How Many Eggs Does a Salmon Faverolles Lay Per Year?

Use the egg production calculator to model your specific flock.

Production ranges

The Normal row is the most realistic starting point for planning. It assumes a healthy first or second year hen with ground under her feet, on layer feed. About three and a half eggs a week across the year is the honest planning figure — not the daily egg a production hybrid will give you, and not a summer-only layer that vanishes when the Paris market would have wanted eggs.

The Conservancy publishes two bands, and they are not a contradiction. The Heritage Chicken Breed Comparison Chart rates Faverolles Very Good at 180 to 200 as a planning figure. The breed page widens that to 150 to over 200. Different granularity from the same institution: the chart sets Normal and High; the breed page supplies the Low. The phrase “over 200” is deliberately open-ended — the same call made when Cackle’s open-ended “200+” was rejected as a High for Hamburg. It does not support a High above 200.

By year, month, week, and day

A hen lays one egg every 24 to 26 hours at full production and skips days, so the daily average never reaches 1.0. For a Salmon Faverolles the yearly average is pulled down mainly by broodiness (sources disagree how often), by age, and by how much ground contact she gets — not by a summer-only laying calendar. Counting on roughly three and a half eggs a week per hen across the whole year is a sound planning rule.

The formula

Scale to any flock size:

Weekly eggs = Number of hens × 3.8 × Age Factor × Season Factor

The baseline of 3.8 is a Salmon Faverolles hen’s weekly output at peak — inside McMurray’s three-to-four-egg weekly claim for the 180–200 band, chosen so the season-weighted year matches Normal rather than overshooting it. Adjust it down with the factors below as the flock ages and the seasons change.

Example: 6 hens × 3.8 × 0.84 (Year 2) × 0.75 (winter, no light) = ~14 eggs per week.

Why 3.8 reconciles with Normal. Run a constant peak baseline through a Year-1 season mix — about six months at ×1.00, two fall months at ×0.90, and four winter months at ×0.75 with no supplemental light — and you get roughly 46.8 peak-equivalent weeks. 3.8 × 46.8 ≈ 178, which rounds to the Normal figure of ~180. A baseline of 4 would imply about 187 for the year, above Normal, and broodiness on this breed is too contested to use as a silent plug for the gap. The age and season multipliers above are our standard curve, applied across the site rather than measured on Faverolles specifically. Use the egg production calculator to model your flock by age and season.

How production drops year over year

Production slides down gradually rather than stopping at a set age. The table applies the age factors to the Normal annual figure of ~180 eggs.

Peak productive life on this page is two to three years — that is the window the stats block means, not lifespan. No institutional source claims the multi-year persistence gift the Conservancy gives Hamburgs; plan on the ordinary taper. A common approach is adding a young pullet or two every other year, so the flock keeps producing while the older birds slow down.

Month by month (first-year hen)

Winter laying is why this breed exists. French farmers selected Faverolles for eggs when the Paris market wanted them most — cold months — and the Conservancy breed page, the comparison chart, Oklahoma State, and Skinner’s A2880 all still describe that winter gift. The short-day dip is shallower than for most heritage layers. It is not flat: shortest days and molt still cut, and a hen who sits for weeks will carve spring regardless of the calendar.

The natural-light column sums to the Normal figure of 180; adding a 16-hour schedule takes it to roughly 197. That is a real winter lift, but smaller than the swing from giving birds ground contact instead of a barren pen. If you do add light, start in early September before the days shorten, and aim for 14 to 16 total hours rather than leaving a bulb on overnight.

What changes the number

The single biggest levers on a Salmon Faverolles hen’s annual total are ground contact (productivity, not whether she can survive indoors), flock mates who do not bully her, whether she sits, then daylight and age. Egg shade — cream, tinted, light brown, or pink bloom — does not change the count we plan on.

Confinement — tolerance is not the same as peak production

Two Conservancy documents point different ways, and the guide should not erase either.

The comparison chart says Faverolles are “productive when in contact with the ground - does not like confinement.” Read as written, that is a productivity note first: the confinement clause is attached to how they lay, not a free-standing temperament claim. The breed page says they like to roam and forage but can also do well in confinement. Wikipedia states they are well adapted to both confinement and free range, and that when early battery cages arrived, Faverolles tolerated close confinement better than the Houdan — which is why they displaced Houdans as the primary egg bird for the Paris market. McMurray’s product page rates free range poor — a fourth data point on the same theme, not a contradiction of ground contact. A bearded, muffed, feather-legged bird can have soil under her feet in a large run without being a wide-ranging forager that sees predators well through facial feathering; McMurray’s own Q&A ties the free-range rating to muffs that reduce visibility. Ground contact is not the same thing as free ranging.

Weight of evidence for tolerance: the breed page, Wikipedia, the breed’s own commercial history, and McMurray’s free-range rating (four lines that fit a bird selected for cages and runs) against the chart alone if “does not like confinement” is read as temperament. Land on this: Salmon Faverolles tolerate confinement and were selected for it; they lay best with ground under them, preferably in a secure run rather than unsupervised range. Do not silently adopt the chart’s phrasing as temperament, and do not discard its useful warning that production suffers without the ground. A barren small pen is a path toward the Low row without inventing a figure below 150.

Flock mates — bullying cuts the basket

Wikipedia states the point explicitly: Faverolles are known for extreme docility, tend to get bullied in a mixed flock, and thrive with other Faverolles or other docile breeds such as Sussex. McMurray’s breed spotlight agrees — be careful putting them into an established flock with strong personalities; they can end up at the bottom of the pecking order. Our own breed profile description already carries that claim. The Conservancy is silent on bullying: it calls them gentle, active, and a good family and beginner breed, without a mixed-flock warning.

This is a flock-composition decision that affects eggs, not a temperament footnote. Stress and chasing cut production; heat makes bullying worse because feathered birds already dislike being run hard in warm weather. Keep them with other Faverolles or calm dual-purpose birds — Light Sussex is the flock mate Wikipedia names — and give enough space that a gentle bird is not trapped in a corner.

Broodiness — the sources disagree

There is no honest single answer. The Conservancy breed page says some lines are excellent sitters and mothers. The comparison chart lists Brooding as Variable. McMurray’s product page rates them extremely likely to sit. McMurray’s blog says hens will occasionally go broody and are relatively easy to break. Our breed data says often — inside that split, toward the sitting side, not a claim that every hen broods every spring. A sitting spell is a real path to the Low row on a Year-1 hen; the year-over-year table already handles age separately, so do not read Low as “old hen.”

Climate — cold gift, heat risk

Heavy feathering, beard, muffs, and feathered legs, plus Brahma in the ancestry, make cold the breed’s home ground and heat the management problem. McMurray rates cold tolerance better than heat and warns they need shade, cool water, and even fans in warm humid climates. The Conservancy chart says they can do well in any climate and flags comb frostbite risk — the small single comb helps, but it is not frost-proof. Plan winter eggs as a feature; plan summer shade as a requirement.

Age at first lay — no institutional figure

No Conservancy page, comparison chart, or extension article publishes an age at first egg for Faverolles. McMurray lists 19 weeks to maturity — that is a maturity rating, not a first-egg date, the same distinction drawn on New Hampshire Red and Hamburg. The Conservancy notes early maturity as a breed trait without giving weeks. Content-farm “six to seven months” figures are not used here. Our planning window of about 20 to 22 weeks is ours, not measured on this breed: an early-maturing dual-purpose guess consistent with that maturity rating, labelled so you can discount it.

Egg colour and size — a spread, not one shade

Do not expect one paint-chip colour. The Conservancy breed page says hens usually lay tinted eggs, though light brown to pink tint are not unknown. The chart says Tinted to Light Brown. Oklahoma State and Skinner both say eggshell colour light brown. PoultryKeeper says Tinted. McMurray’s product page says cream; the blog says light brown to cream with an occasional pink-tinted bloom. Our site label tinted cream is a synthesis across that band — pale, warm-tinted shells, neither grocery-store brown nor chalk white. The breeds.json colour enum has no “light brown” option; plain “cream” or “brown” would both sit further from what the sources describe. Egg size is quieter: the chart says Medium to Large, McMurray says medium, and our breed data and comparison table use medium — inside the chart’s range, not a disagreement.

Morphology — identity, not a care manual

Beard, muffs, feathered legs and feet, and five toes are confirmed by the Conservancy, Oklahoma State, Skinner, and McMurray. The fifth toe is a Dorking (and Houdan) gift; sources treat it as a breed mark, not a management problem. No institutional Faverolles page publishes a mud or wet-conditions warning for this breed. General feathered-leg or bumblefoot advice from other breeds is not imported here as if it were sourced for Faverolles. If you expected a care section on muddy runs, say so plainly: that guidance was not found for this breed in the sources we use.

Weights — which Conservancy number

Standard weights used on this site and across the chart, Oklahoma State, Skinner, and the Conservancy breed-page body text are about 8 lb rooster / 6.5 lb hen. The breed page’s own facts box says 7 lb male / 5.5 lb female. McMurray’s blog cites APA Standard of Perfection ideals of 8 lb for roosters and 5.5 lb for hens — so the hen figure, not the cock, is the one that sits below our 6.5. We hold 8 / 6.5 with the majority of institutional lines and name both lighter hen figures as outliers.

Conservation status

The breed sits at Watch on the Livestock Conservancy’s 2026 Conservation Priority List (poultry PDF). The Conservancy’s own Heritage Chicken Breed Comparison Chart (2026 edition) currently lists Faverolles as Threatened. We follow the Conservation Priority List, because that is the document the status is published in. Three other claims are in circulation and should be labelled: the breed page’s lower fact box still says Threatened (stale against the 2026 CPL); McMurray’s blog says Recovering from the 2021–22 poultry census (also stale — current list is Watch, not Recovering); Backyard Poultry’s note that the Conservancy moved the breed from Threatened to Watch in 2022 is a correct historical note, not a substitute for the current CPL line.

History and national lines — no invented egg split

Named for the village of Faverolles in Eure-et-Loir, southwest of Paris. Developed by crossing breeds including Houdan, Brahma, French Rennes, Flemish Cuckoo, Malines, and Dorking, then selecting for production. A distinct type with consistent feathering had emerged by about 1886; during the 1900s it was considered the best French breed yet produced. Introduced to England in 1894; imported to America by Dr. A.H. Phelps of Glens Falls, New York, in 1901/1902. APA recognition: Salmon in 1914, White in 1981. Dorking and Houdan contributed the fifth toe; Brahma brought size, feathered feet, and cold hardiness.

PoultryKeeper documents a German line, the Deutscher Lachshühner, tracked separately from the French and British Faverolles from about 1905, with a nationally tested minimum of 160 eggs in the first year (pale yellow-tinted eggs). That is a tested floor for German stock, not a production band for US Salmon hatchery birds — and not our Low.

Type and history diverge between the French utility bird and the British/American exhibition strain, but no institutional source publishes separate annual egg bands for them. The guide does not invent a strain split — the same call made on Light Sussex, Hamburg, and Blue Andalusian.

How Salmon Faverolles compare

First-year production under normal backyard conditions. Figures are the ones used across this site’s breed profiles.

The honest verdict: a Salmon Faverolles is a dual-purpose winter layer at about 180 a year — above a Cochin, level with a Light Brahma, well below a Light Sussex or Buff Orpington on raw count. What she adds is tinted eggs through cold months, a temperament gentle enough for families, and a Watch conservation status worth supporting — if you build the flock so she is not bullied and give her ground under her feet. For maximum eggs in a mixed assertive flock, look elsewhere. For a keeper who wants a soft French dual-purpose bird that still earns her keep in January, she belongs on the shortlist.

Use the breed selector quiz to compare breeds against your goals and setup. Salmon Faverolles is not among the quiz’s scored breeds; use the breed profile and this guide directly.

Frequently asked questions

How many eggs does a Salmon Faverolles lay per year?

About 180 tinted cream eggs. The Conservancy comparison chart rates the breed Very Good at 180 to 200; the breed page gives 150 to over 200. Our Normal sits at the chart floor. The open-ended “over 200” is not used as a High above 200.

How many eggs does a Salmon Faverolles lay per week?

Three to four tinted eggs a week at peak — McMurray’s weekly claim for the 180–200 band — which works out to about three and a half a week averaged across a full year once winter and molt are counted.

When do Salmon Faverolles start laying eggs?

No institutional source publishes a first-egg age. McMurray lists about 19 weeks to maturity — maturity, not first egg. Our planning window of about 20 to 22 weeks is ours, not a published figure for this breed.

Do Salmon Faverolles go broody?

Sources disagree. The Conservancy says some lines are excellent sitters; the chart says Variable; McMurray’s product page says extremely likely; the blog says occasionally. Our breed data says often. Plan as if sitting is common enough to matter, and break or manage broodiness if the basket is the goal.

Do Salmon Faverolles lay in winter?

Yes — that is the founding purpose. The Conservancy, Oklahoma State, and Skinner all describe winter laying. Expect a shallower short-day dip than most heritage breeds, not a flat calendar.

What color and size are Salmon Faverolles eggs?

Medium eggs in a pale warm band: sources say tinted, light brown, cream, and sometimes pink tint. Our site label is tinted cream — a synthesis, not one exact shade.

Will they be bullied in a mixed flock?

Often, yes. Wikipedia and McMurray warn that their docility puts them at the bottom of assertive flocks. Keep them with other Faverolles or calm breeds such as Light Sussex. The Conservancy does not publish that warning.

Do they need special care for feathered legs or five toes?

Institutional Faverolles sources confirm beard, muffs, feathered legs, and five toes as breed identity. None of them publishes a Faverolles-specific mud or wet-run care protocol. Do not treat general feathered-leg advice from other breeds as if it were sourced here.

How many eggs will 6 Salmon Faverolles hens lay per year?

Roughly 1,080 in a typical first year, with a realistic spread of about 900 to 1,200 depending on broodiness, flock mates, ground contact, and winter light. Run your own numbers with the egg production calculator.

Are Salmon Faverolles good for beginners?

Yes for temperament and cold hardiness, with two caveats: build a gentle flock so they are not bullied, and treat heat as seriously as winter. The Conservancy chart rates them Novice; our breed data marks them beginner-friendly.

Sources

The Livestock Conservancy is the primary institutional source for Faverolles egg figures, and it publishes two documents with different granularities — both are cited below. Cooperative extension and Oklahoma State sit next. UK keeper material and hatchery pages are ranked below those. Wikipedia is cited only for claims it states in its own words (bullying, quiet cocks, confinement adaptation), labelled tertiary. Each source is named for the specific claim it supports.

• Egg range, winter laying, sitters, weights, morphology, confinement (page), climate notes, history, APA recognition, conservation status — breed page: The Livestock Conservancy — Faverolles Chicken. Source of the 150 to over 200 tinted (light brown to pink tint not unknown) eggs figure, good winter layers, some lines excellent sitters and mothers, body-text weights of 8 lb males / 6.5 lb hens (facts box elsewhere on the same page says 7 / 5.5), five toes, beard, feathered shanks, “can also do well in confinement,” early maturity and hardiness, APA Salmon 1914 / White 1981, Watch in the upper facts box and Threatened in the lower (the lower box is stale against the 2026 CPL), and the French-to-England-to-America history (village of Faverolles, foundation breeds, England 1894, Phelps import 1901/1902).
• Planning band 180–200, egg colour/size, Variable broodiness, climate, ground-contact note — comparison chart: The Livestock Conservancy — Heritage Chicken Breed Comparison Chart (2026). Rates Faverolles Rate of Lay “Very Good; 180-200,” Egg Color “Tinted to Light Brown,” Egg Size Medium to Large, Brooding Variable, temperament “Docile but Active,” Novice, “Can do well in any climate,” and notes meat and winter egg production with “productive when in contact with the ground - does not like confinement” and comb frostbite risk. The chart’s CPL Status cell currently says Threatened; status on this page is taken from the 2026 Conservation Priority List, not from this sheet. Chart row re-checked with PDF text extraction so values are not adjacent-row bleed from Dorking. This document sets Normal and High; the breed page supplies the Low. “Over 200” on the breed page is not treated as a ceiling above 200.
• Conservation Priority List — current status: The Livestock Conservancy — 2026 Conservation Priority Poultry Breeds (PDF). Lists Faverolles as Watch (W). Settles status against the comparison chart’s Threatened cell, the breed page’s dual boxes, and hatchery lag.
• Extension and academic coverage: UW–Madison Extension — Chicken Breeds and Varieties (A2880), John L. Skinner (also circulated as a PDF) lists Salmon and White, standard weights cock 8 lb / hen 6½ lb, eggshell light brown, winter laying as an original purpose, fifth toe, beard and muffs, feathered legs, and “chiefly ornamental” with some utility — no annual count. Oklahoma State University — Faverolles Chickens (full HTML confirmed via browser user-agent) gives 150 to 200 eggs per year, winter laying when other birds have stopped, light brown shells, five toes, and standard weights cock 8 lb / hen 6.5 lb.
• UK keeper figures — inside the Conservancy band: PoultryKeeper — Faverolles Chickens (full HTML confirmed via browser user-agent) states Eggs: 160–200 Tinted, documents French market origin and British show breeding, and describes the German Deutscher Lachshühner line (separate from about 1905) with a tested minimum of 160 eggs in the first year — a German tested floor, not a US Salmon hatchery band.
• Hatchery and commercial guidance — not research: Murray McMurray Hatchery — Salmon Faverolles lists cream eggs, medium size, production “good,” broody “extremely likely,” free range poor (Q&A ties that to muffs reducing predator visibility), cold better / heat good, 19 weeks to maturity, weights 8 / 6.5 lb, and CPL watch. Murray McMurray Hatchery Blog — Breed Spotlight: Salmon Faverolles gives about 180–200 large eggs (about 3–4 per week), light brown to cream with pink bloom, APA ideals of 8 lb roosters / 5.5 lb hens, occasionally broody, bullying risk in assertive flocks, cold hardiness with heat caution, and incorrectly calls status Recovering from the 2021–22 census (the 2026 CPL lists Watch).
• Tertiary — bullying, quiet cocks, confinement history: Wikipedia — Faverolles chicken (full HTML confirmed) states extreme docility and bullying in mixed flocks, better with other Faverolles or docile breeds such as Sussex, that some cocks are among the quietest of all breeds, adaptation to confinement and free range, and better early-cage tolerance than the Houdan. Cited only for those claims; egg counts are not taken from Wikipedia.
• Not available for this breed (named so they are not silently omitted): Rare Breeds Survival Trust has no Faverolles watchlist page (404). Meyer Hatchery product URLs returned 404; the Meyer blog was challenge-blocked in this research pass. Cackle Hatchery was bot-blocked. Lafeber was challenge-blocked. Mile Four has no Faverolles page.
• Ours, not published: the Low / Normal / High anchoring choices, the month-by-month split, the age and season multipliers, the ~20–22 week first-lay planning window, and the “tinted cream” colour synthesis. The Low of 150 is the Conservancy breed-page floor and OSU floor — Year-1 management and broodiness paths, not an age row (age is in the year-over-year table). The Normal of 180 matches our breed data and the Conservancy chart floor. The High of 200 is the chart ceiling; the breed page’s open-ended “over 200” was not stretched into a higher High. The multipliers are our standard site-wide curve. First lay is labelled ours because no institutional source publishes an age at first egg for this breed.

Two classes of source were checked and deliberately not used: aggregator and content-farm breed pages that restate Conservancy or hatchery ranges without primary data, and seller copy that recycles the same figures. For health concerns about your flock, consult a licensed poultry veterinarian.

Last reviewed August 2026.