If you want a chicken that is good all around and lays a lot of nice big brown eggs, look for ISA Browns They are great chickens. They are sweet, friendly, and quiet, and they like to show affection to the people in their lives.
And to top it all off, you should get your egg baskets ready because these beautiful copper-colored hens lay a lot of eggs. Most of the time, a single hen will give your family between 350 and 400 big brown eggs per year. What a surprise!
You may also want to read about the best laying mash for chickens.
History
The ISA Brown is a hybrid chicken that was made by people to lay eggs not too long ago.
The Institut de Sélection Animale, or ISA, was first made in France around 1978. In 1997, the Institut and Merck and Co. joined together, and the breed became known as Hubbard ISA.
Since then, the company has merged more than once, and it is now a part of the Group Grimaud La Corbière SA.
Their exact genetic make-up is a closely guarded trade secret, but it is thought that Rhode Island Red and White breeds and White Leghorns may have contributed to them. Who knows what other breeds might be involved.
Appearance of ISA Browns
They are very easy to take care of and can easily adjust to different climates and environments. But because they lay so many eggs, these girls may need extra protein because their bodies turn the protein in their food into fuel for making eggs. This means that their beautiful feathers will need some protein TLC.
Because they grow up quickly, these chickens can start laying eggs between 16 and 22 weeks of age, while it can take other breeds up to 24 weeks or even longer to start laying. Buying ISA Browns at the point of lay is a smart choice and a great place to start, whether you have been keeping chickens for a long time or are just starting out.
Temperament
The ISA Browns are friendly, sweet, and easy to get along with. They are pretty quiet, so they do well in a backyard.
They are known to be friendly and affectionate with their owners. They like to be held and cuddled and will often jump into your lap for some love and treats.
ISAs do well in cages, but they like to go out and look for bugs and other tasty treats. You can give them mealworms.
Breeding
As hybrid birds, they won’t have true offspring. Whatever you get in the way of chicks probably won’t be as good as its parents.
It has also been said that the chicks are very likely to get kidney problems, so they aren’t the healthiest. Most likely, you shouldn’t try to breed them yourself.
Because an ISA is made when a white rooster mates with a red hen, it is a “sex-link” chicken. This means that white chicks are boys and tan chicks are girls as soon as they are born.
Eggs
These busy girls can lay more than 300 large brown eggs a year. They molt quickly and get right back to laying eggs, which makes them one of the best breeds for that.
Since they work so hard and use up all the protein and calcium in their small bodies, it is best to feed them a slightly higher protein base (+18%) and make sure oyster shell is always available (especially after the first molt).
They have been bred to not get broody very often, but sometimes you will get a broody girl. They will sit well and make great moms.
Conclusion
They definitely lay a lot of large brown eggs; she is the definition of a “working girl.”
Always, a hen’s long-term health is hurt by the number of eggs she lays. The ISA is one of several breeds that were made to produce a lot of eggs at the expense of their longevity and their ability to reproduce naturally.
If you need a hen that will give you and your family a lot of eggs, I think the ISA Browns would be a great choice.
