The egg color can be seen on the hen's earlobes. Chickens with red earlobes lay colored eggs, i.e. brown, blue, green, turquoise or red. A white earlobe is an indication of cream or white eggs.
All chickens, including those kept as a hobby, must be regularly vaccinated against the Newcastle virus (atypical avian influenza). The legislature requires proof of this.
These are specially bred chickens that lay as many eggs as possible in a short time. These chickens have a maximum life expectancy of 1.5 to 2 years. The first hybrids were bred in the USA in 1920. The best known are probably the Lohmann chickens.
Laying performance generally decreases during the cold season. But there are also chickens that are busy laying eggs in the winter. To the winterlayers include Welsumer, Rhodeländer, Brahma, Sundheimer, Ayam Cemani, German salmon chicken, Orpington and Dresden chicken.
As a rule, chickens start laying eggs from the age of six months up to the age of 3 years, occasionally a little longer. In the case of laying hybrids, the laying performance already decreases after 1.5 to 2 years.
