Leghorn egg size

[featheredplanets]

My Leghorn hybrid is a great layer, lays everyday without fail, doesn’t mess about in the nest and doesn’t eat as much as the red sex links. But she lays tiny eggs. She’s been laying for about 5 months now, in the first 3 months she laid two double yolkers and her eggs were medium (around 60g) but over the last month or two her eggs have gotten smaller and smaller and weighed around 55g. Todays egg weighed in at just 50g, yesterday’s 51g, the day before 53g. She eats fine, no stress, one of the top hens. Food and water available 24/7.

Are the small eggs because she’s a hybrid derived from a Leghorn? I was going to get two more next year but the eggs are disappointing me. Do pure Leghorns lay bigger eggs?

Any help/advice appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Parront]

Leghorns and the crosses from them are very good layers, and usually lay quite a large egg considering the size of the bird. Your hen might be getting ready to molt, it's fall. So, the small eggs might just mean she's ready to stop laying soon.

 

[featheredplanets]

Leghorns and the crosses from them are very good layers, and usually lay quite a large egg considering the size of the bird. Your hen might be getting ready to molt, it's fall. So, the small eggs might just mean she's ready to stop laying soon.

Sorry I didn’t specify whether she’s a hen or pullet. She’s a pullet. 10 months old. So shouldn’t be moulting.

Thanks for the help though!

 

[SueT]

Pullets can molt. I had a batch of them that all molted and stopped laying their first fall (2017). I reported this on BYC, and a surprising number of people replied that their new pullets were molting that fall too. Previous and subsequent years, pullets didn't molt.

 

[featheredplanets]

Pullets can molt. I had a batch of them that all molted and stopped laying their first fall (2017). I reported this on BYC, and a surprising number of people replied that their new pullets were molting that fall too. Previous and subsequent years, pullets didn't molt.

Oh OK. I haven’t seen any loose feathers, none on the ground either. She lays well, just rather small eggs. Red sex links are same age and lay medium sized eggs, 63-70g.

 

[aart]

What kind of hybrid?
Do you know the cross?

Although pullets may molt, it's not that common...and shouldn't effect egg size.

She may just not be up to full capacity yet, I've had a few pullets that took 6 months to get to a 'large' size egg.

 

[sealer39]

I’ve always kept a few pure white Leghorns. They are so reliable for large to x-large white eggs and lay almost every day. I’ve never experimented with any of the hybrids because I really can’t see an improvement over that.

 

[featheredplanets]

What kind of hybrid?
Do you know the cross?

Although pullets may molt, it's not that common...and shouldn't effect egg size.

She may just not be up to full capacity yet, I've had a few pullets that took 6 months to get to a 'large' size egg.

Not sure of cross. Just sold as ‘Leghorn Hybrid’.

I was thinking she may just need more time but I thought maybe something could be wrong as the eggs seem to be getting smaller. They weigh the same as my Sussex bantam’s eggs.

 

[featheredplanets]

I’ve always kept a few pure white Leghorns. They are so reliable for large to x-large white eggs and lay almost every day. I’ve never experimented with any of the hybrids because I really can’t see an improvement over that.

That’s why the small eggs confuse me! I hatched Leghorns once and the eggs they came from were huge, almost like goose eggs. I may hatch some pure Leghorns next year to raise instead of hybrids, had nothing but issues with them.

 

[aart]

Not sure of cross. Just sold as ‘Leghorn Hybrid’.

I was thinking she may just need more time but I thought maybe something could be wrong as the eggs seem to be getting smaller. They weigh the same as my Sussex bantam’s eggs.

You only have the one?
Could be the cross, could just be a 'lemon'.