How long can a young hen lay one egg a day without a day off?

[HoopyFrood]

Howdy, All!

One of our girls, Holly, a "Rhode Island Red", started laying about two months ago (she's now about 10 1/2 months old). When she first started laying she took one day off on the second or third day.

Ever since she has laid an egg every single day with no days off. I've heard young layers can be prolific, but that seems like a lot! Her cycle is almost exactly 24 hours (she's maybe drifted one hour in her laying time over the past two months).

How long can a young layer keep this up?

EDIT: Put RIR in quotes. I only just learned heritage RIRs are different. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the differences between a "production" red and a "hatchery" red are. The hatchery called her and her sis "RIR" but you can see her in my avatar... she's obviously not a heritage RIR. Also her eggs have (and always have had) white speckles. She's the only one that does that...

 

[Kiki]

"Production" birds are breed to lay like crazy for the first few years.
It's what they do.

 

[HoopyFrood]

"Production" birds are breed to lay like crazy for the first few years.
It's what they do.

"Like crazy" I like that...

Funny that her sister - the other "RIR" - has the normal longer-than-24 hr cycle. She's also smaller but lays bigger eggs. Go figure

So you think this could keep up for a year or more? Wow...

 

[Kiki]

"Like crazy" I like that...

Funny that her sister - the other "RIR" - has the normal longer-than-24 hr cycle. She's also smaller but lays bigger eggs. Go figure

So you think this could keep up for a year or more? Wow...

Yep.
Some (production) usually don't (in my experience) lay too long.
A year or two/three is good!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Yep.
Some (production) usually don't (in my experience) lay too long.
A year or two/three is good!

Good heavens! Well I look forward to her taking a break from laying for whatever reason because she makes a huge deal out of it every single day! She makes a colossal amount of noise before she lays... sometimes for a couple hours!

 

[lazy gardener]

I believe the record is held by a Black Australorpe. One pullet/hen was reported to have laid 364 eggs in a 365 day time period.

 

[lazy gardener]

They sing: when getting ready to lay an egg, while laying an egg, after laying an egg, when they think about laying an egg, when someone else lays an egg, when someone else who is thinking about an egg is singing.

 

[Kiki]

They sing: when getting ready to lay an egg, while laying an egg, after laying an egg, when they think about laying an egg, when someone else lays an egg, when someone else who is thinking about an egg is singing.

This is my Welsummers.
They drive me bananas some days.

 

[oregonkat]

They sing: when getting ready to lay an egg, while laying an egg, after laying an egg, when they think about laying an egg, when someone else lays an egg, when someone else who is thinking about an egg is singing.

Touche, my girls start singing about 6.00am and when one gets going, we have the choir within moments and then they go at it on and off until about 1.00pm when the last of them has laid. Thank goodness we live up in the hills with no close neighbors because there would be complaints, for sure!! I happen to love it but I know it drives others mad!

 

[Kiki]

Good heavens! Well I look forward to her taking a break from laying for whatever reason because she makes a huge deal out of it every single day! She makes a colossal amount of noise before she lays... sometimes for a couple hours!

Taking a break isn't always a good thing.
I'd worry more it she stopped laying than continued.