The Best White-Egg-Laying Hens

The best white-egg-laying chicken breeds come from the Mediterranean countries of Italy, Spain, and Holland. Most eggs in the grocery stores come from those breeds. They eat less than other breeds used for egg production, but produce just as many, if not more eggs. Due to their economical rate of production, these breeds are most popular with commercial egg companies. If you have a backyard flock, adding a few white-egg layers ensures a plentiful supply of large eggs.

  1. Leghorn

    • Whenever you see white chickens in the battery cages of a commercial egg laying factory, you're most likely looking at White Leghorns. Leghorn chickens are bred to lay 300+ eggs per year. Their feed-to-egg conversion ratio is the best of all breeds. This just means that they eat less but lay more. This makes them the most economical white-egg layer on the market. Being bred for production, leghorns tend to be a high-strung egg layer that only lays productively for 2 to 3 years. The Leghorn originated in Italy and begins laying around 4 to 5 months old. They lay the largest egg of the white-egg-laying breeds.

    Andalusian

    • The Andalusian chicken originated in Spain and is comparable to the White Leghorn breed in size, economy, and egg laying. The main difference is that chickens of this breed are blue or black in color. The unique plumage of this breed makes Andalusians ideal candidates for poultry exhibition shows. The blue feathering is one of the rarest of all poultry feather colors. This breed has a more laid-back temperament than the White Leghorn and tends to be be a good flier over short distances.

    Minorca

    • The Minorca was developed to lay large white eggs, but isn't as popular as the White Leghorn. It comes from the island of Minorca, off the coast of Spain, and is the largest of the Mediterranean breeds. This breed doesn't get the notoriety it deserves in the egg-laying world, but it does in the show ring. Minorca chickens come in black, white, and buff colorings. They either have a single comb or a rose comb on their heads, and tend to be rather flighty.

    Hamburg

    • Hamburgs come in spangled, penciled, and black varieties. The name of the breed is German, but they actually come from Holland. This breed was nicknamed the 'everyday layer' at one point for its prolific egg-laying ability. Today's Hamburg varieties owe their shape and color qualities to the English fanciers who began refining "pheasant fowls" of that time period into today's Hamburgs.