Chicken bald back

[BlueSilver]

I have had three-eggs a day for a week now - I assumed they were from Lucy(speckledy ), Venus(Warren ) and Misako (Light Sussex ). However I realise now Misako was actually laying two eggs, either at night or in the very early morning. There was just one the past two days from Misako, and today I have discovered Venus is now laying as her eggs are darker slightly from Misako's eggs.

 

I found two eggs today, one darker brown, one light pinkish, so I knew Misako and Venus had both given up their offerings and was very grateful indeed. However, I heard more egg song an hour ago, and realised Misako had laid another egg(!!), and Venus was sitting on it in a rather broody manner. I winced a bit, but removed Misako's second egg left her to it till my son was bundled off to school. I decided to go out and get Venus to budge out the nest box. Sure enough, as soon as I got her on the roosting bars of da Haus, Venus dropped an egg!

 

????

 

She has now gone back into the nest box, flinging more nesting material on her back as if she's going to give another go. Just how many eggs can a hen have going in their girly-works before I need to be worried?

[Beantree]

I've only had two eggs in one day on a couple of occasions Bluesilver. It is very rare for Pedigree hens who lay every 28 hours or more. At their current age we might see one every two days now.

 

A French man did a study at the turn of the last century on the numbers of eggs a hen will produce in her lifetime. He concluded 600 and published the expected laying figures which tailed off and then stopped at year 9. Of course he was dealing with the old Pedigree utility breeds. Nowadays hybrids have been developed just to deliver the maximum number of eggs in their first laying year before they are then replaced with new stock. Based on the feedback I have received in the last few years the expected lifetime number of eggs has dropped considerably and may in some cases be just 300 with some hybrids. So once you have had 300 the rest are a bonus I think, but doubt you will get more than 600.

[Olly]

No 'expert' but yes, young hens coming into lay CAN lay more than one egg in the space of 24 hours, I've had it happen. It's usually only once or twice and then their body gets into a rhythm.

[BlueSilver]

Cheers for that, it's levelled out now, but now I'm getting some huge double-yolks, twice in a week. I complain not at all! Anyone for a scramble?