Leghorn chicken colors to list. But that’s not going to stop me from trying! There’s the Black Leghorn, Blue Leghorn, Brown Leghorn, Buff Leghorn, Cuckoo Leghorn, Golden Duckwing Leghorn, Silver Duckwing Leghorn, Exchequer Leghorn, Black Mottled Leghorn, Red Mottled Leghorn, Partridge Leghorn, Pile Leghorn, and White Leghorn. The White Leghorn is the most popular and readily available of all the colors.
Leghorn Chicken Eggs Production: The White Leghorn, which is the most common, lay large, white eggs practically every day! Other color varieties aren't as prolific but still good layers. You can expect between 200 to 280 of these white eggs per year from your typical leghorn chicken.
Leghorn Chicken Behavior: Leghorn chicken egg production is impressive as far as quantity is concerned, but oddly enough, despite all the eggs they lay Leghorn chickens aren't too fond of incubating their eggy-offspring! Very few Leghorn chickens exhibit a tendency to brood. Your typical leghorn hen is a non-sitter, so you better make sure you’ve got an incubator or broody hen breed to take care of your egg incubating needs!
Whites are said to be nervous, but some say their White Leghorns have been the sweetest, most tame of all their chickens! Sometimes I do think Leghorn chickens are on a sugar rush because of how active and excitable they can be. They are just so high energy and darn curious about everything, I love it! You’ve just got to make sure these chickens’ zest for life doesn’t lead to their downfall, with a nice sized fence around your property to keep them out of trouble!
Leghorn Heat & Cold Tolerance
Heat: They tolerate heat well
Cold: They are hardy in winter, however, use petroleum jelly on their large comb to prevent frostbite
The Polish Chickens are a very special and unique breed of chicken with their huge bouffant crest of feathers and v-shaped comb. They are tame but their behavior can be a bit wacky since their crest limits their vision. When in a flock with more aggressive breeds, Polish will tend to be on the low end of the pecking order. Egg laying is varied in this breed. In short, Polish are sweet, beautiful birds and can be good layers in the backyard flock.
The color variations include Bearded: Black Crested White, White Crested Black. Bearded & Non-Bearded: Golden, Silver, White, Buff Laced.
Polish Chicken Eggs Production: Your Polish girls will lay small eggs [almost Bantam size] and you can expect 100-150 eggs per year.
Polish Chicken Behavior: Polish chickens handle confinement well. They are very docile, friendly, and quiet birds who don't typically go broody.
Polish Heat & Cold Tolerance
Heat: Does well in heat
Cold: Not cold hardy
The Ancona Chickens are another Italian export on our list of best white egg laying. Anconas originate from the city of Ancona, in a central region of Italy. The Ancona has a "mottled" color pattern of black with white spots, and both Single Comb & Rose Comb varieties are accepted by the American Poultry Association. Like other Mediterranean breeds, Anconas are closely feathered, active, good foragers, and good layers.
Ancona Chicken Eggs Production: Ancona chickens lay small white eggs. You can expect between 200 to 220 of these white eggs per year from your typical Ancona chicken.
Ancona Chicken Behavior: You may have some trouble on your hands if you have Ancona chickens in your flock. They are good at flying and are skittish. There isn’t any shortage of Ancona chicken owners with stories of their Ancona chickens flying out of chicken pens. Hope you know how to clip chicken wing feathers to prevent flight if you are thinking about adding an Ancona chicken to your flock.
Ancona Heat & Cold Tolerance
Heat: Not especially heat hardy
Cold: Extremely hardy in cold weather
The Egyptian Fayoumi Chickens hold their tails upright, nearly vertical. That paired with their long necks gives them a unique appearance. This ancient breed has its origin in the Nile Valley. They are also one of the earliest maturing chicken breeds: hens can begin laying eggs as early as 4.5 or 5 months! This breed is known to be naturally resistant to Marek's Disease and to many other illnesses.
Egyptian Fayoumi Chicken Eggs Production: Egyptian Fayoumi lay small white to cream eggs and you can expect to get about 100-150 eggs a year.
Egyptian Fayoumi Behavior: They are normally fairly nervous in temperament and can be feather pickers if they don't have enough room. They can be territorial about their favorite nesting spots, and roosters are noisy. They are also fliers, so not always the best choice for a backyard flock since they can and will clear most fences. But with plenty of room, or in a large enclosed run, they can be a good choice for a small farm, since they are good foragers, economical eaters, independent, tough, aware of their surroundings, and good at avoiding predators.
Egyptian Fayoumi Heat & Cold Tolerance
Heat: Tolerates heat well
Cold: Not cold hardy
This is one beautiful chicken breed. I mean why else are Hamburg Chickens such a popular breed for poultry shows? Fun fact, Hamburg chickens were the first poultry show chicken breed. Experts say sometime around the 1800s there were a group of unnamed people having an argument in an English pub about whose rooster was the most magnificent. How else do you settle an argument like this except to have a chicken show with the bartender as the judge? Surprise, surprise, one of the birds in the competition was a Hamburg rooster!
Hamburg Chicken Eggs Production: Hamburg chickens lay small glossy white eggs with pointy ends. Your typical Hamburg chicken will provide you with 150-200 small white eggs annually.
Hamburg Chicken Behavior: Being as pretty as Hamburg chickens are, I guess they can be a little bit self-centered - they don’t like incubating their egg babies at all! Hamburg hens don’t like egg sitting so you better get yourself an incubator or a hen that likes to brood! Hamburg chickens are great at flying, so you might want to be sure you have the proper fencing if you plan on adding one of these chickens to your flock!
Hamburg Heat & Cold Tolerance
Heat: Tolerates heat well
Cold: Hardy in winter
Chicken parents, now you know the 5 Best White Egg Laying Chicken Breeds. Start planning how to maybe incorporate a new chicken breed [or two] in your flock.
-Dawn, Treats for Chickens 🧡
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Help fellow chicken parents and leave a comment below!
Hi are there any white egg layers other than silkies that are known to be broody?
Where to buy the white leghorn chickens
I need hybrid white egg laying hens
Hi,
Do the Brown Leg Horns have the same qualities as the White Leg Horns?
I live in the Southwest part of the USA. I am currently raising some layer and I am considering raising Brown Leg Horns instead of White Leg Horns. Do you have any suggestions (pros and cons).
Thank you,
Teddy