How Many Eggs Does A Chicken Lay In A Week?
Clicking on this link suggests you need more eggs. Or let’s say you just want to find the answer to the question “how many eggs does a chicken lay in a week?”
We understand that one of the important considerations when planning your flock is egg production.
Of course, that’s if the essence of keeping the chickens is for eggs.
Knowing how many eggs you get will be dependent on the number of chickens you keep as well as other factors.
That makes this simple question seem rather complicated.
Whether you’re a professional farmer or you just own a small backyard pen, I’m sure you will find the answers you seek in a few minutes.
How is an egg formed?
Before you start making a fuss over that innocent chicken that lays an egg each day.
Have you ever wondered “How do eggs form?” “How long does it take an egg to form?”
“What factors make chickens lay eggs faster?”
Well, knowing this will make you understand better.
Physiologically speaking, it takes quite some time to lay an egg.
Just like in humans, egg formation starts in the ovary. During ovulation, a yolk is released into the oviduct.
As it moves through this path, it gets fertilized (if the rooster has its way).
At the point where the rooster crosses the hen, the albumen is deposited.
The partially formed egg moves into the uterus. It’s in the uterus that the “egg” is encapsulated by the shell.
And boom! The egg is fully formed.
This whole process takes about 24-26 hours if the chickens are healthy.
How many eggs can a chicken lay a day?
The number of eggs a chicken lays in a day will be dependent on the number of yolks released into the oviduct.
Most chickens tend to lay two eggs in a day.
Three eggs in a day from one chicken is NOT POSSIBLE.
Do not count on it.
For a chicken to lay two eggs in a day, some factors must have contributed to that.
Here’s what may have happened;
1. The hen is young:
Most young hens who are tending to mature may release two yolks at a stretch.
And once two yolks are released, they tend to produce two eggs.
2. The hen is being overfed:
Sounds weird, right!!!
A chicken laying two eggs could be a sign that it is being overfed.
This is actually economically good for the farm.
Sometimes, the two yolks released by the hen into the oviduct can form a double yolk egg.
Some other times, the hen may lay two eggs in one day.
Therefore, a chicken could potentially lay two eggs a day, but no more.
Factors that affect how many eggs a chicken lay in a week
There is no surety that both prolific and non-prolific egg-laying chickens will keep laying eggs.
Sometimes there will be a reduction or increase in their laying pattern.
So why does that happen?
Is there some kind of explanation?
Well, yes there is.
Below are some factors that affect how many eggs a chicken will lay in a week;
1. Winter is not favourable for egg production:
Most hens stop laying in winter. Some on the other hand reduce egg production.
The shorter days and lack of sunlight that comes with winter cause a decrease in hens hormone levels.
This in turn significantly slows down egg production.
But chickens like Australorps, Isa Brown, New Hampshire and Sussex Chickens lay eggs even in winter.
2. The number of eggs a chicken will lay in a week will depend on the breed:
It’s no longer news that some chicken breeds lay more eggs in a week than others.
According to Morning Chores, the White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red lay about 250-300 eggs a year.
While the Australorps lay about 360 eggs in a year.
But hens like Modern Games are poor egg layers.
So basically, the number of eggs you get in a week from a chicken will depend on the breed of chicken.
3. Old chickens do not lay much:
Age is one of the factors that determine how many eggs a chicken will lay in a week.
Usually, hens are more prolific in the first 2 years of their lives.
But after that, there is a decline in the number of eggs you will collect in a day.
Of course, this will reduce the number you will get in a week.
4. When a chicken lacks protein, it will not lay much:
If your hen is healthy and is not laying much, you should consider feeding.
Hens will lay more eggs if they feed more on a protein diet. Since the eggs are made of protein, a bird lacking in protein will lay fewer eggs.
When the chickens get to 20 weeks, it’s best to feed them on a feed that contains 15-18% protein.
Anything less than this is not good for egg production.
5. Although treats are good, they are not good for egg production:
Chickens like the Polish, Minorca and Sebright are good foragers.
And when they forage, they tend to eat foods that reduce their protein intake.
Also, scratch grains, french fries and table scraps, decreases the bird’s daily protein intake.
Once the protein intake is decreased, they would not lay many eggs.
6. Molting decreases egg production:
Molting is a process where the birds systematically take up new feathers by shading the old feathers.
This stressful process often happens yearly in the fall.
And also, this process requires a lot of protein because feathers are made of keratin.
And since protein consumption is high during this period, egg production will be drastically reduced.
7. Sick, Injured & Stressed birds have low egg production:
How many eggs a chicken will lay in a week will depend on how healthy the bird is.
Injured and unhealthy birds won’t be at maximum egg production.
Also, parasites, disease, or stress will affect the number of eggs a chicken will lay.
8. Light management for year-round production:
Light can affect the number of eggs chickens lay.
Just so you know, chickens are long season breeders.
This means that they come into production as the days become longer.
Usually, they produce eggs more when there is more light.
8 hours of light is enough if you are raising the birds indoors.
But if you’re free-ranging, then that would be different.
A stable 14 hours of light per day will be enough for the flock to lay all year round.
9. Pullet management will determine how many eggs each chicken will lay in a week:
If you care for the pullets correctly, when they grow to egg-laying age, they will lay quite a handful of eggs.
Correct pullet management will affect the level and quality of egg production once the birds start to lay.
If the pullets start to lay too early, they may have problems with prolapse. This will invariably cause health problems across the flock.
Also, this may cause the hens to lay smaller eggs throughout the production cycle.
10. The freer the space, the more the eggs:
Laying eggs must have adequate space to produce effectively.
To give them adequate space, you need to consider their size.
Usually, we recommend a minimum of 1.5 square feet per hen.
In addition, predator harassment, hot temperatures, cold temperatures (45-85 degrees F is optimal), over mating by a rooster, being bullied by other birds, and being moved to a new pen or flock will affect how many eggs a chicken will lay in a week.
How Many Eggs Does A Chicken Lay In A Week?
Now that you know what could cause a chicken to have a reduced egg production, let’s find out how many eggs a chicken will lay in a week.
For chickens like White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Australorp and Plymouth Barred Rock, you might expect approximately 4 eggs in a week.
This will account for 200 eggs in a year.
In 1979 a group of Leghorns developed at the University of Missouri laid more than one egg per day per hen.
One of the hens laid 371 eggs in 364 days. (That’s rare)
Let’s do a little math.
4 hens x 200 eggs per year = 800 eggs per year, or 15+ eggs per week.
6 hens x 200 eggs per year = 1,200 eggs per year, or 23+ eggs per week.
8 hens x 200 eggs per year = 1,600 eggs per year, or 30+ eggs per week.
That’s quite good for the business. But like we said, it depends on the breed of chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions about how many eggs a chicken will lay in a week
Do Chickens lay an egg a day?
This is a common misconception that almost every Dick and Harry believes
If it takes an egg 24 to 26 hours to form, how can a chicken lay an egg every day?
It’s nice you choose to find out how many eggs a chicken lays in a week.
After a chicken lays an egg, a new cycle does not start immediately.
Most definitely, the egg will skip a day or two before laying again.
Therefore, a chicken laying an egg each day is pseudo information.
Can a chicken lay two eggs a day?
Although this is rare, the answer is yes.
A chicken can lay two eggs in a day.
How many eggs does a chicken lay in a week?
Most chickens lay 5-6 eggs in a week.
However, this number depends on the breed, age, and seasonal changes.
What time of day do hens lay eggs?
Hens lay eggs throughout the day. But majorly in the morning and early afternoon.
Do chickens lay eggs at night?
No, chickens do not lay eggs at night.
How can I get my chickens to lay more eggs?
The idea is simple, fulfil their nutritional needs and ensure they are stress-free.
Can a chicken lay three eggs in a day?
That’s literally impossible.
If you ever find a chicken laying 3 eggs in a day, that’s probably magic.
Or some kind of prank.
Maybe you might have mistaken a rooster for a hen. Or maybe you forgot to pick the eggs the previous day.
Even as prolific as the Australorp Chickens are they lay at most 2 eggs in a day.
Two eggs from one chicken in a day is a rare occurrence, three is not possible.
Conclusion: How Many Eggs Does A Chicken Lay In A Week?
With this, you can agree with me that the best laying breed is capable of laying about 5-6 eggs per week.
And if your chickens can lay two eggs in a day, you’re at an advantage.
