Will hens lay eggs their entire life??

[j and bs hens]

I have talked to some that say they have had hens that lay until the day (or day before) they die. And then I've heard others say that they will only lay eggs for a couple years.

Does it change for every bird and breed?? Would a roo keep them laying?

 

[Judy]

It changes for every bird, but some breeds are more likely to lay longer than others. You can get an older hen that only lays a few eggs a year. Some stop somewhere along the line, others continue to lay now and then. They only lay dependably for around 2 years, but they don't stop after that as a rule, they just don't lay as many. I have a 3 year old who I know for sure lays every other day.

 

[kidcody]

I have a 7 year old Barred Rock, she lays around 3 eggs a week!

 

[Afterburner]

I have a nearly three year old PR that lays four times a week after late January unitl holloween or a few days afterwards. During the winter, she is barren of eggs. As hens get older, their winter break gets longer while their summer laying really decreases. My PR's sister died last fall at the age of 2.5 years. I haver been told mortality, from natural causes, increases after two years of age.

 

[gallusdomesticus]

Standard breeds decrease their egg laying about 10% per year after their first year but they should produce all their lives. Unlike mammals, there is no menopause for chickens. This is a link to a good article about egg production:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ps/ps02900.pdf

 

[RaeRae2]

I have an EE who will be 7 years old this spring. She lays in the summer time but not in the winter at all. Her summer production is maybe 2 eggs a week.

 

[j and bs hens]

Thank you! There really is so much to learn, I had no idea going into this.

 

[rmh0508]

I friend of mine just told me that one of her Cochin hens is 11 and another is 10 and she still gets a couple eggs a week out of each. I couldn't believe it when she told me that, wow!

 

[kuntrygirl]

[COLOR=4B0082]I have a 7 year old Barred Rock, she lays around 3 eggs a week![/COLOR]

That's about the same as my older girls.

 

[baGAWK123]

I have a 7 year old Barred Rock, she lays around 3 eggs a week!

Wow!!