Hey Karen,
Your chickens are breaking the rules. It does sound like they can, somewhat control.or postpone or store the eggs. (just from the times and the numbers.) It would be interesting to see if your over a week, or over a month average comes to one-egg per hen per day.
I wonder about the statistics that are used in studies. I was reading Gail Damerow's Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens"
Quote: "In 1979, a strain of superior Leghorns developed at the University of Missouri averaged more than one egg per day per hen. One of the hens laid 371 eggs in 364 says, and another laid an egg a day for 448 days without a break"
If that was way back in 1979, and the ones that lay the most eggs most frequently are the ones most likely to pass along their genetics to the posterity, then it stands to reason that chicken egg laying can increase. Interesting too, that your chooks also took a day off so that they will be approaching the averages, even if they can lay 2-a-day.
It is an interesting dilemma though. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the information! I've got a mixed breed of types: Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock, Olives, Black Copper Marans, black sex link, an Araucana and a bunch of ee sisters. I wonder if there is some sort of floating-on-the-wind chicken hormone that encourages all to join in and lay when they do, sort of like the study done on a large group of Nuns living together whom eventually ended up having their monthly cycles co-ordinate at the same time?