how many eggs until they skip a day?

[sheeshshe]

My BO started laying eggs on Friday. She has layed 5 so far... how many days do they lay before they skip a day, in general? Yesterday I went out there around noon and she was laying on her egg in her little nest she made. SO cute!! I thought they did that 25/26 hour laying cycle thing and that she'd be laying later in the afternoon at this point and be ready to skip a day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They are all individuals. Some will lay one egg then wait several days to lay the second. Some just jump in and seem to not stop.

I think the 25 hour cycle is somewhat individual also. I have one that seems to follow it and two that seem to be more of a 24 hour cycle, both laying early afternoon if they lay. The 25 hours is supposedly the time from when the egg starts the journey through the egg laying factory until it is laid. I have never seen anything that says an egg waits until the previous egg is laid before it starts that journey.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

A good hen will generally go on a 5 day cycle. We have a few that do 5 on 2 off. We have a lot of hens that do 3 on 1 off 3 on 2 off. Our 4 best hens, which were mixed, each went 37 days straight before one of them missed a day. It all just varies by the hen and the amount of daylight. Feed and water consumption and stress factors all play an important role in a hens laying cycle also.

 

[NellaBean]

I have 1 hen who has gone nearly 2 months without taking a day off. And she still consistently lays very large eggs early in the morning. She is a young white leghorn. Started laying august 12th and has never taken a day off.

I keep telling her to skip a day, put her feet up and chill out for a bit.

My other white leghorn goes weeks at a time without taking a break, but has taken a day off here and there. My RIR has gotten to where she will go a week or two without a day off, and only take 1 day and then start right back up. My Jersey giant only lays a few days in a row and then takes a day or two off before maybe going back (ha). My others are not consistent layers...few eggs a week if I'm lucky...they are cochins and buttercups, so not surprising.

 

[sheeshshe]

ahh, so there really is a large range of normal! very interesting!

I haven't gone out to check yet today if she laid a 6th egg, it was rainign earlier... but I looked out earlier and she wasn't in the run with the others, so my guess is that she did. can't wait to take a peeek!

 

[elmo]

My little bantam just laid her second egg in a row today, and she's not quite five months old. It's so exciting to find that little egg in the box!

 

[sheeshshe]

OK! She did indeed lay another one today... so thats 6 days in a row! thats a good stretch for a first time layer in my opinion LOL! I'm proud of her! oh and I haven't eaten any yet. I jsut want to look at them still. I figure, we'll finish off the box from the store and then start eating those? I guess? I don't have the heart, LOL! pathetic I know!

 

[Akane]

Mine tend to go in longer cycles but there are differences between not only individuals but breeds. Most of my standards tend to lay for weeks to a month or more straight and then not lay for a week. My EEs especially do that. My dark brown layers don't take as often of breaks but are easily stressed by things. The weather suddenly turned cold and I haven't seen a brown egg in a month. If something attacks the flock they won't lay for weeks. However when they aren't stressed at all they lay every day without fail for months at a time. My bantam EEs and japanese bantams are more likely to do the 3 days of laying, 1 day not, and then 3 more days of laying. In the end I actually get more bantam eggs than anything even though they skip days more frequently.