How long do hens on average lay eggs before they stop altogether?

[AndyL]

Hi, I am just curious if any of you eggsperts know the average timespan that a hen will lay eggs if her lifetime? Might be a silly question but there has to be some amount of time. Two years, three, four..........or what?

If it is breed specific I am going to be getting four Australorps and four White Barred Rocks.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Andy

 

[Tiramisu]

A chicken can lay for quite some time, but I think between 1-3 years is when they are most productive, and then with aging productivity will decrease.

 

[Davaroo]

Depends on if you mean completely stop or just slowing down to inefficiency.

I've never had a chicken live long enough to stop laying altogether, so I dont know.

I know the scientists say they only live 3-5 years. But there is always someone to say that their chicken(s) is about a gazillion years old and is still laying strong.

So lets see what the group says.

 

[RhodeRunner]

I had an eight-year-old mixed bantam hen that was a seasonal layer. She laid about 3-4 eggs a week when she wasn’t broody. She would also take a week off here and there. I also had an RIR given to me by a neighbor who said that she was five years old, and she didn’t lay a thing. Old hens aren’t very reliable in the egg-laying department. I suppose their egg laying depends on the breed as well as their general health.

Goodluck with your new birdies.

 

[IggiMom]

I don't know the answer (but it isn't stopping me from speculating).

First, I think that the really heavy layers, like Leghorns, are bred to lay so much that they burn themselves out in a few years.

So you are better off with a heritage breed, which I think is what you said you are getting. Some breeds lay a reasonable number of eggs and keep on doing so for quite a while.

Second, and this is my belief that I could not prove if I had to, I think that if they are free ranging and eating lots of nice healthy bugs and stuff, they will lay longer, and also of course if they are on pasture.

 

[chickenkate]

On average a hen will lay 2-4 years, then stop, or slow signifigantly.

 

[chickorama]

they start at around 6-12 months, depending on the breed. They end around 3 and a half or 4 years. when they get older their laying decreases.