Egg production

Collecting 7 eggs a day from 8 hens. Is this good or should I be getting 8?

That 8th hen would be golden brown on a plate.

Good enough for me.

I'd be happy with 7 out of 8.

Depends on the breed also.

If you used to get 8 for 8, check corners and other hiding spots. Sometimes hen lay in new spots.

6 or 7 would be fine by me

age and breed plays into it as well

That's a good rate. As said above, age and breed factor in. Also time of year and length of daylight.

No hen will lay every day all year round. At least none that I know of.

That rate is normal.

You sound like a welfare recipient. Just kidding.

7 for 8 is great. There'll be some 8 for 8 days but chickens don't lay 365 eggs a year.

Be happy.

Pete

Thats pretty good. It takes 25ish hours for an egg to pass through a chicken. As the hens get older, they lay less frequently.

10-4, appreciate the info.

They just started laying and sounds like they are on track. While they aren’t really free range we move them around so they can graze along with their pellet and scratch grain rations.

Sounds like your chickens are doing well for just starting to lay. I bought black australorps 1.5 yrs ago after having rhode Island reds, red sussex, and others. All good layers but the BA's are a little different than the others. 2 went broody and it took several weeks for their hormones to return to normal and back to full production.

We isolate broody hens in a small rabbit hutch we keep just for that purpose. A day or two in solitary confinement usually gets their mind right.

It's easy, though messy, to check if a hen is laying. Just look at the vent. Hens that are actively laying will have wide, moist, sort of glistening. looking vents, with a fair amount of color, that open easily if you lightly push on the skin above with a finger. Keep your face back when checking or you may be anointed with poop.

I often buy large number of older laying hens and select the ones that are still laying out and sell the others to my meat buyers.

Keith

Hobbie, we have always had breeds that are categorized as dual purpose breeds that are supposed to lay about 4-5 eggs in 7 days. Strict layers like White Leghorns might approach an egg per day, but many breeds do not. You should praise your girls for a good job and go make a nice omelet!

Duly noted!

Nothing like fresh eggs.

I can’t bring myself to talk to chickens but I do reward them with fresh garden veggies from time to time.

Here they are and the 2 roosters.