How Many Eggs Do You Think I Should Expect Each Week?

[chickenlover09]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone could help me get an estimate of how many eggs I might get each week when the girlies start laying.

I have 3 silkies, 1 silver laced wyndadotte, 1 I'm not sure the breed but she is a reddish yellow color normal feathers with a bit of black on her tail, and 1 Black Jersey Giant.


Their coop is near some trees. It's in the sun for maybe half the day (not including the night), but they get to free range for about 2-4 hours each day, and their free ranging area is in complete sun.


Thanks for any help!

I'm just wondering if we'll get enough eggs to just eat ourselves, or if we could get a permit and sell some or give them to neighbors.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Depending on age probably expect around 25 eggs a week.

 

[Kelsie2290]

X2, I'd expect your girls to lay 4-5 eggs a week when they are laying. But the silkie eggs are going to be small, and they tend to go broody quite often, so they may very well lay for a month or two then quit and go broody, even if you break them there will still be a gap in their laying.

 

[chickenlover09]

Okay thanks.

Right now they are between 3-4 months old. So they're still very young.


This is my first flock (we are backyard chicken owners, suburban area). I've only raised day old chicks, so I really have no experience with egg laying and broodiness.

I may sound like a complete "dummy" right now....... but can you please tell me what a hen going broody is? I don't have a rooster so we would never get chicks, but is it when the hen protects it's eggs, with it's life...???? My silkies have quite the attitude and always have fiesty personalities. My buff silkie seems to always sort of stick her but up in the air and squat, what is this?


thanks!

 

[andreanar]

Going broody is when they want to hatch the eggs. They will either lay or gather up a clutch of eggs and sit on them and not want to get off. They can get pretty grumpy during this. And they quit laying during this time. Silkies are notorious for going broody.

 

[chickenlover09]

Okay thanks!!

Is it okay to take them off the eggs though? Of course with some heavy duty gloves on though...

 

[Kelsie2290]

Yes, it is fine to take them off the eggs, but you usually have to do more than that to break them of being broody. There is a nice article in the Learning Center that has some tips for stopping them, https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/encouraging-or-discouraging-broodiness-in-your-hens I like to use the wire cage method mentioned. Silkies will often go broody three or four or even more times a year, they are probably the most popular breed to use as broodies if you want to have hens hatch eggs.

 

[chickenlover09]

Okay thanks so much for the article.

I might buy a few fertilized eggs in the future, and when one of them is broody I'll just replace the eggs.