bantams or larger birds

[nemo]

i need to replace out hens we have 3 road island red hens they are not producing eggs as they are about to 4 -6 years old they have been slowing down for months but now we haven't had eggs in months.i could replace with more road islands reds we can get this breed easily as point of laying birds and for the past 12 years we have done so.but we are thinking of getting 5-6 bantams instead possibly 2 breeds all hens no males.which breed of bantams will i get the most eggs from .we used to have mixed breed bantams when we first started keeping hens but they weren't very productive

[richard p]

cant help with bantams ,but we got 8 battery birds from the rspca in early oct, now down to seven, they started laying on arrival, we are getting an average of 4 eggs a day.

[gloworm]

Pure breeds are v nice, but not efficient as egg producers, the same reasons against bantams. The best birds I have tried recently are Black Rocks. I'm against ex battery birds, v nice to think of rescueing them, but from a purely commercial view again, not efficient , why are they being got rid of ? Also a risk of bringing disease to your premises

[PLUMPUDDING]

I agree with Gloworm, purebreeds don't lay nearly as well as the hybrids, but they quite often go on laying for longer. I've got an 8 year old Araucana and she has laid about 30 eggs this summer.

Black rocks are my favourite hybrid breed, they lay lots of nice brown eggs and are nice sturdy birds, my Warren is still laying well too. Don't forget this is the worst time of the year, with very short days and just after the moult, so most hens won't bother laying until after Christmas when the days begin to lengthen, although I wouldn't expect many eggs from six year old hens.

It is quite a good plan to get a couple of point of lay hens in September or October and then you are more or less guaranteed to get some laying during the winter months until the rest start up again. Do you eat the old ones, or just let them have a happy retirement?

I've got a mixture of purebreeds and hybrids, but don't have any bantams anymore as they really don't lay well.

[Diane]

My pekin bantams are good layers - really pretty birds and very sociable.

[John]

Hello
I'm a bit late on this one.
I agree with others about pure breeds. I've had a few over the years from different breeders. They've been good birds but are obvious bred to match the expected appearance of the breed rather than to lay many eggs.
If you want something like a pure breed but with the hybrid's capacity to lay eggs have a look at the birds from Meadowsweet range. Their White Star is based on the Leghorn and lays superb large white eggs. The Sussex Star is based on the Light Sussex breed and the Speckled Star (Speckledy) is very similar in appearance to the Maran and is said to lay good dark brown eggs.
Are there any Meadowsweet agents in Ireland?

John

PS Agree about the Black Rocks - excellent all round hybrid for free range.