3 Things That Can Affect Egg Production

Many things can affect the number of eggs your hens lay. Mainly their diet, age and ability to roam during daylight hours. Please keep in mind the following so your expectations are met.

Diet

Chickens need about 20 grams of protein every day for them to keep laying eggs. To ensure your chickens are getting plenty of protein make sure you are feeding them layer feed. Layer feed should contain all the minerals and nutrients that a hen requires. Wonderful feed additive treats like FLYGRUBS are also recommended. If you are looking for how to increase the amount of protein and calcium your chickens get, read 5 Easy Treats you didn’t know your hens would LOVE.

Daylight

Egg laying will be limited if your chickens aren’t getting 14 hours of daylight. In addition to diet, this is also very important. The best way to make sure they get the required amount of daylight we suggest letting them out at sunrise. Some farmers use artificial light in the winter months, but we don’t. We like to think of the winter as the offseason, so we let our girls rest their bodies.

Age

It’s no secret, we all slow down as we age. Chickens are no different. The first year of laying eggs will be the chickens best. As they age they will begin to slow. Once they hit 3 years old, you will typically see their egg production drop to between 140 to 160 eggs per year, depending on the breed. It’s just the facts of life and there is nothing we can do about it!