When will my chickens lay eggs?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 661 comments
Even though I know that egg laying is unpredictable at this time of year, it’s always a bit disappointing when I lift the lid of the nesting box and there’s only one. An egg from Carol. She is firing on all cylinders now and producing one egg a day, the maximum that a domestic hen can produce.
“What’s going on with the other four chickens?” I think as I stump back through the garden in my dressing gown and wellies.
The other four chickens are elderly maidens, well into their third year. I know that after two years egg production diminishes but somehow I hoped that the organic food and beautiful adornments in the pen might make a difference. Of course they don’t. As the years roll by, the chickens will produce fewer and fewer eggs until they go to that great pecking ground in the sky.
The pretty white bantams, have never been very obliging on the egg laying front. In their prime, they probably only laid two or three eggs a week. They are not a laying strain and we knew this when we bought them. But we have discovered that they are very photogenic and are happy to model endlessly.
I’ve been checking the hen’s combs. A pink comb indicates that a chicken is going broody, and will not lay. They are all a bright vibrant red, including Mrs Boss (this chicken won The Broodiest of all Known Chickens Award 2004, 2005 and 2006).
So you can imagine my delight when I lifted the roof of the nesting box this morning and found two small eggs nestling beside Carol’s large speckled brown one. I sprang back to the kitchen to make the perfect breakfast omelette.
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My hens have completely stopped laying for 2 days, having laid 1 egg each all through the winter. I have 2 cockerels who are very frisky! Could this be the reason? They lay huge speckled eggs, but today i found one small misshapen egg with a very thin shell. The chickens are all completely free – they wander where they like, and although we feed them layers pellets everyday, they seem to prefer finding their own food, such as sheep feed, corn or any insects they can dig out of the wood pile.
I was wondering whether hens go off laying if they are becoming broody? they have always laid in their nesting box – they are shut up every night.
Any help or advice would be gratefully received
Hi Carrie
Eggs from the same hen can vary enormously. We have one maran hen who lays large brown eggs. Sometimes these are paler, sometimes speckled, sometimes dark reddish brown. Often they change slightly in shape too.
So I suspect that you will not find your answer as there are too many variables. If you are desperate to know you could set up a webcam in the nesting box.
ok should have thought of that! thanks
I need to know if they are any website than can show exactly what egg is layed from which hen .I thought I knew but i have a brown speckled egg and i dont know whos laying it . can anyone help
Hi Barbara
Ask the breeder when you buy them. Different breeders have different methods. They might already be wormed for this year.
Thanks if i buy them soon they wouldn’t need doing till next spring?
Hi Barbara
I just worm our chucks once a year. In the spring.
How do you know when to worm your chickens, haven’t got mine yet but want to know everything lol
Hi Rosieposy
Once the eggs appear it seems like a true sign of Spring.
Hi Mandy
I think the china eggs work as it seems that you are not taking all the eggs. George made his own using a real egg and glue (see the comments on this post https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=62).
Hi Rosieposey
Thanks for the advice, we have today added the bedding, done the worm treatment. Tomorrow will do the lice treatment and then try the china egg, if we can get one.
Then hopefully eggs will come and then we will be thinking, which thing worked!
Mandy