How many eggs

Welcome to BYC Glad you joined us! How many eggs a hen will lay in her lifetime depends on the breed first of all, some lay only 60 to 120 in there lifetime, some prolific layers will lay 300 or more eggs in their first laying year, 200 the second year and 120 for the next three years, slowing down each year thereafter until they run out of egg cells. It also depends how long the hen lives, i.e. how long she's given. Many people process older hens as soon as they stop laying regularly, but hens can continue laying for many years, if given the chance. I've heard of a hen (A Buff Orpington cross) that still laid the odd egg aged 17 years! Factory farmed hens may well average between 300 and 400 eggs in their lifetime as they get slaughtered as soon their egg production slows down. Many people rescue and rehabilitate these "spent" layers and find they continue laying for a few more years, though not as frequently as they did during their peak.