Is it normal for eggs to get smaller within the first year?

[nittanyxi]

All my chickens are 11 months old.
It seems like some of them are laying smaller eggs than they have in the past.
I know my leghorns eggs are smaller now than they were months ago although She still lays one every day and only skips a day about every 45 days. Is it normal for eggs to get smaller on such young chickens?

I have 17 hens and I have been giving them 12 crumbled hard boiled eggs about 4-5 times per week. I though it would be a good high protien treat. should I stop giving this to them?

 

[cybercat]

No it is not normal if it stays that way. Size can change some from big to small but usually goes back to big. I would look to feed. Cut out scratch if feeding it, only feed layer and something over 16% if free ranging or giveing extras like food scraps or treats. If giving treats cut out everything for a bit and just feed layer see if that helps first. If not then look for higher protien layer feed before doing anything else. Usually that will fix things right up.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup, up portion, protein and calories to increase egg size. That said, there is something about going over board and pushing the hens. It's a fine line, I grant you, but pushing too hard to get bigger eggs also has its concerns, just make a note.

 

[nittanyxi]

I have 17 hens and I have been giveing them about 12 crumbled hard boiled eggs about 4 to 5 times a week. I though that would be a good treat high in protien. should I stop giveing that to them?

 

[Dingleberry]

 

[sparklechicken]

They might start laying larger eggs when the weather warms up. Did the egg size decrease when winter started? That would be my guess. Also, did you mean you're feeding them a dozen eggs a week, or 4-5 dozen eggs a week? If it's 4-5 dozen, I might cut down on it a bit

 

[Judy]

I wondered, you said "it seems like" they are getting smaller, and apparently are only sure about one hen. I know my eggs vary a bit in size, and they also vary in shape. The one Leghorn I had for any length of time usually laid a great big egg daily, but it definitely was different in shape if not weight at times. I have never weighed my eggs or paid much attention to this.

So, I wonder if you have a good egg weighing scale? Or could get one? I used to have a good battery operated one that was not expensive. It would be interesting to see how the weights compare. You could try reducing the hard boiled eggs for a while to see if it makes a difference, I guess.

I have no idea what is going on here; these are just some thoughts. I even tried researching it in some literature about egg defects and found no reference to eggs decreasing in size.

Here is where I usually look to research egg defects:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/38/preface

 

[Tala]

When I switched mine from 20% protein to 16% SOME of my breeds did start laying smaller eggs. Some of the girls keep churning out big ones though - so big I can't close the cartons! Not sure how that happened unless there is a lot of feed hogging. I'm not seeing it though, one of the smaller egg layers is the one I see pecking other girls away from food