Two a Day?

[MusiGal]

I've been averaging anywhere from 3-5 eggs a day since my girls started laying 5-6 weeks ago. Yesterday, I went out and found only one egg. Quite unusual, but I looked everywhere, even underneath their bedding as they've been burying their eggs lately, but there weren't any others. I went out first thing this morning before heading out to work to check as mine have been known to lay either during the night (maybe right before roosting for the night?) or bright and early in the morning in the past. There were none. So, I get home from work at about 5:30 PM, this is what I found.


SIX EGGS! The problem is, I only have FIVE hens. So I'm guessing hens can sometimes lay two eggs in one day. I believe the two in the top left corner of the photo were laid by the same hen. They just turned 30 weeks old on Tuesday, so I guess that makes them pullets. At any rate, I found this interesting and thought I'd share.

 

[sumi]

It is rare, but some hens can and do lay twice a day. Often the second egg will be incomplete, for example soft shelled or completely shell less, or in some cases oddly shaped, due to the hen's shell gland having to fit two eggs in where there should only be one egg at a time. Things like this is more common in your layers, though, as their reproductive systems need a little time to work out the kinks and start working properly.