16 eggs from 7 chickens?

[mysticrose]

This morning my daughter went out and collected 12 eggs. My son claims last night the nest was empty. We only have 7 chickens. We started with 6. 3 RR and 3 BR then we ended up adopting a Dellaware over the winter. She walked into the yard and never left now she is in the flock. Then this afternoon I went back out and got 4 more freshly laid they were still warm.

All the shells are good and hard, no discoloration. I'm just wondering what the heck we are doing to get them to lay so much? They are all free range in the backyard. We throw them scraps all the time, including egg shells. (Even throw them eggs they won't eat them unless they have cracked open) We still have a "nightlight" on in the hutch. The big babies refuse to roost unless they have light.

This morning I kept thinking about that chicken cartoon where the farmer said once his hen was done laying he'd eat her. Then the next clip shows the hen running to the store for eggs.

Everywhere I have looked says 1 maybe 2 eggs a day. Are my chickens total freaks or can this be normal?

 

[azelgin]

It is extremely rare for a hen to lay more than one egg per day. When it happens, she will have skipped a day laying and will most likely skip the day after. The odds of all your hens laying two eggs, and one of them laying three per day, would be astronomical.