Who is not laying?

[mrkep]

I have 13 Buckeye hens, 25 weeks old, and 2 roos. I have been getting 9-12 eggs a day for 6 weeks. So is this because all hens don't lay every day or is one not fully in production yet? Two girls are a little smaller. They get greens from the restaurant every day, plus the layer pellets, grit and oyster available. I have a lite in the coop to maintain 14-16 hrs of lite.I'm not really worried, just trying to understand this chicken behavior.
Thanks, mrkep

 

[LarryPQ]

The fastest layer in the world can still only produce and egg every 26 hours. So if one lays at 8 am one day, the same chicken will lay at 10am the next. When their laying time happens when it is dark, they will wait until the next morning.

Still, most chickens lay every 30+ hours, so you will not be getting eggs everyday from every chicken.

 

[LarryPQ]

I would say you are getting a REALLY high production rate, expecially considering it is winter.

 

[mrkep]

Thanks Laree, I was hoping it was normal chicken behavior but I didn't want to overlook illness or something. When they first started laying, it was 2 one day, them none, then 4 etc. Finally I told them one morning " I will have fried eggs or fried chickens" started getting lots more after that!
mrkep

 

[ScotianChick]

I wondered for a while if my chickens were laying but not in the coop. You can check their vents. Just take a quick look, before they lay it's pretty small and circular and then after it's more long and oval ish. That's how I figured out my ladies weren't laying

Then I gave up and thought they wouldn't until spring and one day I found two eggs in each nesting box!! I hadn't checked in a few days and that's what happened!