How much eggs do chickens lay

The reproductive cycle is set by day length and generally lasts about twenty-four hours during the summer months. As the days shorten, and winter approaches, a hen will lay fewer eggs, skipping some days.

Some will stop laying altogether until the spring arrives. The reason behind this is that winter is a bad time to raise chicks as the cold weather decreases their chances of survival. A hen does not need to be fertilized to lay an egg, and most birds in a laying facility have never even been in contact with a rooster.

The egg-laying passage, or oviduct , opens into the cloaca , the passage through which droppings and urine are expelled; however, during laying a flap of skin stretches down to separate these areas so that the eggs are not contaminated by droppings. After laying, the hen will leave the nest, allowing the egg to cool. This prevents it from hatching, but the embryo remains viable for up to two weeks in these conditions.

A broody hen will leave the nest, briefly, once a day to defecate, eat, and drink, and anyone who gets too close to her eggs will be pecked at. After three weeks of brooding, her chicks will emerge. Any that don not hatch will be left behind as she brings the new chicks out into the world for the first time, and the nest will be abandoned. In farms or egg-producing facilities, this natural process is broken up.

Backyard Poultry. Nutritionist, Companion Animal Technical Solutions. Consistent egg production is a sign of happy, healthy hens. Most hens will lay their first egg around 18 weeks of age and then lay an egg almost daily thereafter. In their first year, you can expect up to eggs from high-producing, well-fed backyard chickens.

Then, egg counts will naturally decrease each following year with hens entering egg retirement around years six or seven. Around 18 weeks of age, you can switch to a complete layer feed and expect your first farm fresh egg. From that moment on, the egg-ticipation is over and nearly every day brings a moment of celebration.

But how long do chickens lay eggs? And do egg counts change as laying hens age? We tackle egg goals in this FlockStrong article. This is because it takes hours to create each egg , and hens take a natural break each year for molting — often as days get shorter in the fall.

Dual-purposed breeds like Plymouth Barred Rock, Sussex or Buff Orpingtons will typically also achieve top performance. Email: Password:. Log in. Product Search: go. Help Me! OR: Search by Category.

See Also: Are fertilized eggs okay to eat? When do chickens start laying eggs? Can I mix and match or do I have to buy all the same breed?

Can't I just mix my own chicken feed at home? Do I need to give my hens oyster shell or supplemental calcium? When will my chickens begin laying again in the spring? Which bantam breeds should I choose if I want them for eggs?