Eggs - How many do you get?

[MrsOnTheMove]

We have had our chickens now for 7 weeks and they are about 28 weeks old. One has been laying every day for about 5 weeks, though the eggs are very tiny!! Another has been laying about 4 weeks, she lays every other day, a full size egg. Our other chicken lays about 2 eggs a week which are small and soft (we can't eat them) DH says she is no use!!

Do they gradually start to lay every day or do some chickens just lay a few eggs a week.

They are all Gold Bovines.

Pure breeds do generally lay less.

I have Hybrids and get an egg per day from each almost without fail.

Are you feeding them mostly pellets? Maybe cut down on treats so they eat more pellets. Also, are you giving them oyster grit to eat too? (if not may be issue re shells)

They are quite young still so I wouldn't worry yet, but check they're getting the right diet. You could try giving them some cod liver oil or poultry spice to give them a boost.

As dilbertina says, they are still quite young and yes to oyster shell to provide enough calcium for them to make hard shells. If they don't seem to take it separately, mix some into their feed. They should take what they need.

I have mostly Sussex hens and they lay an egg 6 days a week. But they are well known as good layers, which is why we have them!

Mine are buff sussex, and I tend to get 2 eggs every day from 3 of them. I haven't figured out if it is the same 2 chooks laying reliably every day, or whether they are taking turns between them

I only have 1 Barbu d'Uccle hen at present who is laying (all others too young or male) and she lays 1 a day for 3 days then has a day off, so I get 5-6 a week from her. You definitely need to give oystershell ad lib or bake your chickens eggshells until really dry and crisp then crush up and feed this instead (saves a couple of quid and just as effective imo). Under no circumstances give whole eggshell as the chooks may decide that egg-eating is a good idea.

I'm dubious as to the merits of layers mash/pellets - I don't feed it anymore, just mixed grain plus any left over pasta/rice/potato/tomatoes etc and my chooks have always laid really well. They are completely free-range though, so eat lots of grass and insects (and lettuce, cabbage, various flowers and other stuff I would rather they didn't).

As to the small eggs, pullets and chooks coming into lay often lay small eggs, like a practice run, but generally only one or two. If your chook is consistently laying small eggs there may be something else wrong. Worth a call to the breeder maybe?

How many treats is too many?

We're getting just one egg per day (8 chicken), they are free ranging most days and i scatter corn and vegetables(mostly spring greens which they LOVE) on teh grass.

Should we give less treats and maybe scatter teh layers pellets instead?

If they are anything like my chooks, they will ignore the layers pellets no matter how little of anything else they get. Lots of greens are what chickens eat naturally so I think spring greens etc arn't really a treat. 1 egg per day from 8 chooks isn't many though - are they point of lay?

Yes, we've had them since teh end of may and they were all just at POL teh week end we got them.

Am I expecting too much if they are all only just a few weeks beyond POL??

We are giving oyster shells and the baked egg shells already - they really do not like the pellets. The breeder suggested that if they don't eat the pellets don't give the corn, but it makes no difference they HATE pellets Also give them spring greens which they love. Yesterday no eggs, day before we got three? We've had 9 eggs in the last 7 days off 3 chickens, maybe I'll have to start buying them again...

It really doesn't help that the weather has been cold. Chickens start to lay as the days get longer, but cold weather can delay this as it isn't good for bringing up chicks successfully. I would carry on as usual and see how they go once we get some properly warm weather.

Yep, pellets are a waste of money. Feeding corn ad lib is fine (though watch for rats).

Traaa laaa laaaaa
we got 2 eggs today

2nd one was about an hour ago, is that odd or do they lay throughout the day?

i am getting about 6 eggs a day from 6 hens. some are small, we get quite a few jumbo sized double yoke ones (poor hen!) the sizes are a real mixup.
and yes, they do come throughout the day i find. usually 3-5 in the morning to collect, and the rest i get later.

My Barbu Coco lays throughout the day, getting gradually later and later until she misses a day completely. She is sitting right now in fact.

Lucky you getting double yolkers.

Trrrrraaaa laaaa laaaaa
The late egg we got yesterday was from Ds2s chook and it was a double yolker!

He's eating it for breakfast as a type this

Great isn't it? DD did not like eggs at all until she was put in charge of egg collection duties as soon as she could walk. Eggs are now her favorite food.

They take a while to settle into laying LTH, and different breeds come into lay at different ages - some are about 19 weeks, others can be much later.

We get 3 or 4 a day from 4 hens.