Need help

[Menas Chickens]

I have 11 chickens, a mixture, we had 5, I was getting 4-5 eggs a day. Over the summer we added 6 more, once the pecking order was done, and the chickens all settled into the new coop, I started getting some eggs, which I noticed one was broke. This doesn't happen everyday with a broken egg. I only get 4-9 eggs a day, depending on the day, (would like 11 since I have 11 girls. I did the golf ball trick, I put an egg in there with mustard, that got crushed. So I wondering if they are eating my eggs, or stepping on them, or laying on them. Any suggestions, on getting them all to lay, and to help with finding out if the egg is getting eaten or sat on.

thanks

 

[HEChicken]

11 eggs from 11 chickens is an unrealistic goal. I don't think I have EVER got the same number eggs as I have laying hens, all in one day - it simply doesn't work that way. It largely depends on the breed you have. If you have production egg layers, you will get a higher number of eggs in their first year of laying, followed by a sharp drop off in laying as they will burn out faster. Many production egg layers will lay 5-6 eggs a week for that first year. If you have heritage birds, they will lay 3-4 eggs a week and lay at that rate for several years, tapering off more slowly.

Regardless of whether they are production or heritage breeds, they will likely take a break in the fall to molt, a break that be 6-8 weeks long. And, as the days get shorter, laying slows down as well. Typically pullets in their first year of laying will lay through the winter but in subsequent years will practically stop altogether when the days get shorter, and come spring you'll be inundated with eggs again.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

11 eggs from 11 chickens is an unrealistic goal. I don't think I have EVER got the same number eggs as I have laying hens, all in one day - it simply doesn't work that way. It largely depends on the breed you have. If you have production egg layers, you will get a higher number of eggs in their first year of laying, followed by a sharp drop off in laying as they will burn out faster. Many production egg layers will lay 5-6 eggs a week for that first year. If you have heritage birds, they will lay 3-4 eggs a week and lay at that rate for several years, tapering off more slowly.

Regardless of whether they are production or heritage breeds, they will likely take a break in the fall to molt, a break that be 6-8 weeks long. And, as the days get shorter, laying slows down as well. Typically pullets in their first year of laying will lay through the winter but in subsequent years will practically stop altogether when the days get shorter, and come spring you'll be inundated with eggs again.

x2. You won't get 11 eggs from 11 chickens pretty much ever. Birds laying 4-6 eggs a week is entirely normal, depending on the breed and age of the birds.

Try tracking your birds' egg laying. Each day, divide the number of eggs you get by the number of birds you have. That will give you a "daily rate of lay" percentage, such as .75 (which is 75%). A realistic rate of lay for mixed-age and mixed-breed backyard flocks this time of year is in the 50% - 75% range, depending on whether you supplement with light. Commercial birds, optimized for laying at 25 weeks, might get up to a 90% rate of lay, but that's not realistic for backyard flocks for a variety of reasons. You can also drop all this into a spreadsheet and then average your daily rate of lay over a week to get a weekly rate of lay, which sounds like it would be more useful to you.

11 chickens laying 9 eggs a day is an 81% rate of lay. 11 chickens laying 4 eggs per day is a 36% rate of lay. If you got 9 eggs one day and 4 the next, your two day average is 76.5% and is FABULOUS for this time of year. Your girls are doing right by you.

 

[aart]

Hmmmmm......

Just got my first flock, 1 rooster just over 1 year old, 5 hens from 1 to 1 1/2 years old and 4 pullets supposedly about 4 months old.
All mutts of dark and light brahma, maybe some Wyandot, maybe some cochin, maybe some australorp.

They've been here for 2 weeks, never really missed a beat with the laying. Got 2-3 or 4 eggs per day the first week, this week 3-4 or 5 per day.

Thought, oh good, all the hens are laying, then I read this and it seems one or more of the pullets might be laying too.
I've been out there quite a lot, checking the nests often and working on the coop, and have never seen a pullet come out of the nest and sing, but have seen all the hens perform. They do want to roost in there, the bigger chicken pick on them a lot and they spend most their day off the floor avoiding them(no run yet).

hhmmmmmm....... guess ya just never know!