- Mar 22, 2016
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I have an aseel hen, fourteen months old, which is a breed known for poor egg laying but going broody a lot. Well she started laying at five months and only laid fifteen eggs before deciding to sit on them. Fast forward five months and the chickens were fully 'weaned' and she started laying again. This was mid December. I don't supplement lighting and feed them layer pellets as well as a few treats, mostly fruit and veg, and they get a couple of hours a day to free range and the rest of the day is spent in a covered run.
Now it is spring and she has not stopped laying. For a long time she was laying around five eggs a week in a 3 or 2 on, 1 off pattern. However the warmer weather seems to have sped things up and this week she has laid for the past five days in a row. I believe she laid a shell-less egg yesterday less than 24 hours after the previous days egg (I found a big shredded membrane mess in the coop where she usually lays and have hears shell less eggs can be due to overproduction). The egg shells are not good quality either, very pale and with tiny calcium bumps on the ends. They are large eggs for her size.
I have two other hens who are also laying quite a lot but their eggs are so far smaller, browner, and smoother. I'm worried about the first hen getting worn out. Is there anything I can do to slow down how many eggs she produces, or should I just leave her to it? What could be the cause of so many eggs and should I be worried?
Now it is spring and she has not stopped laying. For a long time she was laying around five eggs a week in a 3 or 2 on, 1 off pattern. However the warmer weather seems to have sped things up and this week she has laid for the past five days in a row. I believe she laid a shell-less egg yesterday less than 24 hours after the previous days egg (I found a big shredded membrane mess in the coop where she usually lays and have hears shell less eggs can be due to overproduction). The egg shells are not good quality either, very pale and with tiny calcium bumps on the ends. They are large eggs for her size.
I have two other hens who are also laying quite a lot but their eggs are so far smaller, browner, and smoother. I'm worried about the first hen getting worn out. Is there anything I can do to slow down how many eggs she produces, or should I just leave her to it? What could be the cause of so many eggs and should I be worried?