questions about egg laying

[cstronks]

aart,
Thanks for posting that article. Its got some great information!!

Just wanted to get a sense from people out there...
How drastic is the drop-off in eggs once the hens hit 3 years? 4 years?
What's the oldest hen that still layed at least 2 or 3 eggs a week?

My 3 year old hen RIR is good for 3-4 a week. She used to produce 6-7, with the occasional double-yoker. Production in winter is roughly 2 I would say. As for the Buff Orpingtons, they have laid 3-4 eggs a week since they began laying, and at 2 1/2 years they still lay 3-4 eggs a week for the entire year.

 

[aart]

My 3 year old hen RIR is good for 3-4 a week. She used to produce 6-7, with the occasional double-yoker. Production in winter is roughly 2 I would say. As for the Buff Orpingtons, they have laid 3-4 eggs a week since they began laying, and at 2 1/2 years they still lay 3-4 eggs a week for the entire year.

Do you use extra light in winter? Do they slow down/stop for molt?

 

[cstronks]

I do not use extra light, not because I think it is a bad thing, but because I already have more eggs than I know what to do with. I have been advised not to do it because of the molt issues that can come up. There is a definite change in all the birds during the molt. My RIR is just not a solid winter layer anymore. She used to be better, but I guess age and the cold have slowed her down as she got older. She will lay two in winter outside of the molt. Most of the Buffs lay very little during their molt, however two of them just stop laying during molts...period. Also, all of my minorca hens stop laying during the molt, and they take an incredibly long time to finish the process (3 months on average with some added protein to their diet). So, in total, I get 8-10 eggs a day during spring, summer, and fall, but probably 4 a day in winter.

 

[salinasamber]

Hello! I have a 10 month old mottled houdan who is the life of the party however it is spring and she has not layed is about almost two months, no changes in diet or behavior wondering if anyone know if this is normal?