Domestic chickens are amazing birds. They give us healthy eggs and meat. Eggs are one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods. When we eat it, we don’t even think about the formation process. In this article we will try to talk in detail about the process of egg laying in domestic chickens, and we will also tell you how chickens lay eggs without a rooster.
How do chickens lay eggs without a rooster?
Many novice poultry farmers are concerned about the question: Will chickens lay eggs without a rooster? Let's figure it out.
The process of laying eggs in mature laying hens is a natural process and does not require the participation of a rooster. So why do you need a rooster in the chicken coop? The rooster makes the eggs fertilized and chicks can hatch from them, unlike those that were laid without the participation of a male.
Unfertilized eggs are great for food, but they are not suitable for breeding.
How do chickens lay eggs every day or every other day?
How do laying hens lay eggs? Every day or every other day? How many eggs does a chicken lay per day? This question is also of interest to many poultry farmers. One ordinary laying hen, with the correct maintenance and feeding regime, lays 1 egg per day. When keeping poultry at home, this rule is relevant in the warm season. In winter, egg production decreases or the bird stops laying eggs altogether (depending on housing conditions).
On large poultry farms, chickens lay 300-320 eggs per year. There are some birds that lay eggs without any days off at all.
The process of laying an egg.
The process of laying an egg is quite complicated. An egg is a large egg cell. The chicken body contains a huge amount of them. Each cell consists of a shell - the yolk. After the maturation process has occurred, it begins to descend into the oviduct. At this stage, the yolk is covered with the next shell - protein. On next stage The egg is covered with a shell. After this, the chicken lays an egg.
This entire process of egg maturation lasts approximately 20-22 hours. Then it repeats.
Video.
The chicken lays an egg - Video:
Kira Stoletova
Raising chickens is a profitable business, the main benefit of which is the production of eggs and meat. These products have become so integrated into our diet that it is very difficult to imagine our life without them. But breeders have always been interested in the question, how many years do chickens lay eggs and do the flock lay eggs every day with proper care and proper maintenance?
Eggs and meat are rich in various beneficial microelements: vitamins and amino acids. In addition, the chicken egg itself is 98% digestible by the human body, which is why these products are so valued among the people. Having decided to keep laying hens at home, you need to know not only about the features of caring for them, but also how many years the hens lay eggs.
When the birds start flying
One of the most important factors that influence the age at which birds begin laying eggs and how long chickens lay eggs is the breed of the bird. It is most rational to contain for such purposes. Such a chicken lays eggs starting from the age of five months. The eggs themselves are small in size, and their color depends on the breed of the bird itself. In addition, products from the first clutches have a large yolk. By 8 months, the weight and size of the eggs increases, and the yolk decreases.
Chickens can start laying eggs earlier. It all depends on emotional state winged. Keeping backyard chickens is not an easy task. The breeder should choose a safe, quiet place for them. If it is located next to a highway, this may affect the period of egg production, its beginning and duration. In addition, if there are other birds on the farm, this can also negatively affect productivity. Any psychological discomfort is reflected in how many eggs chickens can lay in a day, week and even a year. Therefore, the breeder should do everything necessary requirements so that the laying hens give him the desired profit.
Conditions for the duration of the bird productivity period
In conditions household chickens begin to lay eggs early, from 4-6 months.
But the duration of the productive period is difficult to predict. The highest figure - up to 300 eggs per year - is achieved thanks to individual characteristics crosses or regular breeds. In addition, a lot depends on the correctness of the breeder’s actions. The egg production of poultry is affected by:
- Features of the diet. , which includes correct proportion proteins, fats and carbohydrates, affects the health of chickens. The stronger their immunity, the better their productivity and its duration. In addition, it is important that the food consumed by the bird has a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals contained in vegetables, herbs, shells and other products.
- Conditions of detention. the chicken coop must be protected from drafts and have a heating system, which is necessary for the birds in the cold season. It is also important that feeders and drinkers are installed inside the house so that the birds can have easy access to them.
- Genetic factor. Laying hens that are of the egg breed will lay eggs longer than others. In addition, the characteristics of the bird’s immunity to various diseases, which also affect productivity, are also important.
- Chick hatching period.
In households, birds lay eggs for up to 2 years. Of these, the most profitable for the farmer are only 12-18 months. After this period, productivity decreases, as does the quality of the eggs themselves. After 2 years, no matter how hard a person tries, the egg production rate will decrease and keeping such winged birds will be impractical.
If chickens older than 2 years are not culled, the taste of the meat will also deteriorate, so the breeder should consider in advance the need to rotate the stock. The farmer must raise chickens or purchase new ones. But there are also exceptions. Some chickens can be profitable to keep because, despite their mature age, they continue to provide income to the breeder. But all such cases are individual and rare, so you should carefully monitor the livestock and promptly identify and eliminate unproductive individuals.
Every farmer should know this
In order to properly maintain domestic chickens without losses and problems, you should also know that there are pauses in the egg-laying period.
They can be caused by deficiencies in care and feeding, as well as by immune system characteristics. Often the reason for the interruption of the productivity period is natural molting, which every bird goes through once in its entire life. This process begins at one year of age and continues up to 5 months. Some laying hens are more susceptible and should be culled. Healthy chickens moult quickly and in patches.
Laying hens can also suffer from painful molting, which also affects productivity. How long such a pause lasts depends on the state of the chickens’ immunity, as well as the actions of the breeder. Most often, the main culprits for this phenomenon are:
- errors in content;
- flaw useful substances in the daily diet;
- stress;
- hormonal imbalances.
In home conditions, the artificial molting method shows a good effect. After the completion of the plumage change, the chicken lays eggs more actively and with better quality. Artificial shedding can be caused different ways(hormonal, zootechnical, etc.). The main thing is to consult a veterinarian before doing this, so that human actions do not lead to irreversible consequences.
Maintaining productivity at the same level
Many factors influence how many eggs a laying hen kept in a household will produce per day, month and year. The breeder himself can influence some of them to his advantage. In order to constantly maintain the level of your own profit, you should systematically change the livestock that is being carried. Old, unproductive birds are culled, leaving only profitable chickens. But replenishment of the brood is no less important. The number of adult chickens that are still laying eggs should not exceed 40% of all livestock. The remaining majority are young animals.
The process of restocking also has its own characteristics, which include:
- The need to keep new chickens isolated from the old stock. Birds may not get along together, and may also become infected with infectious diseases from each other.
- The place where future chickens will live must be cleaned and disinfected; a chicken coop that has been used previously and has not been cleaned is dangerous for young chickens. They may get sick.
- The chicken coop must be equipped specifically for walking. It is best to place it on grass, which laying hens can eat, replenishing their diet with useful substances.
It is not advisable to keep old birds. After 2 years, their productivity declines and the quality of their meat deteriorates. Plus, they eat the same way. As soon as the costs spent on food no longer pay off, individual birds are culled. A novice farmer can also focus on how many months the laying hens have to live. For production purposes, chickens are culled by the age of 11 months. In a household, it is better to do this for up to 2 years.
In addition, every breeder should know about the features of bird care. Sometimes egg production rates decrease due to improper human selection work. Only healthy individuals, purebred chickens without developmental defects should be retained for further maintenance.
Almost all farmers have a question, the answer to which is of concern: how many eggs does a laying hen lay per month, per day or per year at home? This question does not have a clear answer, because this fact is influenced by various factors. Which ones exactly and how to increase egg production? We'll talk about this later in the article.
How many eggs can a chicken lay?
The number of eggs laid per day or per month directly depends on the conditions of detention. The main ones are maintaining the desired microclimate and a properly formulated diet. Improper management of hens can lead to poor or interrupted performance. The time of year also has an impact - in summer chickens lay eggs more intensely, in winter the laying rate decreases. Thus, it is impossible to say exactly how many eggs a laying hen produces daily; we can only talk about average values.
In a day
One hen, if properly kept, lays an egg a day at home. In winter, chicken egg production drops. Representatives of egg breeds begin to lay eggs every other day, while other hens winter time practically do not rush at all. The explanation for this fact lies in the biorhythms of the bird, because in winter there is no need for procreation.
In Week
One chicken lays consistently from 3-4 to 7 eggs weekly. How much exactly - it depends, again, on the time of year, breed, and conditions of detention.
Per month
A hen lays about 15–30 eggs every month, it depends on various factors, such as breed, season and conditions in which the bird is kept.
In year
The bird brings on average from 200 to 300 eggs per year, and at the most favorable conditions and up to 330. These indicators are typical for laying hens kept in the right conditions. If lighting, temperature or nutrition are not organized correctly, then egg production can drop sharply, until laying stops completely.
The above are averages, but sometimes there are exceptions. For example, there were cases when one laying hen laid 371 eggs per year. There were also very interesting cases when a chicken laid an egg with two yolks and in a double shell. Quite often you can find cases with two yolks, but in history there are also cases when nine yolks were found under the shell at once.
Comparative egg production indicators
It depends on the breed how many eggs one chicken can lay per day or month. Breeds of laying hens are divided into three types: egg, meat-egg and meat. Accordingly, the breeds of the first two types demonstrate the highest egg production. The table shows the egg production rates of the most popular egg breeds and indicates how many eggs chickens lay on average per year.
| Breed | Average egg weight | Number of eggs per year | Peculiarities |
| Russian white | From 55 to 60 g. | 200-240 | The breed is different rapid growth young animals, birds begin to lay eggs as early as 4 months of age. |
| Leghorn | From 55 to 65 g. | 200-240, up to 300 | This breed is widespread in our country, has a high egg production, is well acclimatized, and the shell is usually white. |
| Loman Brown | 63-64 | from 315 to 320 | Light brown eggshell |
| High Line | from 60 to 65 g. | from 340 to 350 | Eggs are white |
| Hisex white | 63-64 | from 300 to 315 | Both plumage and shell color are white |
How to improve your performance?
Any farmer involved in breeding poultry, tries to achieve as much egg production as possible. How many eggs will be laid is influenced not only by the breed, but also by several factors - the age of the animal, the conditions of detention, the presence of stress, the time of year, and so on. In summer, when the days are long and the food supply is more varied, birds usually fly much more actively. In winter, to maintain high egg production, good lighting and enrichment of feed with vitamins and microelements is required.
- Proper diet. A balanced ratio of macro- and microelements will provide laying hens good health and high egg production. Nutrition should be evenly distributed over time; it is unacceptable to create periods of overfeeding and underfeeding. The composition of the feed is important, which should contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the right proportions. Mix well different types grains and add water or milk to it. To increase egg production, chickens need to be given calcium and phosphorus, and green vegetables.
- Temperature regime. Low temperatures reduce egg production. The chicken coop must be insulated.
- Illumination. With increasing daylight hours, the chicken's egg production increases and vice versa. Therefore, in the autumn-winter period it is necessary to provide the chicken coop with lighting. For this, of course, the best option will be the use of lamps daylight. It is necessary to ensure that the duration of daylight hours is not more than 14 hours, otherwise the bird will not have time to rest properly. Increased daylight hours, not exceeding 14 hours, will ensure production of up to one egg per day, even at home.
- It is important to maintain air humidity at a level of 60 to 70%, otherwise egg production will decrease and laying hens will feel uncomfortable.
In this video you will learn what conditions need to be created for laying hens so that they lay eggs all year round.
Humanity tried chicken meat and eggs thousands of years ago. Since then, it is difficult to imagine the diet of any of us in which these products would be absent. Many people not only raise chickens to provide themselves with food, but also actively build a business on it. Therefore, poultry farmers, before purchasing a young generation, wonder how egg production will be? How to determine frequency?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to answer this question with maximum accuracy. All because it affects a large number of factors, for example, chicken nutrition, maintenance, weather, seasonality.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to determine how many eggs chickens will lay per day. Some are of the opinion that one hen lays no more than one egg per day, while others claim that eggs are laid every other day. First of all, an experienced poultry farmer is aware that the number of eggs directly depends on the breed of birds.
Chicken breeds
Experts in the field of chicken breeding have long divided this bird into 3 main breeds:
- Meat chickens.
- Egg hens.
- Universal chickens (combination of meat and eggs).
In fact, all breeds of chickens can lay eggs, the only difference is in their number. For example, meat chickens produce approximately 100-150 eggs per year. But those breeds that are egg-bearing can lay about 200-230 eggs in the same time.
So what is the difference between a meat breed and an egg breed:
- Egg hens are often small in size.
- They go through puberty quite quickly.
It is possible to distinguish the following breeds of chickens that are characterized by maximum egg production:
- etc.
Today, many poultry farmers prefer hybrids. This is because their price is almost the same as that of ordinary laying hens, but the living conditions are much simpler, there are no special recommendations. They are unpretentious. At the same time, the egg production of hybrids is 10% higher. But it is important to remember that when crossing, this figure will decrease.
What is the peculiarity of egg production?
In nature, many birds lay eggs only when they are about to give birth to new offspring. Domestic chickens do not have this tendency. In order for laying hens to lay eggs all year round, they should be provided with appropriate conditions. Thanks to this, you can expect up to 300 eggs per year.
Egg production in chickens begins during puberty. But when it comes depends directly on the breed. Those individuals that belong to the bark breeds can lay eggs already at 17-20 weeks of life. But meat and egg ones not earlier than after 6 months. Representatives of meat breeds will be pleased with eggs only after 8 months.
In the chicken body, a yolk (egg) is initially formed. During the entire period of passage through the organs of egg formation, it is covered with protein. Next, add all the necessary shells, and only then the yolk. If the conditions of detention and nutrition are met correctly, then this process lasts approximately 22-25 hours.
What is also important is that a chicken is capable of laying eggs without the participation of a rooster. Therefore, there is no great need for it. His presence is needed only when the farmer's goal is to breed offspring. This is because only eggs fertilized by a rooster can become chickens in the future.
Beneficial period for egg production
Farmers who have been raising chicken offspring for a long time know that the best time for egg laying is spring, since the weather is warm.
Many people wonder how long one chicken lays eggs. One fact is known here: a laying hen lays the largest number of eggs in the first year of life. After this, egg production will gradually decrease.
Because of this large farms who keep chickens for the purpose of obtaining eggs, send them to slaughter after a year and acquire new offspring.
Of course, if the conditions for keeping the chicken population are high level, then it makes sense to keep laying hens for several years. After all, poultry houses, timely feeding, and correct feeding plays a very important role important role. On average, a laying hen in such conditions can lay 200 eggs in a year.
How to increase egg production
The question of how to increase egg production worries almost every farmer. Basically, everyone uses the same method.
This method involves extending daylight hours. For this, various light bulbs are used, which are adapted to the chicken coop. If a laying hen thinks that there are 28 hours in a day, then she will lay eggs all this time. The most optimal time for egg production without harm to the bird - this is 13 hours.
This method has a significant drawback; it significantly shortens the life of the hen.
Also plays a significant role Fresh air and thermal conditions. If during the period when the chicken lays eggs, she has warm earrings, a comb and earlobes, then everything is fine, the individual feels well, and the conditions of detention are correct.
On a note! It is in the comb, lobes and earrings that the pigment is present, which is responsible for the formation of the egg shell.
Each poultry farmer has an individual approach to increasing egg production. However, it is worth knowing all the recommendations, then the result will be more productive.
In order for a laying hen to lay eggs well, this requires an appropriate temperature regime in the chicken coop. Comfortable nests and a good aviary for walking play an important role.
It is also very important to provide laying hens with balanced feed, complete with vitamins and minerals. The diet should include both dry food and mash, and fresh greens.
At a certain point in its life, a chicken stops laying eggs for a certain period, this moment is molting. After its completion, egg production begins to be active.
Experienced poultry farmers take this into account, so they often triple the molt artificially. To do this, the bird is starved for a certain period of time. At this time, only water is allowed. This kind of starvation causes the laying hen stressful state, and she begins to shed. After that, vitamin and mineral fattening begins without fail. This speeds up the molting process, and the chickens begin to lay eggs faster.
To increase egg production, some farmers add various feed and premixes to the diet.
How to make chickens lay eggs well in winter can be seen in the video.
How to Define Good Performance
Firstly, a good layer is different appearance. She has fairly dense bones and not a very large body mass. The chicken is not large, we can say that it is quite small. The plumage is very smooth and beautiful. The wings are large, as is the scallop. Most often he “looks” a little to the side. Also, productive chickens have a soft belly.
In addition, laying hens are very active, they can be seen in the enclosure early in the morning, but they enter the chicken coop late.
The Leghorn is recognized as the best egg-laying breed. On average, one laying hen produces about 170-240 eggs per year. And in 1971, she supplied a record number of eggs - 371 eggs per year.
When does the gestation period begin?
Egg production starts differently for each breed. As already mentioned, hens lay eggs from the age of five months. Hybrids start a little later, with a lag of 1.5-2 months. At this time, the duration of daylight hours should be kept to 12 hours. Then it should be gradually increased so that by 9 months the daylight hours last for about 17 hours.
There are also cases when laying hens start laying eggs anywhere, and you have to spend a lot of time searching. To avoid this, you can try placing objects in the nests that look like eggs. For this they use various material: wood, plaster, metal, etc.
There is another method that is more effective. In normal chicken egg a small hole is made, all contents are removed, and filled with any solution (it can be plaster or alabaster). All that's left is to put the egg in the chicken's nest.
Feeding features for good egg production
In order for laying hens to delight with their productivity, they should be provided with timely and proper nutrition. Especially it concerns winter period. Cereals in a certain quantity should be given in sprouted form.
Sprouting cereals is actually very simple, you should take, for example, corn or barley, pour a small amount into a small container warm water. Leave it all in a warm room. In this case, one should adhere to a certain temperature regime, about 25°C. The grain should not be allowed to dry out. After just a couple of days, the first shoots will be visible. It is at this stage that food can be given to birds.
Other poultry farmers increase productivity by adding yeast to the feed. The recipe is also very simple. You should take 30 g of yeast (necessarily fresh) and dilute it in 1.5 liters of water. Next, add 1 kg of crushed grain to the resulting consistency. The resulting mixture is thoroughly mixed and allowed to brew for 8-9 hours in a warm place. After infusion, the composition can be given to chickens. Not in pure form, but with mash.
In order for laying hens to lay eggs well in winter, they need a special diet. Which one you can see in the video.
Please note
The following factors can influence a chicken’s egg production:
- Molting period.
- Sudden temperature changes.
- Cold (for some breeds).
- Diseases.
- Insufficient light.
- Other stressful situations.
The most fruitful period is the time before the start of molting (this is almost 90% of the potential). After molting is completed, productivity decreases by 85%, and sometimes up to 80%.
On average, the molting period can last from 2 weeks to several months. After it has come to an end, the conditions of detention are appropriate, egg production will begin to increase rapidly.
Also, the number of eggs may decrease with the age of the hen. The older the chicken, the fewer eggs there will be. In addition, they may be of poor quality, for example, with a damaged shell or various flaws.
Sometimes there may be eggs with two yolks - this is absolutely normal. This is because 2 yolks leave the ovary one after the other (almost simultaneously). In the oviduct, they are already covered with all the membranes and protein, and finally with the shell. In such cases, there is no need to do anything, everything will go away on its own.
In order to have eggs all year round, you need to purchase young animals after a certain period. It turns out that adult laying hens will full swing lay large eggs, the younger generation will grow up rapidly.
Another question that interests novice poultry farmers is how many years does a chicken lay? The total egg production can be reduced to 10 years. But only the first year will be available maximum amount, all subsequent ones, productivity will gradually decrease. For this reason, large poultry farms do not keep chickens for more than a year.
As can be seen from the article, determining how often chickens lay eggs is not difficult. But it is possible to determine for what period they will lay eggs.
Masha
How many eggs does a chicken lay per day?
Answering the question of how many eggs a chicken lays per day is both simple and difficult at the same time. You can name the average number for all breeds. But the productivity of laying hens is influenced by many factors. Among them are feeding regimen, diet, time of year, living conditions, health status, etc. Changing any of them will increase or decrease egg laying.
Features of the laying process of laying hens
Breed is a key factor in chicken egg production. She lays out the minimum and maximum for the bird. By arranging a warm chicken coop, a balanced diet, and additional lighting, a breeder can increase productivity only within the interval established by nature.
The ideal for a farmer is 1 egg per day. In fact, it turns out less: about 1 piece every two days.
Attention! In winter, most chickens noticeably reduce the intensity of egg production. Natural biorhythms are to blame: in cold weather, birds do not feel the need to procreate.
Annual productivity for chickens of different directions:
- egg breeds - 200-240 pcs. (about 4 pieces per week);
- egg hybrids - up to 320 pcs. (6-7 eggs per week);
- meat and egg breeds - 160-180 pcs. (3.5 pieces per week);
- meat - 120-160 pcs. (2-3 eggs per week).
Chickens reduce egg laying in the following cases:
- During the molting period, once a year at the end of autumn.
- During the activation of the maternal instinct. Chickens of meat or meat-egg breeds sometimes sit in a nest in order to hatch offspring. Breeding processes have minimized the influence of instinct in pure egg varieties.
Egg production control
The breeder needs to work on obtaining high egg performance from the moment he purchases the chickens. Natural egg breeds differ early onset laying: from about 4.5-5.5 months. versus 7 months in purely meat varieties. Only purebred birds can withstand the deadlines. Crossbred chickens may not start laying eggs at all.
Advice. Buy young stock from certified breeding farms, poultry farms or private breeders with a proven reputation.
As chickens grow older, experienced farmers create for them optimal conditions for life and get the maximum possible number of eggs:
What do you think could cause a decrease in chicken productivity?
How many chickens lay eggs: video