Point of lay (the age at which a chicken begins to provide your family with eggs) varies a
little from breed to breed and of course on the individual chicken.
Most breeds start laying around 6 to 8 months of age. At first, you will get pullet eggs,
which are a little smaller than you can expect when the hens hit their laying stride.
If you are heading into winter and you have short days at that time of year, your hens
may well “go off the lay” to some degree.
This is because they need at least 8 hours of daylight to keep production going.
Some breeders will expose their birds to artificial light conditions up to a 14 hour day to
encourage their chickens to keep on laying all year round, though this seems rather
extreme for a hobby farm venture.
When they are just over a year old, your hens may go through a molting process and stop
laying during that time. This is a temporary phase and they’ll start back up laying again
after around a month to 6 weeks.
Whether you choose to increase the amount of light to your chickens or to go “totally
natural”, the most important thing for quality and quantity of egg production is to feed
them well.
A good, balanced layer feed with at least 12% protein is ideal. Your chickens will be
happy and healthy and give you endless pleasure – and plenty of yummy eggs 
Most people look for chickens that are placid around young children and that are also
good layers, giving plenty of eggs.
Some folk are interested in meat quality as well.
If you want a friendly, interesting and hardy chicken, try the Speckled Sussex or the
Ameraucana.
The Speckled Sussex is a really friendly bird, as is the Ameraucana. While the Speckled
Sussex is a strikingly pretty chicken which lays a pinkish brown egg, the Ameraucana looks
how a good, solid, old fashioned chicken should look and the bonus here is she lays an
exceptionally pretty blue egg!
If your main concern is getting the greatest number of eggs from your hens, these are
some of the top laying breeds:
• Warrens (250-300 eggs per year)
• Rhode Island Reds (200 eggs per year)
• Black Rocks (250 eggs per year)
• Marans (200 eggs per year)
• Bluebelles (200 eggs per year)
• Orpingtons (200 eggs per year)
If you are after meat as well as eggs, these breeds are known for their meat quality:
• Sussex
• Wyandotte
• Dorking
• Plymouth Rock
If you are short of room or prefer a smaller chicken, many breeds have a bantam form,
which is a miniature of the normal sized chicken.
Of course these bantams give smaller eggs, but they are also a more manageable size for
small children to take care of and to play with.
Whatever breed you choose, you should carefully look over your prospective new chickens
to ensure they are healthy and disease free.
Chickens should be bright eyed and alert. They should carry their tail high and have a
clean bottom.
Don’t consider taking on a bird that has discharge from it’s beak.
Have a good look at the legs and feet.
Leg scales should be smooth and the legs need to be strong. Watch the birds move
around for awhile if they are not in holding cages.
You can get a good indication of their state of health from the way they behave.
Remember, you are under no obligation to buy the first birds you see. Take the time to
think about and discuss the animals you look at before you rush in to a purchase which
may not be ideal.
Enjoying your chickens depends on making the right start with the best birds for your
situation and family.
Take your time to get it right.