@Sophy, That is an excellent question! I have mostly heritage breeds and endangered. My Polish are on the endangered watch list. I love Brahmas, I have light, dark and buff. I also have 2 Cuckoo Marans, who lay 6 out of 7 days and one is going on 4 years old. I also love Wyandottes, a friendly breed and good egg layers. I have Ameraucanas, who lay blue eggs, and Easter Eggers, who lay blue to mint eggs. I also have a Buff Orpington, who is the sweetest girl, and a chocolate Orpington. They are both sweet and decent egg layers. I have a Jersey Giant by happy accident, she was supposed to be something else. She is large and sounds like a goose. She has dark legs and yellow on the bottom of her feet.
The production breeds - the ones that have been bred to lay more eggs die early. My lovely production black, who was cheeping at me at the feed store, and when I passed her by, she jumped on the waterer and cheeped louder, so against my judgement I took her home since she was so cute. I also took her friend, a production red. The black, Maise, continued to be friendly and very attached to me, as I became to her. She laid every day, big eggs for her little body, and died, for no reason I could see, at a year and a half. I was devastated. My other production, a California Grey, died a couple of months later. Again, no overt reason. I was devastated. The red, Doc, is still alive and the most personable hen I have. She appeared in my kitchen yesterday, I guess because we ignored her knocking on the dog door. She must have knocked hard enough to push it in, and hopped through. She went right to the bowl of giant dog food, and started eating. She follows me everywhere and "helps" me build things and garden.
Back to your question, I would never buy a production breed again. These are pets to me, so I wouldn't eat them either. If I were to raise meat chickens, I would raise Cornish Cross, back in the old alfalfa field. I don't now, and I will probably when I move. My thought on those is that they are only going to live 8 weeks, it doesn't matter if they have long lives. If you wanted to eat the your layer chickens when they stop laying, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons and any large hen would do.
Ok, I probably over answered your question, but there is more, lol. Several breed are dual purpose, they are decent layers, and grow large enough to eat. The problem for me is that my laying hens are pets, so I bury them when they die. I couldn't bear to eat a pet. I know that is not good farming practice, but it is what it is.
I also don't use lights on my hens. Hens, like women, are born with the amount of eggs they will produce. If you use lights, you force your chickens to lay their eggs all year long. They don't lay as long. I have two hens that go broody every year, so they take a break from laying while they sit on their eggs and raise their chicks. Then they go back to laying. They all take a break from laying in the winter for a few months, then they lay again. I, personally would rather let my hens rest every year then make them lay. My chickens are a happy, healthy bunch.
I hope this helps. Your local feed store will likely sell the breeds that do best in your area. They aren't show quality, but who cares?
