How long do chickens lay eggs for?

[JakRat]

I was wondering how long chickens lay eggs for. My girls are 2 years old now and they stopped laying regularly in December. I had a friend tell me that they only lay for two years. Is this true?

 

[BlackDogPack]

Quote:
No, they lay longer than that but each year the production will go down on most chickens. Most likely your hens are going through a molt.

 

[JakRat]

Quote:
No, they lay longer than that but each year the production will go down on most chickens. Most likely your hens are going through a molt.

Whew! Good for them, my fiance was about to go out there with the soup pot and threaten them

 

[Matt A NC]

Old "Flatt Butt", a Buff Orp, will be 6 this year. She has been laying an egg every other day since February. She did take a longer then usual break over the winter, but that is normal.

Matt

 

[lovebabychicks]

I have 9 six year old hens. I get anywhere from two to seven eggs a day. They do not lay when they molt or during the winter.

 

[metaluno67]

They will lay in winter if you provide light for at least 13 hrs a day. When hens are hatched they're predisposed with an egg count, for example one hen has the genetics to lay 1000 eggs but another hen from the same brood could lay 1500 eggs. Each hen has this in there genetic makeup when they are hatched so the age of when they stop can vary quite differently.

 

[greening]

during the winter, it depends how much light they have a day. and as for the age, 1-3 years really productively and then sometimes they will lay until they are 7 maybe younger, maybe older...it all depends.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

The breed makes a difference. A breed that was developed to be a commercial layer that lays an egg everyday for the first year is going to slow down sooner than a breeder quality heritage hen that may only lay every other day. Commercial breeds were develop to have the highest rate of production, while heritage breeds were designed for consistent, long-term production. So depending on what you have, you may not have many more eggs after 2 years, or you may have eggs for many more years, as others have reported.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

There are seasonal rhythms to egg laying for chickens. The first year, as pullets, they aren't as effected by this. In the second year, you start seeing it.

In an adult chicken, they may stop laying eggs temporarily starting in the spring, if they go broody.

They usually stop laying in the fall, when they do a big molt, especially if they do a hard molt, where they lose a lot of feathers all at once, instead of more gradually. The better their diet is, the easier a time they will have growing feathers, which takes a lot of nutrients. Especially protein, methionine in particular.

Many chickens stop laying in the winter, when the days are shorter. Certain breeds are better than others at winter laying. You can also provide supplemental lighting, to provide a longer day and keep them laying. Some do, some don't.

Chickens can lay eggs for many years and can live into their teens, although not all do. At some point, they lay less and at some point they stop. When any of that happens is really a guessing game. I have some Faverolles right now that still laid an egg a day as three year olds. They're still doing well as four year olds, although now I'm seeing a reduction. Maybe 75% laying each day, at the moment. On the other hand, they're more broody than my others, so that cuts down a little on production. Some of my other purebreds that were breeder quality birds, weren't daily layers even as younger birds. They were gorgeous and sweet, though. Sometimes, even though you plan and read about breeds, you just have to wait and see what the genetics are of the chickens you end up with.