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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Got two new chicks yesterday, 6 weekss old exchequer leg horns ‘spot’ and ‘dot’, they are on growers pellets. Do they need any extra supplements please grit or similar
could anyone advise me .the red crest on top of hens head is starting to look black i dont think its muck could it be sunburn please advise if you can really worried big thanks.
cannot believe it – I just went out to see them after writing and found our first egg!!! Super
we had that once, grandpa decided she was egbound or something and gave her some stuff, i have no idea what it was though, she was fine after a couple of days though.
We have two Blue Rangers, One Magpie Ranger and a Rhode Rock. We have just had them for two weeks. Two days ago I found an egg (without a shell) in the middle of their pen! We have had no other eggs yet and did not really expect any for a few weeks. Is this normal? Has anyone else out there had similar experience?
The black rocks today gave us two double yoke eggs, great excitment when the twins had breakfast. Thought for a minute that one was amazing then the second twin stated with great glee that he had one two.
Hi Marc, the first one is a Warren approx 20 weeks ans are the two black rocks. The warren started laying within the first week we had her and the first black rock one week later and now the third all are supposed to be 2o weeks when we picked them up,so that would make them 23 weeks now, however we do have one that is still not laying but she is also slightly astranged.
They all started nesting in different areas of the coop, but now they have a lovely nest and one at a time they go in and lay to gether. Then they are let out.
how old where the three that started to lay eggs and what breed are they
Do chicken synchronise laying. Our four are now laying three eggs a day over the past week they began the week all laying at different times throughout the day, so we couldn’t let them out the run, but this morning inside the coop a lovely cirle of straw and three eggs together, they were all out inthe garden before lunch till they go back to bed. The younger one still not laying, but also has chosen to live slightly off from the rest of the flock, but we live in hope that she will eventually join in.
hello
One of my friends has pol for sale at twelve pounds each we both live in bridgend south wales they are sossex stars bluebelles and a few others
marc