how many eggs for me in 20 weeks?

[ticks]

How many eggs will 6 little pullets pop out? I know its based on many things but what is the typical amount per week.

 

[Josie]

The first year I got 1 egg a day from my RIR. Now I am getting an average of 6 eggs a week per bird.

 

[Davaroo]

The world record egg layer was an Australorp which laid 340 eggs in 365 days. I dont belive that has been bested and if it has, it hasn't been by much. That record was the result of INTENSE management and effort, by the way, and was not some random yard bird spurting out cackleberry's.

One egg every other day is more the norm and even that is considered good. It has long been the goal of poultrymen everywhere to create the hen that lays 200 eggs/year. Commercial layers may just manage that, but again, those are intensely managed, genetic mutants and not your average yard bird.

Biologists say that it takes the egg 25-27 hours to be formed and lain by the hen. That is text book stuff, under ideal conditions. For the normal "home chicken," I'd consider an egg every other day, averaged over the year, as good. During the height of spring laying season, it can reach one per day. At summer's peak, egg laying may come to a screeching halt, depending on the weather.

So, let it get a little too hot or cold, or the hen get to feeling ill, or the winter daylight change come on, or the local cat get a little too close in his daily rounds and ....well, these all can disturb the egg laying.

Yes, you can extend laying into the winter season with artificial lighting - it is one of our favorite topics around here. It is extra work and energy to do this, requires more feed and still it isn't a sure bet on the numbers. Normally, they're reduced and you want to be careful or the girls will suffer burnout.

There is one sure time they WON'T lay: during the molt. At least I have never heard of the normal chicken that lays while molting, so count that as a lost production period.

My point with all of this is to illustrate, hopefully showing that egglaying is naturally seasonal, and can be even irregular, unless you take some serious steps to intervene. One egg every other day is about average and so I'd bank on that - well, when they're laying, that is.

Six hens X (7days/2) = 21 eggs/week.


Does that sound like what you were thinking?