more eggs than hens!

kareninthesun

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My daily routine is to check the nesting boxes every morning at dawn when I free them from the coop. I have early layers. then around noon, and again about an hour before they call it a night. I always keep a separate bowl starting the day to get a count of how many Im geting a day. 19 hens. all roosters rehomed to a friend. todays egg count: 23. can hens occasionally wait before laying and then have another egg close by? just seems odd that theres four extras. the only thing Ive done different is gave them left over tuna sandwiches yesterday. which they love!
 
I've heard of some chickens being able to sometimes produce more than one egg in a 24-hour cycle. I think Leghorns are the ones I read about. Then they will return to normal.


Maybe the longer daylight, and the tuna sandwiches helped them produce more, but I think that the cause-and-effect timing may be a little off. I think that the normal egg process from ovulation to laying takes 25 hours.

So it would be what they were fed the day before that would effect today's eggs. Does that make sense?
 
yeah, thank you. the next day they were in sinque, choosing it to be their day off. had a total of eight eggs.
 
yesterday, nine. Hunted carefully all through the coop and nesting boxes, found no more there. Hunted all over the yard, in every hiding spot. Zip. Last careful search just as the girls were in the bottom of the coop preparing to go upstairs for the night. They saw me and all came running, hoping for treats or my body to fall as fast food. No more eggs anywhere, locked everything up for the evening. The sun was just setting, about 5:30 PM.

This morning, let everyone out, refilled food and water dishes, checked ALL areas for eggs. About 10 were hanging out at the nesting boxes (two of eight), two in nesting areas they built where the hay bale is inside the coop, and two where they thought were hidden nests in the yard. This was at 7 AM. No eggs yet. Again, 19 hens.

I checked again at 11:45 AM, and picked out a treasure trove of eggs. Counted 27! 27!!!!!!! Wonder if they were backed up internally. I can't even use the excuse that some laid early, then towards the evening since I carefully checked. This is crazy! Even did a recount of chickens in case a few magically showed up, but nope. Since I was the only person awake or home, can't even conclude it was a joke.
 
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.
 
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?
 

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