How many eggs should I get a day?

[ourcoop62108]

@donrae thank you for your response. They are a little bit over a year, to be honest I have never measured their space--my husband did the math on that one. We did recently add some new chicks to the flock, but the feather loss was prior to that. I am starting to think the feather loss on the bellies maybe broodiness? And I really am thinking the feather loss on the backs is because of picking. I don't know how to stop that behavior. Any other suggestions of things I should be on the look out for? I mean they all look healthy. I was just concerned with the feather loss that something other could be wrong and have read decreased egg production is a sign and had no basis for comparisons. Thanks for your advise!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

First off back yard chicken flocks are supposed to be fun. But they are also not supposed to be poultry rest homes.

If you don't like looking at your birds your sure not going to take as good a care of them as someone who loves every wart and wrinkle on his flock of hens. But if your playing Farmer MacDonald then one needs to think like Farmer MacDonald thinks and acts. Because only then can you appreciate the problems of farming.

You can probably keep 2 to 3 Mediterranean style hens (say up to 4 pounds each) on the same amount of chicken feed that it takes to feed one Black Jersey Giant hen at 8 to 12 pounds per copy. As an added bonus each Mediterranean type hen should lay well over 50% more eggs than a BJG lays.

The same is true but to a lesser extent with the SLW hens. Even the venerable RIR is at heart a multipurpose breed, she's just dressed up in a laying hens' clothes.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

@donrae thank you for your response. They are a little bit over a year, to be honest I have never measured their space--my husband did the math on that one. We did recently add some new chicks to the flock, but the feather loss was prior to that. I am starting to think the feather loss on the bellies maybe broodiness? And I really am thinking the feather loss on the backs is because of picking. I don't know how to stop that behavior. Any other suggestions of things I should be on the look out for? I mean they all look healthy. I was just concerned with the feather loss that something other could be wrong and have read decreased egg production is a sign and had no basis for comparisons. Thanks for your advise!

If your hens are picking at one another, I'd suspect that they don't have enough space. I'd go and measure your run and coop and see if that is the case. If it is, the only way to stop it and thus increase your egg production since they will be healthier and happier, you'll need to either reduce your flock to be appropriate for your run and coop or add more space for them.