Are you searching for some best chicken breeds that lay white eggs? If yes, then keep reading this guide on layers of white eggs.
Some chickens lay white eggs, and some brown. But few chicken breeds lay colorful eggs. If you are keen to know more about chickens that lay colored eggs, here is the complete guide.
I have been a chicken farmer for the last few years, so in my suggestion, white egg-laying chickens are one of the best choices for poultry farmers if you are keeping chickens for eggs.
Below is a list of the 11 best chicken breeds that lay white eggs. This list will help you to one of these white egg layers.
Best 11 Chicken Breeds That Lay White Eggs
1. White Leghorn chicken
The White Leghorn chicken is one of the best chicken breeds that lay white eggs. The hens of this breed lay about 250-300 large to extra-large size eggs per year.
In a few countries, people also use them as meat chicken, but they are not for that purpose. The eggs are pure white in color and about 50-55 gm in weight.
Most Leghorn hens start laying eggs at 17-18 weeks and efficiently lay for a few years. Chicken raisers mostly use leghorns for egg purposes only.
The White Leghorn chickens are excellent egg layers but rarely go broody. If you want to hatch their eggs using an incubator or add those eggs to the nesting box of another broody hen.
Due to their excessive egg-laying nature, they have an average life expectancy. Leghorn chickens have a lifespan of 5-6 years. However, the hens have a shorter life expectancy.
The Leghorn roosters are aggressive and unfriendly, whereas the hens are shy and nervous. They only come near their owners and are afraid of strangers.
The best thing about these chickens is they love foraging and portable coops. So, you can easily keep them if you have a small space.
White Leghorn chickens have red color wattles and comb. The comb type is single. They have a yellow color beak, skin, and legs. Leghorn roosters weigh about 6 lbs, whereas hens around 5 lbs.
2. Ancona chickens
The Ancona chickens are another popular white eggs-laying chicken breed. Ancona hens lay around 180-220 large white color eggs.
They have a high-quality egg production rate. The average weight of Ancona eggs is about 50 gms.
Most of the Ancona pullets start laying from 19-20 weeks. They lay consistently for 3-4 years, but you see the downgrade in egg count after 2 years.
This white egg-laying chicken rarely goes broody. They love to sit on their eggs if raised in a non-stressed environment. Ancona hens care for their chicks very well if they hatch their eggs.
Compared to other egg-laying chickens, Anconas have a good life expectancy. The average life span of this white egg-laying chicken is about 8-9 years.
Ancona chickens are very active and love to forage. They are hardy in nature and easily survive in cold temperatures. Not only this, the Anconas love to play with kids. They are very talkative birds.
The Ancona chickens have a unique look. They have fully closely covered feathers. Anconas have a single comb with 5 points, which is red in color. The wattles are red, and the earlobes are white.
The beak is yellow colored with black shades, and the legs are bright yellow colored. Ancona roosters weigh around 6 lbs, whereas the hens 4.5 lbs.
3. Polish chickens
The Polish chickens are another lovely white eggs layer. On average, Polish hens lay around 200 white eggs per year.
They lay small to medium size eggs. The Polish pullets start laying from 19-20 weeks of age. You will keep collecting their eggs for 3-4 years. Thereafter, you will see a severe decline in egg production.
The Polish hens rarely go broody so that you can collect their eggs as much as possible. If you want to hatch their eggs, use an incubator.
The average life expectancy is quite well as compared to other breeds. They have a lifespan of 7-8 years.
Polish chickens are gentle, calm, and docile chickens. You can easily handle them. They play with children and love cuddles and touch.
Polish chickens are mostly popular for their egg production and ornamental use. You can find them in different varieties like frizzle, bearded and non-bearded.
They have a black beak with blue spots, and the legs are blue. All the varieties have a red V-shaped comb with stylish head feathers. The Polish chicken wattles are red, and the earlobes are white in color.
The weight of a standard-size Polish chicken is similar to a White Leghorn chicken. So, Polish males weigh around 6 lbs, and females weigh 4.5 lbs.
4. Hamburg chicken
The Hamburg chickens lay a good number of white eggs per week. Hens of this breed lay around 180-200 white color, small, longish, and pointed end eggs.
Usually, Hamburg hens start laying after 18-20 weeks of age. They give you eggs for about 2-3 years after the egg production gradually drops.
Hamburg hens do not go broody. So, if you want to hatch their eggs, you need an incubator or give them to any other broody hen.
The average lifespan of Hamburg chicken is about 7-8 years, and they have very few health issues than other white egg layers.
Hamburg chickens are very active, docile, and happy chickens. They love to forage near their owners, but they don’t come near them. Hamburgs are shy flocks, so they always stay away from strangers.
They are lovely-looking chickens and always have wonderful poses. Hamburg chickens have a red rose comb and wattles. You may find them with white and blue color earlobes.
Their slender grayish-blue legs look so beautiful. Hamburg chickens have curved dark horn color beaks.
They are available in standard and bantam sizes, but most people prefer to raise the standard sizes. The standard-size Hamburg rooster weighs around 5 lbs, and hens 4 lbs.
5. Andalusian chickens
The Andalusian chickens are one of the oldest chicken breeds that lay white eggs. Most Andalusian hens start laying after 5-6 months of age.
They lay about 150-160 eggs per year, and the egg size is medium to large. The Andalusian hens lay eggs for about 4-5 years; then you will see a significant decrease in egg count.
Andalusian chickens rarely go broody, so if you want to hatch their eggs, using an incubator is the best idea. However, you can also put those eggs in a nesting box of another broody hen, and she will hatch them.
The Blue Andalusians have a good life expectancy. If raised with proper care and good feed, they can easily live up to 5-8 years.
Most Andalusian chickens are friendly in nature. They are very noisy. If you give them treats, they will become your friends quickly and aren’t shy.
They love to forage and love flying, so it’s better to give them an open space to enjoy. During the day, they like to roost on trees.
The Andalusian roosters have a bright red comb, while the hens have light red. The comb has 5 points. Earlobes are oval-shaped and white-colored.
The legs are slate and blue in color. Eyes and reddish bay color with horn color beak. Roosters of this Mediterranean breed weigh about 7 lbs and hens about 5 lbs.
6. California White chicken
The California White is one of the best chicken breeds that lay white eggs. The California White hens lay about 300 large white color eggs annually.
Most of the California White pullets start laying around 17-18 weeks. They lay consistently for 3-4 years; then, you can easily see the decrease in egg count.
There are mixed comments from chicken raisers. Few say that the California Whites are not broody, and few say their hens are going broody. So, it’s clear that raising environments may change their broody behavior.
As an excellent and continuous egg layer, they are prone to health issues and have a small life expectancy. The California White chickens have a lifespan of around 5 years.
They are friendly, docile, and active birds. Most California Whites don’t like human entrance into their territory. They are flighty chickens, so you need to give them a long yard to forage.
The California White chicken looks almost similar to White Leghorns. This results from crossbreeding between Leghorn chickens and California Gray males.
You may see some black spots on their white feathers. They have a yellow beak and red or orange eyes. The California Whites have a single comb, red in color, and the wattles are also red.
They have white earlobes, and the legs are yellow. The average weight of The California White males is around 6 lbs, and hens around 5 lbs.
Also read: How to Clip Chicken Wings? — To Stop Their Flying
7. Minorca chickens
Minorca chicken is another ancient, unique-looking chicken breed that lays white eggs. Usually, Minorca hens lay around 120-130 white eggs per year, but occasionally, they may lay 200 plus eggs.
The eggs are medium to large in size. Minorca hens start laying eggs after 26-28 weeks, which is a little late. But they will consistently give you eggs for a few years.
Minorca hens rarely go broody, so if you want to hatch their eggs, you must use an incubator. Both the roosters and hens of this breed have a good life expectancy. The average lifespan of Minorca chicken is around 6-8 years.
The Minorca chickens are low-maintenance chickens. They are active and flighty. Giving them an open space is the best idea because they can fly up to 50-60 meters. They are friendly to their owners and don’t like strangers.
Minorca chickens are seen in black, white, and blue color. You can also see buffs, but they are rare ones. They have a large red color single comb and wattles.
Their legs are dark slate-colored, and their skin color is white. They have unique, large, almond-shaped earlobes.
They are found in both bantam and standard sizes, but most prefer raising the large size. The average weight of males is around 9 lbs and females around 7.5 lbs.
8. Campine chickens
The Campine chickens are another white egg layer that gives around 150-200 eggs annually. The eggs are pure white and medium in size.
Most of the Campine hens start laying after 18-20 weeks and keep laying efficiently for a few years. The hens are not known for their broodiness, so that you can give the eggs to other broody hens in your backyard.
The average lifespan of Campine chickens is around 6-7 years, which is quite good. They don’t have any major health issues.
Campines are curious, active, and hardy chickens. They love to free-range and live happily foraging in long yards. Moreover, they are flighty and highly talking birds.
This remarkable white egg-laying chicken breed has a large red comb. The wattles and face are red in color, and the earlobes are white. They have dark blue straight legs and white skin.
Campine chickens are in two varieties, Silver and Golden. The average weight of roosters is around 6 lbs, and hens around 4 lbs.
9. Lakenvelder chicken
The Lakenvelder chicken is another dual-purpose chicken known for its white egg laying. The hens of this breed lay around 180-200 eggs per year.
Lakenvelder hens start laying after 21-22 weeks of age and consistently keep laying for about 3-4 years. The hens are not broody, so if you want to hatch their eggs, using an incubator is the best option.
The life span of Lakenvelder chickens is about 6-8 years. If raised with proper feeding and shelter, they can live even more.
They do not like to live in small coops and confinement because they love to fly during foraging. Providing them with a large coop with a long-run area is suitable.
Lakenvelders are shy towards strangers and other animals. You may need heightened fencing around your backyard because they fly a lot. Usually, the roosters of this breed are aggressive towards unknown persons.
They are awesome-looking chickens. The Black-white-black color combination on their feathers looks great. They have solid black color head feathers, neck hackles, and tails.
The Lakenvelder eyes, wattles, combs, and face is red in color. They have a dark color beak, white earlobes, and legs that are bluish-grey in color.
Lakenvelder is small size chicken. Roosters weigh around 5 lbs and hens around 4 lbs.
10. Egyptian Fayoumi chicken
The Egyptian Fayoumi chicken is another white egg-laying chicken breed that lays around 150-200 eggs annually. The color of the egg is cream white.
The pullets of this breed start laying after 16-18 weeks of age, and they lay efficiently for 3-4 years. Initially, in the pullet age, most Egyptian Fayoumi chickens rarely go broody, but after 2-3 years, they love to go broody.
These ancient white egg-laying chickens hatch their eggs and care for their baby chicks well. Most people use them for exhibition purposes.
The Egyptian Fayoumi has a lifespan of 8 years. The temperament of this small chicken breed is Aggressive, and they are very noisy. Hens of this breed are also very talkative.
They love to like warm climates. The size of this chicken breed is small, but they need a large size area because of their flighty and aggressive nature.
The Egyptian Fayoumi are beautiful birds with silver-white feathers on the saddle, hackles, back, and wings. They have large dark eyes and an upward-position tail.
Their comb is the single type and red in color with 6 points. The wattles are also red in color and medium. On average, the Egyptian Fayoumi roosters weigh around 4.5 lbs while hens around 3 lbs.
11. Holland chicken
The Holland chickens are another dual-purpose white egg layer. The hens of this breed lay around 200-240 white eggs annually. The size of the egg is medium.
Holland hens start laying hens around 16-18 weeks of age. They keep laying in both summer and winter.
Most Holland hens go broody, hatch their eggs, and care for their baby chicks very well. They make great mothers. The average lifespan of Holland chickens is around 8 years.
Holland flocks love to free-range and forage. They are calm and docile chickens and love cuddles. This is a low-maintenance chicken breed for beginners.
They adapt to the environment and are comfortable living in large space coops and running. Keeping them in confined spaces is stressful for them.
Holland chickens have a sturdy look, with a single comb having well-defined points. The comb, face, wattles, and earlobes are bright red in color. They have pale yellow beaks and legs. The Holland rooster weighs around 8 lbs, and hens around 6.5 lbs.
White Eggs Vs. Brown Eggs
Are you confused that chickens that lay white eggs differ from brown egg layers?
Whether the egg is white or brown, both have good nutritional value. But most people think that brown eggs are healthier than white ones.
So, what do you think? Are brown eggs healthier than white eggs?
The answer is no. Both brown and white eggs have the same nutritional value. You can see differences in egg nutrition value if the hens have different physical activities and diets.
If your chicken roams a lot in the sun, she will get more vitamin D, which lays good quality eggs. Moreover, if you feed your chickens good quality pre-starter to finisher feed, it also affects the egg’s nutritional content.
So, now the question is- If there is no difference in the nutritional value of brown and white eggs, which type of good egg layers chicken breed should you raise on your backyard farm?
It is up to you where you are living. In your state, which color eggs have more demand?
