How many eggs does a chicken lay each week?
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“How come there were only four eggs in the basket this morning?’”
Danny asked when he brought in my breakfast tray.
Admittedly I had given John Coe four when he came to mow the lawn this week, but only eight in a week! Danny was concerned, “What are we going to do about our fry ups?”
Danny’s mother kept chickens when he was a child and as a Poultry Instructor, passed on her knowledge. Despite this both of us were a bit naive when it came to keeping chickens ourselves. Just before we collected our chickens three years ago, I bought a pretty little basket in a sale in Newmarket. We planned to buy six hens and I assumed that I’d collect six eggs a day. That basket gathered dust whilst we waited for the first egg.
We bought hens on ‘point of lay’ and threw a party to celebrate their arrival. The guests peered through the gloom at the hens and discussed how to deal with an egg glut. After the party we decided to ask our chicken feed supplier for advice. As we had zero eggs, we must be doing something wrong.
‘Try these,’ he said, producing a box of china eggs with a flourish. ˜The hens will take a peek at them and it will give them the idea.’ I hurried home, opened the nesting box and made plump tempting nests of sweet smelling hay to hold the china eggs.
The chickens seemed happy enough. I observed them having dust baths, sunbathing on the warm roof of their ‘day centre’ and running for a handful of grain in the afternoon. Every day I peeped into the immaculate but egg-free nesting box and trudged back to the house, disappointed. Summer turned to Autumn and then to Winter. ‘Hens go off lay in the Winter, so don’t expect any eggs until the Spring,’ a kind friend advised. I could have hit her.
We were away over New Year and when we got back, there were only five chickens in the pen. I opened the hen house door and there was the sixth hen, absorbed in her task. She barely noticed me as she was clearly straining. I rushed back to the house to tell Danny the breaking news. We crept down to the hen house an hour later and saw our first egg lying resplendent in a clutch of white china fakes.
Tricks and Tips:
- Chickens are at their egg laying prime for the first two years. After this, their egg laying decreases as they get older. Serious egg producers replace their hens after two years.
- Chickens are seasonal layers. When daylight hours are short their laying decreases. Laying gradually builds up from January and starts to decrease from mid September.
- Before you get your first chickens decide whether they are going to be layers or pets, or a mix. If you are going to replace them after a couple of years, don’t give them names. Danny named each of our chickens when they arrived (we got a mix). Need I say more?
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in my ‘how to keep hens’ book it recommends using barley straw or softwood shavings as hay attracts mites. i know it should be nicer for the poor little hens’ botties to use hay but apparently not…anyway, they make a smooth ‘bowl’ for their eggies to nestle in, with no stickey up bits. after this year’s harvest i nicked an armful of wheat straw from an adjoining field. it was far too tough for their feet so didn’t even bother putting it in their nestbox.
Please would you advise? I had 3 hens and 1 cock. Hens are aged between 1 and 4 years. This summer, our only layer went off lay. We expected the younger hens to lay but got nothing. In exasperation, I bought 3 new hens who were at point of lay. 6 weeks later, I still have no eggs. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Peggy,
You are doing nothing wrong. I would expect the 4 year old hen not to lay much. The younger ones should ideally be laying by now. However they can take longer to start laying depending on the season. After the shortest day (December 21) things should start turning around.
We bought some point of lay hens one August. We got our first egg in January!
The breed can also have an impact on laying. Our pekin bantams are poor layers, whereas our Maran lays an egg a day.
Our ‘point of lay’ Lincolnshire Buff hens, bought in the summer a few years ago, started laying on January 1st! They stopped laying around late August and for the next 2 years started again on . . . the 1st of January!! A nice way to start the new year.
Hi Mildred,
Our first egg was laid on January 1st too!
I am still waiting for our first eggs from our Lincolnshire Buff chickens, and I will be happy if they start on January 1st as they have with Mildred above! Apparently patience is a virtue.
Hi John
I reckon that most of us initially buy chickens ‘on point of lay’ and expect them to start laying within a week or so. Looking at the search terms that draw people to this site
‘How many eggs does a chicken lay a year/week/day’ and even, once in a while, an hour (!).
I felt such a fool when we got chickens and offered the excess to the neighbours…
I suspect that the point on ‘point of lay’ is so broad that you can’t see the horizon.
Not long until January. I’d love to hear when your Lincolnshire Buff chickens finally lay an egg.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
I started with a flock of 6 hens this Summer most were 18 weeks old. All different rare breeds and very happy scratching about in the garden. It has taken up until now to get any eggs, I have now got two laying aprox an egg a day in December. To celebrate I bought two more hens! My husband jokes about how much each egg has cost us to produce! The hens are lovely though and finding an egg is still such a marvel! I’m pleased read that they might continue for longer over Winter.
Hi Zoe,
Collecting your own eggs is such a magical experience especially if you have waited months for the event! If your two hens have started laying they probably will continue through the winter. I have found that extreme weather sometimes knocks them back for a bit.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
I’m confused. I’m doing a project on chickens but I don’t understand how many eggs they a lay a day or week? 1 a day, 7 a week?
Hi Debra,
The maximum amount of eggs a chicken can lay is one a day, seven a week. However not all chickens lay every day. Some breeds may lay just a couple of eggs a week. After a couple of years a hen will lay less eggs as she gets older.
hi i brought a hen with 10 chicks in sept this year 6 cocks 4 pullets and mother, i didn’t expect the mum to lay because i did not no how old she was, but around the 8th of dec she went missing to the top loft of the coop where i store stuff in so i put her back with the others and then i noticed the egg i was soooo suprised now i have an egg every day so far its gr8t as they are our pets i give them all hugs every night and it gives me a chance to check them over at the same time to make sure they are ok
how many eggs can a chicken lay a day?
A chicken lays up to one egg a day. Some hens can do this for about 2 years and then they gradually lay less and less eggs. Some chickens never lay an egg a day and may just lay 3 or 4 a week.
Ours laid on a 30 hour cycle, so they would lay an egg, say, on Monday morning, then another Tuesday afternoon then the next one we would find on Thursday morning, and so on.
We just had 2 hens and they were synchronized!
Hi Rosa,
There’s nothing like the thrill of finding the first egg!
Our chickens and guinea fowl are pets too.
Hi Mildred,
Thanks so much for adding the details of your hen’s laying cycle to this post. Very handy.
When she is in lay, Carol lays an egg a day – usually in the morning.
Well it was with tongue-in-cheek that I said in my previous posting on 2nd Dec, that I would be more than happy if my Lincolnshire Buff chickens starting laying there first eggs on 1st January.
You can imagine then my surprise when our very first egg was laid on the 1st of January.
We have now had three eggs, and look forward to many more.
By the way if you are interested in seeing some Lincolnshire Buff chickens I have now added a few pictures and brief history to my website.
Hi John
Those are fine looking chickens. Your hen house on wheels looks pretty good too.
So pleased that you are getting eggs. Our hens have not started laying again yet.
Happy New Year and thanks for dropping by.
I think our hens must be Australian…egg production is up 400% since the start of winter and nothing during Autumn…?
Hi Geoff
Lucky you! Our hens are still not laying. Sob
Hi (sorry I didn’t say hello before
Yes we were quite surprised (and excited) when our hens started laying a few small practice eggs at the start of winter. Now it’s 4 a day as regular as you like. We do have a cock amongst them which a few of my farming friends think might be the reason, and also their diet -a few friends raised an eyebrow and asked when they would be getting grilled salmon on a bed of Rocket for brunch to go with their daily meals of sweet corn, greens, corn a few oats and mealworms for Christmas dinner…They also have a palace rather than a coop….
Hi Geoff
Yes, I think that your farming friends have got a point – I think having a cockerel must make a difference.
Why not give your hens a few treats! If I come back as a hen can I live in your palace?
hi geoff.
we are new to this site and in australia!!!
have just got 4 hens at “point of lay…..” will let you know when we get 1st eggs.
had chucks in uk before we came over dec 07 and they laid most days but they were rescued battery hens so were very happy to be free!!!
as our seasons differ a bit i wonder if they will lay over our winter as it will be warmer and lighter than uk winters?
at the moment they are enjoying the ozzy summer in their new hen house and run…we also give our chucks any kitchen scraps-they love it and my kids love feeding them too.
Hi Su and Fred
Best of luck with your Australian adventure and your chucks!
I inherited 8 hens from the farm across the road a few months ago. They are ‘elderly’ ladies but still laying – my first egg was on Christmas Eve! I have been getting 1-2 eggs a day since.
Went up to give them a treat of some bread at midday today and one of the hens had obviously just laid in the nest box. What intriged me was that she was standing next to the nest box, picking up pieces of hay (i’ve read the previous post about hay and intend to use straw from now on), and putting them onto her back – any ideas why she would be doing this?
Any guesses would be useful!
(Great website by the way)
Hi Christine
I’ve no idea what your hen was doing with the hay!
I still use hay in the nesting box. You are more likely to harbour mites in straw as the stalks ate thicker and a good breeding ground for mites. I used wood and sawdust chippings in the main hen house and under the nests.
Lucky you getting eggs. Our hens are still not laying. They are getting on a bit now but just an egg a week would be good.
No, me either – daft thing! The only thing we could come up with was that maybe it was a way of having a ‘dust bath’ as the ground is so wet and soggy at the moment.
Yes, looking back over some posts, I think you’re right with the hay thing. I’ll keep using it, it seems to be more comfortable for them anyway.
Got 3 eggs today! Another hen has come on line!
Thanks for the advice
Hi Christine
Your idea of an improvised dust bath is brilliant. I think that you could well be right. The hens must be going crazy with all this rain. Although we have loads of gravel in the run it’s soupy.
Our lawns are a joke with long, treacherous muddy slicks where we walk. Perhaps 2008 is the year to make proper paths!
yes, I slip and slide my way into the field to see to the ‘ladies’. We have open fires so use the ash and small cinders to make old fashioned cinder paths.
Hi Christine
Great idea for the paths. Thanks.
i got 14 Dominique hens and 2 cocks this winter.i made a tiny hole in an egg from the store and took everything out and filled it with hot glue so the hens wont eat it.i did that on the first day i got them.the next day (Sunday) after church i got 4 eggs. now i get 7 eggs a day. that is 49 eggs a week.for some reason some of my eggs have tiny blood inside them.
Hi George,
Thanks for the tips on how to create an artificial egg – very handy.
My 12 chickens have all suddenly stopped laying. They are around 12- 18 months old. They laid throughout the winter (albeit decreased) but about a week ago they stopped. Nothing is taking the eggs – they are definitely not producing any.
Any ideas?
Hi Jane
Chickens are responsive creatures. It could be the weather. They could need worming. they could have lice. I don’t know where you are based but the warm weather is enough to befuddle a chicken around here. We have only had a handful of overnight frosts this “winter” so far. Chickens need to rest each year.
I am no expert but what I would do is Spring clean your chicken house and treat the house and chickens for mites. I’d also worm the chickens and start feeding them supplementary greens – grass and green kitchen scraps. Hang a cabbage near their house so that they have to jump to peck it.
Divert them. And they will soon be laying again.
Hi Everyone,
I’m in California, USA. Nice to read all the comments and tips. Glad to hear that others love their chickens too, name them all and would also never “chop them” because they are getting older.
I suddenly started with chickens 3 years ago when a farmer gave me 40 when he was moving. I’ve been learning every step of the way ever since then! I now have 32 hens of different breeds and ages, and three roosters. I get 9 eggs one day and 12 the next. Last spring it was from 24 to 30 a day. We use all we want and sell extras to the neighbors.
To Christine about the hen putting hay on her back- she’s “Putting On Her Cammo.” They will put hay on their back as an instinctive way of “hiding” or camouflaging themselves and their eggs to avoid danger. Their idea is “now you can’t see me.” Especially the young ones, its their way of getting all “nesty”. It’s some of the cutest behavior they do when they start laying.
Hi Sandy
Thanks for dropping by.
Great reading about your chickens.
Thanks for solving Christine’s mystery!
My grandchildren have 4 hens which have been laying for 4 months regularly. BUT for the past week they have sometimes had 6 eggs per day and we collected 4 eggs yesterday morning, 4 eggs first thing this morning and at lunch time we collected 4 more eggs! It isn’t possible that we have made a mistake as the eggs were still warm. I didn’t think this was possible. Has anyone else experienced this? They also regularly lay double yoke eggs.
Hi Cynthia
Unfortunately this has never happened to me so I can’t help you here!
Often the eggs are still warm as a hen has just laid an egg and has been sitting in the nesting box and warmed all the eggs.
Lucky you with double yolkers.
we own a small restaurant with accommodation near whitby on the coast. we struggle to find good e free range eggs and alot of our friends keep there own. so we have read up and read some more and done more research, and guess what we have 16 hens arriving in two weeks. we are having a proper house biult to hold twenty birds and a large run for them to play in, plus we have plenty of kitchen scraps for them to eat….will keep you guys posted
tim
Hi Tim
What a lovely spot for a restaurant!
Exciting news about your hens. I wish you the best of luck with them. Keeping hens is great fun!
Hi,
Just want to say we’ve had our very first eggs this morning!! had 3 large eggs which were deliciously creamy with golden yolks.
It’s so exciting, we want to shout from the rooftops!
We have 6 gorgeous Warren girls, 21 weeks old. Had them for 7 weeks and spoil them with fresh greens, weeds, cereal, a little bread as well as propriatory organic feed.
Gladys is the comedienne of the group, she larks about on the toy Tractor and tries to boss the others, but Number 6 (always the last out and last in at night!) is really in charge!
Wouldn’t be without them, hope you don’t mind me sharing our news!
Hi
I have recently acquired 3 ex battery hens and I have been getting 2 eggs a day, but the past couple of days I have had 3 good eggs plus 1 egg with a very soft translucent shell! I do give them crushed oyster shell and they free range around the garden.
I originally thought only 2 were laying but after 3 eggs I realised all 3 were laying but is it possible for a hen to lay twice in one day?? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi Jan K
There is a great article on the DEFRA site that gives masses of information about eggs http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/pdfs/eggqual.pdf
According to this article 2 eggs can be produced on one day (one hard shell and one soft shelled) by the same hen.
Hi Little Blue
Sorry, I didn’t spot your comment until this morning.
Lovely hearing about your girls, thanks for sharing!
Hi I’ve got a dozen hens all mixed breeds and ages.This includes four youngsters from last year. Problem is no eggs since about Oct/Nov. All are in apparently good health, eat really well, layer pelletts, mixed corn and kitchen scraps.They have great accommodation and run.Is it possible that they are too well cared for? Would getting another point of lay encourage the others to lay?
Hi Clairey Cluck
Where do you live? We are in the UK and chicken laying is fring on all cylinders here.
Also what breeds of chickens do you have? Are they layers or breeds that are better as broody hens (ie Pekin bantams, Silkies etc.)
Overcrowding can stop hens laying. They need peace and quiet in the nesting box not a queue outside waiting to lay. How many nesting boxes have you got? How big is the hen house and run?
Also spend some time in the run with them. Observe what is going on. Giving the hen house a good spring clean, every inch, will allow you to experience the dynamic of the flock. It could be a problem of worms/lice so spray your chicken house well.
I wouldn’t get another hen just yet. I need answers to the above questions before I can begin to help.
Hi all, Just to add to my previous message, We now are up to 5 eggs a day which is great!
We were expecting small eggs to start with but they have all been quite big and they taste fantastic.
We have kept a note of the times they appear to know when to expect them, so far 3 lay by breakfast, 1 appears at lunchtime and the final one is anytime from 4pm to 6pm.
Hoping to reach the maximum of 6 in a day soon!
Must add chickens make great pets and are very attached to us.
Only complaint we have is everyone wants eggs so maybe we should get another half dozen chickens to keep the family happy!
Hi Little Blue
Exciting stuff!
Keeping chickens is so worthwhile. As you say, a box of eggs makes a great present.
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for your reply, I live just outside Norwich. Other hen keepers I have spoken to are experiencing the same problem. Most people seem to think it’s to do with the weather!! The hens are light sussex, buff orpintons, Bluebells,Black Rock Cross breed and a speckledy. The hen house is a 10×5′ shed and spotless with a run than is 6×6m. They were all very happy last year in two much smaller hen house’s and I think I will put them back in the run and see what happens. I obtained a larger shed and converted it to accomodate them all. Today I have been to buy some oyster shell as this has been suggested to me
I’ll keep you posted…..CC
Hi Clairey Cluck
I’d be interested to hear how you get on.
If the flock was divided between 2 houses this may have maintained the status quo. Suddenly you have asked 2 separate factions to live together. Chickens are sensitive creatures. I’d love to hear how it works out.
Hi i was just wondering if anyone could help me so i thought id leave a comment here, we recently got some chickens and a couple of them have been laying already but i picked up an egg and it had like little clumps of tiny circles on the side of it, i dont have a picture but i wasnt sure what it was, could it just be extra shell or something, thanks.
Hi Amzi_chick100
I’ve seen these small circleson eggs every now and then. Nothing to worry about. Just slight irregularities in the shell.
Thank you!!!!!
Any idea where the box of china eggs came from. Want to find some for a friend who has some hens.
Hi Sam
We bought ours from our local chicken equipment supplier Alan’s Ark. He also has plastic eggs. His website is here http://www.alansark.co.uk/and it might be worth contacting him about the eggs. We have two eggs in the nesting box for six hens.
You can buy china eggs here http://www.kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk/catalogue.htm
Hi, I’m looking for advice. My bantam marran, hatched in December 07, has laid five eggs. Three were long and slender, pointed both ends, and the other two which were last to be laid resembled blackbirds eggs in size. That was ten days ago. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Jen
Often when a chicken starts laying eggs she takes a while to get up to speed so to speak and can lay some unusual eggs (very small, or pointy).
She should settle in time. Love to hear what happens.
Hi,
Me and my husband just moved to the country and we and now bought 4 hens, when we were there looking at the hens, one happen to lay and egg and I said I want that one. We have got them home in the hen house and I have been watching all day hopeing that one of the othere three will lay one and sure enough none were done. I was also trying to watch them to see how they will act as to judge if they were going to lay an egg. Can you give me any advice on how often a sex link hen, will lay an egg or how they start acting like just befor they lay,my 6 and 5 yr. old would love to see one lay and egg, and truth be known, the 39 yr old kid in me would like to see it as well. If you have any information please let me know. Oh and we live in Cleburn TX, if that makes a difference. Thank you for any help or advice you can give
Hi Chrisdee
Seeing a hen laying an egg is pretty rare. We have a hen who sometimes seems to drop an egg in the run.
Generally a hen likes to lay an egg in peace and quiet in a dark nesting box. Having laid an egg she often likes to sit on the nest and rest for a bit.
Your hens need to adapt to their new surroundings and settle with the minimum of stress. When they are in the nesting box, they shouldn’t be disturbed.
Hi, I have 8 young hens varing in age from 3 to 5 1/2 months old. I have 3 nest boxes set up for them with a white ceramic egg in each nest for inspiration. I found a small brown egg (cadbury egg size) on the floor of the hen house yesterday (June 3rd) but nothing today. I tink it was my Australorp that laid it but no egg today. I was disappointed as I thought production had finally started. I fear it may have been broken if they laid it on the floor. How do I get them to lay in the boxes? Should I put them closer to the floor so they can look into the boxes? There is a perch attached to the boxes for them to stand on. Also, I live in FL so does the hot summer here impact them starting to lay? Thanks!
Hi, We have just got 4 chickens, 2 that are about a year old and we have had a egg from each one everyday, 2 Marans which are point of lay but no eggs yet, I keep checking every morning and hoping. The 2 older ones tend to lay about 11am every morning. Fingers crossed for the Marans!!
Hi Justine
I have found that hens seem to prefer to lay sitting on in a nesting box that is easily accessible and warm and dark.
Our nesting box is accessed from a small door in the hen house.
I reckon that you may have more success if the nesting boxes are more accessible. Why not try putting one at floor level and see what happens?
I have seen nesting boxes attached to the wall of a hen house and they seemed to work fine. They were in fact wooden wine boxes. Perhaps the perches are putting them off using them. Hens don’t sit on a perch to lay an egg, they sit in the nesting box.
All my hens were about eight months old before they started to lay. Some breeds lay earlier. It could be that they are just not ready to lay yet. A good indicator is that the comb turns red.
The small egg that you found is a good sign and indicates that at least one hen will start laying soon.
Extremes of weather can put hens off lay but they have to be laying first!
Hi Jane
We bought point of lay chickens in August and got the first egg in January. Sometimes point of lay is not quite an accurate description! Hope that they lay soon.
Our Maran, Carol, lays well for us. A large brown egg a day. Although she goes off lay between October and January. She is 3 years old.
Hi
I am about to purchase 4 – 6 chickens and I was lead to believe POL meant they would all be laying fairly soon after purchase. Reading all your comments I seam to have got this all wrong.
Could anyone give me advice on which breeds lay in the winter – it would be nic to get a mixed bunch with possibly one or two that maybe lay over th winter months (when there ready to ofourse)
Also want these birds as pets so any suggestion what would make a good mix of six would be great.
Thanks
Linda
Hi everyone, well having read your letters reckon I can now really have a hen house!
I am particularly interested in the Bluebelle birds as I am told they are placid and sweet natured. How many birds do you think one should have first time around. Definately not one I hear you say. They will have the run of the garden part of the day, and the hen house will be sheltered behind a run of blackcurrant bushes.
The “other” breed I have seen is Buff Sussex at the East of England show yesterday but do not know much about them.
I really am a first time chicken keeper so your comments will be appreciated.
Forgot to ask any ideas of where to go to buy the birds . My location is Cambridgeshire.
Have roamed the internet and located a place on Oxfordshire which was at the East of England Show but other than that ….
Hi Linda
POL can mean that but all too often you are sold pullets that are not.
Unless you use artificial lighting there will be a stage in the winter when your hens will stop laying. This is longer as the hens get older.
We bought our pekin bantams as pets and they are just that, pets that lay an occasional egg. Our hybrid layers laid an egg a day in their prime but now they are four years old their egg laying is sporadic. They are no less friendly than the pekins.
Marans are particularly good layers. Carol is three and giving us an egg a day.
I will ask The Chicken Lady for suggestions as to suitable breeds for you and get back to you within the next couple of days.
Hello The Hen House
Everyone seems to have their favourites, chicken wise. We spent ages thinking about different breeds but when it came to it we bought what was available at the time. We bought our first 6 from a breeder just outside Long Melford.
The Chicken Lady has bought some lovely hens from a local breeder. I’ll ask for his contact details and get back to you within the next couple of days. We all live on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border so it would be reasonably local for you.
Hi. We have had backyard chickens for years. Our experience is that if kept outside and allowed to free range the hens will start to lay (usually) at around 3-4 mo of age. If kept in our pen usually it is around 6mo of age. We have hens that are upwards of 10 yr old and some are still laying. I have noticed that the weather plays an important factor in their laying or not laying …..as in if a front is coming in with rain most of them won’t lay or if there is a sudden chance in the daily temps (we had a cool snap here last week and only 3 out of 20 hens laid an egg). Also I wonder if feed mix has anything to do with it as in are they getting proper minerals, etc…. We feed our egg shells along with goat milk that isn’t fresh any longer to our hens for calcium and table scraps and any veggies that are discarded.
Hi Tammy
Thanks for taking the time to gives us all this information. Interesting that the free range birds lay more quickly than the ones in the run.
Weather changes are an important factor as regards egg laying.
I reckon feed makes a difference too. We use a mix of organic layers pellets and fresh vegetable scraps and oyster shells.
Theres a lady who does all the special breeds and hybrid layers at Colsterworth 10 miles south of Grantham Lincs NG33 5– sorry dont know the last bit of postcode. She’s open everyday. Just ask someone when you get there.
Hi Charlotte
Thanks for this. It’s so hard to find good chicken breeders.
hello
One of my friends has pol for sale at twelve pounds each we both live in bridgend south wales they are sossex stars bluebelles and a few others
marc
Do chicken synchronise laying. Our four are now laying three eggs a day over the past week they began the week all laying at different times throughout the day, so we couldn’t let them out the run, but this morning inside the coop a lovely cirle of straw and three eggs together, they were all out inthe garden before lunch till they go back to bed. The younger one still not laying, but also has chosen to live slightly off from the rest of the flock, but we live in hope that she will eventually join in.
how old where the three that started to lay eggs and what breed are they
Hi Marc, the first one is a Warren approx 20 weeks ans are the two black rocks. The warren started laying within the first week we had her and the first black rock one week later and now the third all are supposed to be 2o weeks when we picked them up,so that would make them 23 weeks now, however we do have one that is still not laying but she is also slightly astranged.
They all started nesting in different areas of the coop, but now they have a lovely nest and one at a time they go in and lay to gether. Then they are let out.
The black rocks today gave us two double yoke eggs, great excitment when the twins had breakfast. Thought for a minute that one was amazing then the second twin stated with great glee that he had one two.
We have two Blue Rangers, One Magpie Ranger and a Rhode Rock. We have just had them for two weeks. Two days ago I found an egg (without a shell) in the middle of their pen! We have had no other eggs yet and did not really expect any for a few weeks. Is this normal? Has anyone else out there had similar experience?
we had that once, grandpa decided she was egbound or something and gave her some stuff, i have no idea what it was though, she was fine after a couple of days though.
cannot believe it – I just went out to see them after writing and found our first egg!!! Super
could anyone advise me .the red crest on top of hens head is starting to look black i dont think its muck could it be sunburn please advise if you can really worried big thanks.
Got two new chicks yesterday, 6 weekss old exchequer leg horns ’spot’ and ‘dot’, they are on growers pellets. Do they need any extra supplements please grit or similar
Hi Marc
Thanks for this.
Hi Christine
Your hens will all start laying eventually, you just need to be patient.
There will always be a hen that’s bottom of the pecking order. There is very little that you can do about this.
Hi Trixie
Soft shelled eggs happen when a pullet is just starting to gear up to lay eggs. So no worried for you. If an older hen lays a soft shelled egg it can be a warning that something is wrong.
Great that you got your first egg!
Hi Squeek
That must have been an older hen!
Hi Linda PH
I have no idea why your hen’s comb is black at the top. Apologies.
Hi Christine
Always supply a supplement grit and also oyster shells. Switch them to layers pellets when they are 16-20 weeks old.
Hi fn
We are getting 2 eggs a day and now a soft egg from one of the others. Eggs still small usually but occasionally a larger egg with a double yoke. Does a double yoke do the hens any harm?
Fantastic! We had 4 eggs today. Thanks everyone for the advice.
Hi Trixy
Good news! Sorry I missed your comment on August 25th. When hens start to lay there are often a few blips like soft shelled eggs. Double yoked eggs do hens no harm at all.
Hi,
Just been catching on reading the posts.
Our Warrens lay an egg each pretty much every day, and we often get an enormous double-yolker. Technically then, one of our girls lays eight eggs a week, as she isn’t having a “day off” AND lays a double.
How clever is that?!
We had one (Number Six) go off lay for a few weeks, and she was very subdued and sleepy. Just as we were thinking something would have to be done, she recovered all by herself and has been a lovely productive layer ever since.
Still no idea what was wrong-not fleas, mites, worms, injury or crop blockage. Any ideas appreciated, as we’d hate it happen again!
Hello Little Blue
I reckon that your hen was on the edge of going broody.
We have a similar hen who flirts with the idea and then decides that the non brody state is fine (especially when the wild bird seed is sprinkled in the morning!)
Broodiness a hormonal state. So presumably there is a redirect button! We used to tear our hair out with Mrs Boss. Now she raises new stock for us and could raise new stock for others. Suddenly she has kudos. A flock is complex, you will never learn everything. And that’s why people love chickens.
Lucky you with double yolk eggs.
I have been reading the last couple of years posts on this great site. I live in France and have a mix of 2 Maran and six unknown bantam types aquired here. There is also a couple of home bred Limousine youngsters, two Buff Orpington babies and one bantom x bantom cock, also aquired here recently. My querie is that since the cockerel arrived, the hens have gone off lay. He is very handsome, kind and looks after the girls very well but they don’t seem to like him. I am very tempted to try to pass him on but everyone here already has their own. I can’t bare the thought of ‘topping him’ as he has done nothing wrong. Also, of the 5 young ones, I suspect that three might be 3 male but does anyone know how to distinguish other than waiting until its obvious.
It seems that one or other of the bantams is broody at any one time and a couple of them make a living at it! Although I do look upon them as pets, living out in the countryside here, I did hope to have a fairly regular supply of eggs. I think that my eggs must be the most expensive in the world!
One other thing, (sorry) One of the Marans seems to be off colour. She is sitting alone, hunched up and not interested in anything. She is last to leave the hen house in the morning and can often be found back in there in the day. I clean out and disinfect the house every 4 weeks, they have an 8m x 6m fenced run and every afternoon, they free range 7,000m2 of grass, woodland and my vegie patches!! Feed comprises, layers pellets, whole and cracked corn, fresh veg and fruit peelings and some kitchen scraps.
Many Thanks
Dianne
Our black rocks are giving us enourmous eggs double yokes, don’t know how long this will last but making the most of them. Moved them into their new house so expected a drop in pridution cause the two chicks were finally allowed to join so they all went into the new home together however, three double yokes again today.
Dianne hope this helps
Our black rock ‘Milly’ went off for about 3 weeks just kept her quiet and she is finally got a spring back in her step, she had poultry spice once a week seemed to work a treat. Also casteroil and some garlic powder over the wet months they have had two doses of that and all have springs in their steps. Worth a try if she off.
Hi There:
I have just found your site and would like to say what a great read it’s been, most useful!! Like many posts on here it seems, We’ve had our Girls just over 2 weeks at POL, and just like everyone else have thought we would have started maybe have little egg-presents just because they were POL!!!We have been perhaps a little naive as to how complex our hens are so thanks for helping us to understand!!!
We managed four eggs today two double yokes, ‘
illie’ has adopted the chicks, she lets them sleep under her wings so cute will try and get a good photo. Dipstick is finally laying again, god I love these animals they are so complex. Good luck!!
Hi Diane, Have put them all on the castor oil and garlic seems to be working back to looking perky again thanks.
Hi , i just started a hen house with 5 wild chickens (on Kauai, Hawaii, there are many wild chickens ad roosters). I built a tall perch for sleeping and so far I have gotten 2 eggs in the laying boxes which are opposited side of room.
But twice also, a bird has layed its egg while on the perch, which is about 5 feet off the ground, of course, breaking the egg.
Any advice?
I do have golf balls in the nests to encourage laying.
Hi Christine
I’m so pleased that you resolved the problems with your chikens.
Hi Diane
Thanks for your help and advice.
Hi Michael
How about leaving a thick layer of straw on the floor beneath the perch?
At five feet off the ground the perch is quite high.
Merry Christmas everyone, We are now up to ten chickens, took some pure breeds off the guy who gave us the exchequers, all seetled into their new home. Still only four laying but all our friends say their chickens have stopped laying, ours still giving us four eggs a day.
Wishing everyine a happy and egg xciting new year.
have a good xmas everybody,my 4 hens are doing well and seem happy.one of my girls daisy likes a cuddle shes so tame!! still getting 2 eggs a day so not bad,have put plenty of straw in their covere
d run,keeps it dryer and they love scratching about in it.took ages for them to lay when we first got them so dont despair!theday i got my first egg was great couldnt wait to tell everybody….mad eh!!!!
hi i am james, i live at philippines,i have a pair of chicken a banthum and i start raising them about 2 months now and i got 8 eggs and its pretty awesome and fun.
I have been offered two chickens at 20 euros each (to replace the two the fox got a week ago…).
They are a Sussex and an English blue, 10 months old. The seller tells me that the Sussex lays “on average” two eggs a day.
Does this sound feasible? I wonder if he is just trying to justify the (high) price?
Hi Clare
The best layers can only lay one egg a day. Sussex are supposed to be good layers but the owner is chancing his arm a bit here. I haven’t heard of the English Blue. 20 euro seems an awful lot to pay unless they are show birds.
Chickens (the laying breeds) lay very well for about two years and then egg laying gradually declines as the years go by.
Best to buy hens of around six months old now. They will be laying by Easter and you will reap the dividends.
I wouldn’t trust your seller’s claims. If these were true he would keep the hen or try to sell it for a lot more.
Thank you. They are rather expensive aren’t they? The top price around Paris for Sussex chickens seems to be about 15 euros. He was probably expecting to me to haggle. But he is going to deliver them to me at Pontoise station en route home tonight so I cut down my environmental, petrol and time costs. At least the one Rhode Island Red which survived the fox has some friends for the weekend. I will keep you posted about their laying ability…
I have spent way too long on the internet and found the following which seems to suggest that even though my vendor may be telling the truth…
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111379&p=2
A suivre… (as they say here).
hello, i have rescued 6 hens and a rooster. they were in very poor living conditions. we are talking no grass mud and standing water. they appeared to be very young. i am not a chicken person, but i saw them and could not leave them there. i get home and my children and i build a chicken pen with 6 beds around a grapevine we have. i have lots of questions is the grapevine ok?how do you know how old they are?how can you tell what kind they are?do they need any special attention?we are feeding them mash,corn,cabbage,bread etc. they sleep in the grapevine is that normal? please give my girls and i some advice. thank you
how do you kno how much chicken lay eggs
Hi,
Can anybody tell me if it’s ok to use shredded paper in my chickens nest box.
Hi Lari
It’s fine for the chickens to roost in the vine. But they do need some sort of shelter (a shed or chicken house) to protect them from rain and predators. Also they need a quite dark spot to lay their eggs.
As to assessing their age and breed your best bet is to look at pictures of chickens on the internet and try and match your birds to the breeds that you see. I have no idea how you can work out how old they are.
Corn and layers pellets are a good combination for feed. Also fresh water each day.
Hi Yeh
Different types of chickens lay different amounts of eggs. Looking at chicken breeder’s websites could help you.
After two years old they tend to lay less eggs.
Hi Steven
Apparently the combination of chicken poo and shredded paper can be a problem. Read about it on the Bean sprouts blog http://bean-sprouts.blogspot.com/2008/10/hen-house-cleaning.html
Thanks for that, I quite lke the idea they had for mixing it with maybe barley straw, and a layer of cardboard below to lift in one go when cleaning.
I have 4 Plymouth Rocks, just over a year old and I average 3 eggs a day. They get garden time on sunny days and like to scratch for worms. I supplement light on a timer in the early AM and they have laid all winter. One is henpecked, but a normal part of the pecking order. Everyday is an Easter egg hunt, even though they lay in the nest boxes. Grandkids can’t wait to check for eggs.
Hello, I just wanted to let everyone who read my post in February know that the new chickens are laying well. I don’t know if it is more than one a day from the Sussex but certainly the fridge is overflowing with eggs and the girls are all getting on splendidly.
Hi Steven
I sometimes put sheets of newspaper under the woodchips. This makes constricted spaces much easier to clean out.
Hi Ron
Plymouth Rocks are great layers. Lucky you having eggs all winter!
Hello Clare
Thanks for the update. Great to know that everything is going well for you.
First egg yesterday, second today, delicous deep rich yellow yolks, although shells didn’t seem too fragile. Quite small though. We got our four hens approx 4 weeks ago, 2 light Sussex and 2 Blackrock. Celebration time…
We are really lucky to have mild winters so nearly all year we get an egg a day from our four Hens.
That’s good advice about not naming them. Unfortunately after a few years and the laying slows down it may be time to consider getting a new batch.
I was greatly interested in the soft shell coments,I too have acquired some ex batteries and am getting that problem,some broken some appear shell less.my girls are getting mash,oyster shell,corn and freshly boiled veg scraps. appart from that they are doing great with there ‘new lease of life’!! Any more info on that annoying hitch?
lesley older the hen gets more soft shells you get.when you buy battery hens mostly there just finishing there first lay so theyre 18 month old.theyve been vacinated and bred for cages only thats why theres no other bird on the planet better layers.so when there brought out of the cage and onto grass through the next 2 years or so of there short life they catch all kind of problems.ive oyster shell dont 24 hours a day still i get some soft shells.ive got some light sussex i bred myself there 4 year old still laying very good but never a soft shell because theyve been reared outside from day 1.
Hi Lesley and Stuart
When I got really into feeding my hens mash I started to get some weirdly shaped and soft shells. Now mash (veggies and cereal) is a treat and layers pellets are given every day and I don’t have the problem with soft shelled eggs.
Well I will certainly give that a try and let you know the out come . It is frustrating when you dont get to find out who the culprit is!!
Thanks for the advice.
I am purchasing 3 different layer type birds. We have a large hen house and penned in living space, we used for turkeys previously. Is it okay to mix the breeds? How many roosters should you have per hen type if I start out with 8 hens of each type. How will roosters of differernt breeds fair with one another?
hi fn I have been giving my hens pellets as you suggested for aprox 4 days now (with the grit always available) and up to now still am getting one soft egg .I will persist just in case things turn for the better!! fingers crossed.
Pleae can yu tell me more about your anti brooding techniques. I read somewhere on your site about a different sort of laying box but now I cant find it
My four (2 sussex and 2 blackrock) are all settled in and laying well (even some double yolkers). I bought a 4/5 bird hen house, but wondered if I wanted a couple more hens and bought another hen house, would the original birds still go in their own house and the new ones go in the new house, or would they all try and cram in the same one?? Any ideas please?
Hello Steven
I reckon that it’s a great idea to offer loads of accomodation choices to your flock.
If the hens have lots of space they will not suffer. I can almost gaurantee that your new hens will not head immediately for the new house.
Like most living creatures thaey will examine the options and then make a choice. Most of the hens will end up in the best house.
Hi steven
personally ..I wouldn’t mix them….been there,done that! In confined space in my experience..the old girls dont appreciate ‘new comers’…..lifes too short for agro in the hen house!!! I was thinking of getting a few Black Rocks,i have heard they do well with the double yolkers..(in a separate house of course)!!
hi steven
its a good idea to have two houses-if the new hens get pecked by the older ones they still have somewhere to go… the origional hens will probably still use the older coop because it’s “their house” (like you wouldn’t buy a house unless you had explored it yet). also if the hens do happen to cram into one house, it is their choice and sometimes they like to snuggle up.
zoe amber (the chicken crazed girl)
can anyone help……I aquired four ex batteries approx 3 mnths ago and they appear to be really happy and healthy,we are getting a great supply of eggs (which are the best tasteing)!except someone is STILL laying a ’softy’. my ? is 1 of the 4 is in great condition she is in almost show cond now & the other three are a LOT less weight & still pretty scragey looking! any ideas? ps. They all appear to eat and graze the same.
you could try giving them extra oyster shells (can be found in most feed stores) these provide extra calcium to help make stronger egg shells. you can also crush dry eggshells and feed those to the hens, as they have calcium in them too. I have had a couple hens go through a period of laying soft eggs, but they got better with time… how old are the hens? and do you know what breed they are? (sometimes that can play a part in things like that)
zoe amber
Hi Amber
Most people don’t realise the value of oyster shells.
Thanks for making this point.
We give our hens loads of oyster shells and grit. They love and need it.
Hi Amber Oyster shell is always available for the hens to eat,but unfortunately like with kids you cant make them eat their greens! It does get eaten but the tray it’s in does seem to last for quite a time. As i said they are straight from the Battery house so I guess they are 18mths old,and I have no idea what breed they are! Does Battery hens make them “Heinz 57″?
maybe try mixing the oyser shells in with the feed? I have never had any ex-battery hens so I’m not really experienced with them… if they are white though they are probably a leghorn cross, which can sometimes be worn out from laying so much… but if the other hens are laying fine, then she will probably start laying normal eggs soon-ish. since she HAS just come out of a battery oparation, she’s in some sort of chicken heaven after being in a not-so-nice place her whole life.
zoe amber
Chicken Heaven…..What a apt way to look at it!!
They certainly are!! I’m not overly concerned about her,she is happy in her “heaven” along with her mates! It is the second time we’ve had the ex “chuck outs” bless em! I may try crunching the shell up further…see what that brings! They are light tan in colour,not white,but as you say..worn out! no pressure here..easy life!!
Hi All,
just stumbled across this fine website whilst attempting to diagnose a non-laying hen! We’ve had our 3 original Black Rocks for about a year now (and added some speckled bantams a few months back), getting an egg from each most days. However, one of the Black Rocks has stopped laying over the last month to 6 weeks. She laid a couple of soft eggs so we started giving them grit, which does seem to get eaten. She does go walkabout with the other two girls but they still come back to the coop to lay. I can’t find any evidence of her laying elsewhere. Is it possible for her to be egg-bound for so long? Can anyone explain an “impacted crop” as I’ve seen that as a possible reason for non-laying? Any other suggestions? She seems fine in herself apart from sometimes being a bit sleepy looking.
Many thanks
Dear Radish
I quite agree to this site being a fine website! soft shells are a pain,i have one lady who for whatever the reason will insist on doing so and that appears to be her way (at least I know who she is now)! I also experienced a “egg bound” member (known as Pat)but a small dose of cod liver oil sorted her out!!! that was only over a couple of days though..being sleepy..not for the length of time you are talking of!
Hi Lesley, we tried giving a couple of small doses of cod liver oil but it didn’t make any difference sadly. She isn’t sleepy all the time, just every now and then she goes into a corner of the run and closes her eyes (maybe just 40 winks).
She even goes into the laying boxes most days as if she wants to lay (or maybe she’s trying to fool us into thinking it’s one of the other girls not laying!). Still not sure what this impacted crop is though…..
Radish,
It sounds just like mine when Broody.. Spends as much time as possible in the nesting box or if we close her out she snuggles down as close as possible to it, apparently snoozing.(she still has a wander round though). This can go on for a good while. We shut the boxes as soon as the others have laid to encourage her to get out and about and soon back to normal.
Radish,
One of our Warrens is quite greedy and appears to have suffered from an impacted crop on two occasions. They appear to be sleepy, hunch themselves up and appear to be generally unwell.
The crop is meant to be full at night after a day of feeding and empty by the morning . If your hen has eaten lots of grass perhaps or something with log stalks it can cause a blockage. You need to give about a teaspoon of olive oil in a syringe (without the needle) every few hours and massage the crop very gently. This should dislodge whatever is causing the blockage. Our hen recovered within an hour or so. I hope this helps.
Radish,
I meant to write LONG stalks, not log stalks!
Hi Jane, that’s a possibility as they do wander off down the field every day on border patrol! One question though, where exactly is the crop? Excuse my ignorance. I did give her a small amount of cod liver oil earlier, will that have the same effect?
Steven, thanks for the suggestion. She doesn’t actually spend much time in the nest box so I’m pretty sure she isn’t broody. We had one do that very early and she wouldn’t budge from the nest!
Thanks for all the advice.
Hi Radish,
If you follow the neck down, the crop, like a sac, is situated at the end before the chest starts. You may find a better description on the internet.
When we treated our hen we gave her the oil,(I would think cod liver oil should work the same), and gently massaged the area immediately afterwards for about 5 minutes to dislodge any blockage. We repeated the procedure about 2 hours later. Hope this helps.
Hi Jane, you’re a star! I’ll give that another go today. Most of the books I’ve found don’t give any advice on chicken ailments and take it for granted that you know the anatomy of a chicken!
cheers.
does anyone know how to stop chickens from eating their eggs? I have a rat problem (not as bad as it used to be), and the rats sometimes eat eggs, so they have sort of taught the chickens how to do it. “look here dumb hens! you can actually EAT these things you lay!”. maybe I need more nest boxs???
zoe amber
Amber
I had 4 warrens that were serial egg eaters after a rat problem. They never stopped despite mustard eggs and collecting eggs from under the hen’s bottoms straight after they were laid. I’m afraid that the advice I was given (and carried out ) was a cull. I’ve just got 2 Shavers and One of those lays soft shelled eggs so I’m concerned that they may start to eat their eggs!!
Hi Amber
I’m sorry but I haven’t had this problem to date.
Hello Claire
Thanks for answering this question. Much appreciated.
Hello,
But they all want to lay in one box and one of my girls is always in the box and will only come out to eat… Why might that be?? When she comes out my rooster (we named Jack) chases her til she goes back in the roost??We are confused.Please help..Also we just lost 2 due to a hungry animal.My children are not happy. We put 4 traps all the way around the pin. Is that what we should do? Whatever it is its climbing up and over,there are no holes dug around the pin any suggestions on that? Thank you for any information you can give for my girls and I.
I wanted you to know that I have been doing my homework on my rescued girls. The girls are red sex linked and my rooster is a black sex linked.Since I have written last my children and I built them a condo!!
Sorry to hear about your loss but it seems you have a fox who will climb, I suggest you cover the pen and make sure your fowls are locked up each night, as for the fowls using the same nest box that will always happen, I have 2 nest boxes for my 4 bantams and one day the eggs can be in 1 box and another day they will be in the other, don’t worry it happens all the time. Regards Robbo.
I’m getting 6 pekin chickens tommorow, my first time keeping chickens. I have just been reading all the posts and have to say how useful this has been. I just wondered how many eggs a pekin chicken is likely to lay? Thanks Anne
Hi Lari
What a shame that some of your chickens have been killed. I agree with Compostinaway you would be best to cover the pen. The other answer is to string wire at a forty five degree angle (on braced wood) just above the top of your netting -this stops foxes etc climbing up.
Our hens tend to all want to lay in the same place too this is normal.
Hello Compostinaway
Thanks for your advice.
Hi Anne
Pekins are hens that have a tendency for broodiness rather than egg laying. They will lay eggs but expect 4 a week rather than an egg a day.
Of course some of your flock my lay more than others.
Chickens keeping is such fun.
Hi Everyone,
)So I called animal control they told me something scary there bobcats in my area. What do you think about that? I would think if it was a bobcat it would have killed them all, right?
Wow!!! I had no idea fox could climb. However its been 3 days since the last slaying so whatever it is, is probably getting hungry.We wake up every morning and check the traps.(almost like Christmas
My girls and I strung wire like you said and put bitty wire under the grapevine. We built the pen around a grapevine.We will see what happens.
All of you are awsome thank you so much!
Hi Lari
Hope that the suggestions work for you.
hello,
we are getting four chickens tommorow weve got the food and all the equitment and all we need now is the chickens does anyone know approx how many eggs warren chickens lay a year on point of lay and our coop has got a metal cleaning tray underneath the perches and we are wondering if we should put soft wood shavings there as well as the nesting box.
thankyou
Hi Harry
Warrens are good layers when they reach POL expect an egg each day from all four.
POL can be disappointing. We bough 6 POL hens and waited six months for an egg, Don’t be impatient with your flock if this happens just ring your supplier and complain.
Yes scatter the shavings everywhere. They are excellent for absorbing nasties and make chicken house cleaning a doddle.
thankyou for replying so quickly, is there any cheap methods of keeping foxes away and is there any other really good egg layers you know of that arnt to expensive.
Hi Harry
My experience of hens is fairly limited. We have bantam breeds generally although we raised a Maran hen from an egg. She’s six years old now and still giving us an egg most days, although she has a rest in the winter.
The chickens need a run built with strong wire netting to be safe from fox attacks. Our run also has a roof made of wire. This is expensive to buy but will last for years.
thanks once again for replying so quickly we now have 2 warrens a speckled hen and a white leg horn. they are all good together its just our dog and its a greyhound so a bit of a problem we cant let it out in the garden often now because it runes strait to the chicken house and then barks is there any ways you can get dogs away.
thanktyou
I have a hen who is occasionally laying 2 eggs per day. I have 4 hens but sometimes get 5 eggs. I also know which eggs belong to which chicken, they are different colours shapes etc. Anyone else ever heard of this happening?
how do i know what is bad for my rhode island reds and banny chickens?
Hi,
I’m thinking of getting some chicks this summer but I will only keep them for three months , I want to know how fast does a chick grows and at what age do they start laying eggs ? And how many chicks do you suggest for me to have ?
Hi,
This is the first time I have ever had chickens. One of them had an egg inside her uterus ( I guess ) but it was outside her body. I could see the opening so I removed the egg. She looked sick for awhile and then she started eating etc. That was about 2 weeks ago. Today I got 1 egg more than usual but it had a soft shell. What should I do ?
Thanks,
Moneica
Hi Moneica,
soft shell eggs can indicate that she’s not getting enough calcium in her diet. They do occur from time to time so don’t worry too much. If the chickens aren’t free to roam they may need some additional calcium adding to their normal layers pellets. We bought a bag from our local feed merchant which contains small stones and crushed shells etc.
Your other alternative is to crush up egg shells and put them in the pellets (make sure they are crushed as if they are still recognisable as eggs they may canibalise their own eggs).
Good luck and hope that helps,
Richard
Thanks Richard. I thought maybe since I helped deliver her egg or what ever you call it that maybe I had caused the problem. I have never had a chicken before and didn’t realize how much fun they are to watch.
Moneica
I’m no expert but we’ve now had ours for about 18 months so you tend to learn as you go along.
You’re right though, they do all have their own character.
Good luck,
Richard
I have just come across this website, and am so please to read all the positive advice given re having hens.
I am in the process of getting 6 chickens (Warrens). This will be my first adventure keeping chickens, so I will be popping into this site frequently for constructive advice.
We have just finished the hen house and put the
fencing up. I need to get the feed and would
appreciate advice as to which is the best for my hens.
Hi Karin
I feed my flock layers pellets with a little corn/wild bird seed as a treat each day.
You’ll have great with your hens, I spend hours watching mine.
i am getting some warren hens on saturday anybody give me any tipsd its my first flock but ive helped out with chickens before thanks
hi
my wife and I have been offered some 6 hectares of land, to start a small holdings business and my question is: How many quail or chickens do you need to have for a substainable income, and the best way to shift those eggs. We need a name of a company that would come and collect eggs to stamp and package them to sell on. Do any company’s in the uk (south east) do that?
THANKS
Darren.
Hi Kieron
If you’ve helped out with hens befor you know all the basics.
My main tips would be to give them fresh water every day and try to tame them (with corn) so that it is easy to catch them.
Hi Darren
I’m sorry but I don’t know the answer to your question. It would be worth checking out the smallholder forums.
Hi All,
Just registered, as I saw this blog in a google search.
I had my first egg yesterday, a bit soft though (looking through my Chicken Encyclopedia)read that first POL eggs maybe soft. I have 2 x Blue Belles, “Dilly and Dolly”.
Looking forward to getting the next one.
Jules