20 hens only 7 eggs at the most a day GOOD OR BAD????

[Bellatrixed]

If your chickens are only a year old, I don't think you need to get rid of them yet... I think most breeds are still productive through 2-3 years. Of course the rate of lay will be slower than a fresh laying pullet of a high production breed, but if you just want eggs, I wouldn't worry too much over declining rates on chickens that young.

 

[tbridegroom]

We take care of a friend's chickens also. All barred rocks and RIR's. They as well slowed to about 1/2 their normal (before winter) laying rate.
Assuming the majority of your eggs hatch, and those hens start laying regularly, you're probably going to end up like me.....with way more eggs than a normal family can eat LOL.
If your existing hens just started laying last year, they will pick up with the warmth and longer hours of sunlight!!

i would like to start selling eggs and still keep up with my familiys and excited familys needs

 

[JennB]

I have the same question. My 15 girls are almost a yr old,I got them at 8months, before winter I was getting 10-12 eggs/day up until this week I was getting 7-9/day. The last 3 days only 2/day. These birds are large mixed breed. I I'm in ohio. We had a bitter cold spell on and off the last 2 weeks.
But my other problem I have been dealing with since I got them is diarrhea and lots of missing butt feathers and clumping poo around vent. I have try everything. Cottage cheese, acv, they free range almost everyday. I'm kinda thinking there's an underlying problem. But they seem healthy, they all run around the yard, digging and tormenting the dogs. Any thoughts?

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

After reading these posts I am so depressed. I have a coop full of 2 yr old hens (at least 20) and I am getting 1 egg every 2 days. Gonna have to have a serious talk with my girls.

 

[Victoria-nola]

imo if you are incubating 28 more eggs that's going to be too many chickens for the space you have.

 

[lahowardjr]

Well....I think 2-4 eggs is low for the number of hens you have. I'm depressed about getting eight eggs from fourteen hens. Hens need 12-14 hours of light for good production. Add a light on a timer in the coop to extend the day. Lighting helped me and it will still take a week or so to see an increase. Keep drafts to a minimum in the coop at night. Two year old hens should produce every other day or better. It also seems that when I clean the coop, the better the # of eggs I get on that day.

Don't know exactly why. (Amonia?) There seems to me to be plenty of room on your run for the number of chickens you have. You should let them free range in the yard though. I let mine out an hour or so before dark so they wont stray too far before they return to roost. They seem happy and peck at the green grass spots in my yard. Maybe you can use some of my experiences to help produce more eggs.

 

[HEATHERINOTSEGO]

I have 13 girls, and they were only laying 1 or 2 also. I live in Michigan, it was 9 degrees last night. I added another heat light, so there are 2 now, that increased it to 4 a day. Then,I also decreased all the "clutter" in the coop, extra boxes, buckets, they werent laying in them anyways. I nailed a milk crate, with the opening facing the ceiling about 18 inches high and stuffed it with hay. On the other side of the coup I put up a real nesting box, the plastic 20 dollar one. I then used the golf ball trick Ive heard a few people use here. Put a few golf balls in the nesting box and leave them there. Two days later, and now I have 8 a day!

 

[hnybny91]

I have 10 hens that just started laying about six weeks or so ago (except for one hold out that just started laying last week) and I get between 5 -7 a day. I live in AZ though so cold is not really a problem (although it seems cold to us lately but we are spoiled...lol)

 

[tbridegroom]

yes i need to put some real nesting boxes...i got some steel boxes from work that i plan on making into nesting boxes just need a couple things done with them......right now some lay on the flooor of the coop which is annoying.......i hope to post some pictures tomorow or something so that i can show everyone my farm......i dont want to let them free range because i am actually in city limits but my property has a special ordinece which allows me to have farm animals its pretty cool