How many eggs does a chicken lay each week?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 176 comments
“How come there were only four eggs in the basket this morning?'”
Danny asked when he brought in my breakfast tray.
Admittedly I had given John Coe four when he came to mow the lawn this week, but only eight in a week! Danny was concerned, “What are we going to do about our fry ups?”
Danny’s mother kept chickens when he was a child and as a Poultry Instructor, passed on her knowledge. Despite this both of us were a bit naive when it came to keeping chickens ourselves. Just before we collected our chickens three years ago, I bought a pretty little basket in a sale in Newmarket. We planned to buy six hens and I assumed that I’d collect six eggs a day. That basket gathered dust whilst we waited for the first egg.
We bought hens on ‘point of lay’ and threw a party to celebrate their arrival. The guests peered through the gloom at the hens and discussed how to deal with an egg glut. After the party we decided to ask our chicken feed supplier for advice. As we had zero eggs, we must be doing something wrong.
‘Try these,’ he said, producing a box of china eggs with a flourish. ˜The hens will take a peek at them and it will give them the idea.’ I hurried home, opened the nesting box and made plump tempting nests of sweet smelling hay to hold the china eggs.
The chickens seemed happy enough. I observed them having dust baths, sunbathing on the warm roof of their ‘day centre’ and running for a handful of grain in the afternoon. Every day I peeped into the immaculate but egg-free nesting box and trudged back to the house, disappointed. Summer turned to Autumn and then to Winter. ‘Hens go off lay in the Winter, so don’t expect any eggs until the Spring,’ a kind friend advised. I could have hit her.
We were away over New Year and when we got back, there were only five chickens in the pen. I opened the hen house door and there was the sixth hen, absorbed in her task. She barely noticed me as she was clearly straining. I rushed back to the house to tell Danny the breaking news. We crept down to the hen house an hour later and saw our first egg lying resplendent in a clutch of white china fakes.
Tricks and Tips:
- Chickens are at their egg laying prime for the first two years. After this, their egg laying decreases as they get older. Serious egg producers replace their hens after two years.
- Chickens are seasonal layers. When daylight hours are short their laying decreases. Laying gradually builds up from January and starts to decrease from mid September.
- Before you get your first chickens decide whether they are going to be layers or pets, or a mix. If you are going to replace them after a couple of years, don’t give them names. Danny named each of our chickens when they arrived (we got a mix). Need I say more?
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I have spent way too long on the internet and found the following which seems to suggest that even though my vendor may be telling the truth…
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111379&p=2
A suivre… (as they say here).
Thank you. They are rather expensive aren’t they? The top price around Paris for Sussex chickens seems to be about 15 euros. He was probably expecting to me to haggle. But he is going to deliver them to me at Pontoise station en route home tonight so I cut down my environmental, petrol and time costs. At least the one Rhode Island Red which survived the fox has some friends for the weekend. I will keep you posted about their laying ability…
Hi Clare
The best layers can only lay one egg a day. Sussex are supposed to be good layers but the owner is chancing his arm a bit here. I haven’t heard of the English Blue. 20 euro seems an awful lot to pay unless they are show birds.
Chickens (the laying breeds) lay very well for about two years and then egg laying gradually declines as the years go by.
Best to buy hens of around six months old now. They will be laying by Easter and you will reap the dividends.
I wouldn’t trust your seller’s claims. If these were true he would keep the hen or try to sell it for a lot more.
I have been offered two chickens at 20 euros each (to replace the two the fox got a week ago…).
They are a Sussex and an English blue, 10 months old. The seller tells me that the Sussex lays “on average” two eggs a day.
Does this sound feasible? I wonder if he is just trying to justify the (high) price?
hi i am james, i live at philippines,i have a pair of chicken a banthum and i start raising them about 2 months now and i got 8 eggs and its pretty awesome and fun.
have a good xmas everybody,my 4 hens are doing well and seem happy.one of my girls daisy likes a cuddle shes so tame!! still getting 2 eggs a day so not bad,have put plenty of straw in their covere
d run,keeps it dryer and they love scratching about in it.took ages for them to lay when we first got them so dont despair!theday i got my first egg was great couldnt wait to tell everybody….mad eh!!!!
Merry Christmas everyone, We are now up to ten chickens, took some pure breeds off the guy who gave us the exchequers, all seetled into their new home. Still only four laying but all our friends say their chickens have stopped laying, ours still giving us four eggs a day.
Wishing everyine a happy and egg xciting new year.
Hi Christine
I’m so pleased that you resolved the problems with your chikens.
Hi Diane
Thanks for your help and advice.
Hi Michael
How about leaving a thick layer of straw on the floor beneath the perch?
At five feet off the ground the perch is quite high.
Hi , i just started a hen house with 5 wild chickens (on Kauai, Hawaii, there are many wild chickens ad roosters). I built a tall perch for sleeping and so far I have gotten 2 eggs in the laying boxes which are opposited side of room.
But twice also, a bird has layed its egg while on the perch, which is about 5 feet off the ground, of course, breaking the egg.
Any advice?
I do have golf balls in the nests to encourage laying.
Hi Diane, Have put them all on the castor oil and garlic seems to be working back to looking perky again thanks.