How many hens to supply a family of 6 with eggs?

[speckledhen]

I have kept an egg journal since Jan. 1 this year. I have gotten as many as 61 eggs and as few as 48 eggs from ten one-yr-old hens. The average is about 56 per week from those Girls. My breeds are Rhode Island Red, Buff Orp, Silver Laced Wyandotte and Barred Plymouth Rock. Maybe those numbers will help. My Girls are very good layers so I think that 48 was only one week since the first of the year.

 

[MoonGoddess]

Thanks again guys.
Speckledhen, may I ask how many hens you have?

I think tomorrow I will go and get maybe 5 more. I have a lot of people I know in the area becase I am part of a very nice homeschooling group, so I will just give away the extras to the ladies in the group. I think if I get another 5 then there should be no shortage of what we will use in the winter. We have the space, it was just that I was being prudent.

I really appreciate the info.

 

[Llysse]

Keep in mind, MoonGoddess, that once you taste these eggs, you may be eating more of them, too.

 

[SpottedCrow]

A new pullet (hen under a year old) will lay 6 out of 7 days. She will take a day sometimes 2 off, then start all over again...If your hen goes broody (wanting to sit on her eggs) or moults(sheds her feathers), her body will stop producing eggs until she's done., 3 weeks or so for a broody, a month or two for the moult.
I think Speckled Hen has 10 birds.

 

[MoonGoddess]

Makes sense. Yeah, I'm definitely going to bring my count up to ten.

 

[speckledhen]

Yep, S. C. is correct, I have ten laying right now. Plus I'll have that many more start up in June. THEN, probably twice that many start up in August, if they don't wait through the winter.

 

[Southern Chickens]

Speckledhen,
Off subject, but didn't want to repost the mystery chick post. Lots of people are watching that one. I need to know what the temp should be in the water weasel? The air is 103 and the weasel is 99. Just wondering if it's too hot. Thanks.
Southernchick

 

[speckledhen]

The water weasel temp should ideally be 99.5, but you want to maintain an average of that, so from 99-100 is ok. Now, 103 is pretty high. Do you have a still air bator? The air temp in there at the top of the eggs should be between 101-102. However, if you watch the water weasel temps alone, you'd probably do pretty well. Just be sure your thermometer is accurate. So many hatches are lost because of inaccurate instruments, in my opinion. And it isnt our fault-they make them so cheap and badly these days that you have to pay alot to get one that works right, it seems.
Oh, and since you mentioned it, Mystery is still a mystery! I'm going insane with waiting!

 

[Southern Chickens]

Thanks so much Speckledhen. I have a bator that I made, it's a still air. The weasel is staying at about 99.3. Thanks so much.

 

[Andypandy]

Even with twenty hens after three years you will be lucky to get six eegs a week....Andypandy from oz.