Eggs & Laying

How long does it take an egg to hatch?

It takes 21 days from setting the eggs under the broody hen for an egg to hatch. When you are hatching eggs it is important to place the broody hen in a separate house to incubate and hatch the fertilised eggs, they should remain there until the chicks are at least 10 weeks old to keep them safe from the other chickens.

How many eggs per day should I expect?

It takes approximately 26 hours for a hen to lay an egg, therefore most hens will lay 6 days out of 7. Some breeds are less prolific, these are mainly purebreds.

How many eggs a week should I expect?

As it takes approximately 26 hours to lay an egg, a hen may lay approximately 6 eggs in a week – but this will depend on the time of the year, her age, her breed, her nutritional intake and how healthy she is.

When will my hens start laying eggs?

Hens start to lay eggs around 16-20 weeks of age, this time is named the Point of Lay (sometimes referred to as POL) and is dependent on the breed of chicken, time of year and the level of health and nutrition of the hen.

What age is a point of lay hen?

A point of lay (POL) hen is around 16-20 weeks of age. POL is the age the hen starts laying and is dependent on the breed of chicken, time of year and the level of health and nutrition of the hen.

What does point of lay mean?

Point Of Lay (or POL) is the age the hen starts laying and is dependent on type of chicken, time of year and the level of health and nutrition of the hen. POL normally occurs at around 16-20 weeks of age.

Will my hens lay eggs all year round?

Chickens are seasonal breeders, so most hens will stop laying eggs as we move towards the winter months. This is due to the reduction in daylight hours. The reducing level of light in the winter months will affect both the nutritional intake of the hens and the production of hormones responsible for reproduction in the chicken, meaning less eggs are produced. Pure breed hens may stop laying completely from October to January. Hens will also not lay if they are moulting as they divert their resources to grow feathers.

Will my hens lay eggs forever?

Hens do not lay eggs forever, they are born with a finite number of eggs and so as they get older they will slow down and lay fewer eggs until they stop laying all together. Most hens will lay well for 2.5 years or so depending on their breed.

When will my hens stop laying eggs?

It is difficult to predict when hens will stop laying, as they are born with a finite number of eggs – they will not lay for their lifetime, but how long they will lay will depend on their breed, age and general level of health and nutrition.

My chickens have stopped laying, what should I do?

If your chickens are no longer laying eggs (and they previously did) there may be a number of reasons they have stopped. You might need to ask yourself a number of questions to determine the reason why they are no longer laying:

How old are your hens? Typically, hens will slow down laying once they are 2.5 years old and eventually stop laying altogether.
What time of year is it? Hens don’t tend to lay all year round and they will probably stop in the winter months
Are your hens going through a feather moult? If they are moulting they tend to stop laying too as they require all of the nutrients in their diet to regrow feathers.
Are your hens healthy? A health check should rule out any visible health issues.
When were your hens last wormed? A high worm burden may prevent your hens from laying.
Do your hens have adequate nutrition? You might want to consider supplementing your chickens with Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder – this complementary mineral feed is specially formulated to improve egg quality, assist digestion and provide nutritional support for laying hens.

Why have my chickens stopped laying eggs?

There are a number of reasons why your hens may stop laying which include:

1. Age – older chickens are less likely to lay as they only have a finite number of eggs

2. Level of nutrition – if your chickens do not have the correct level of nutrition they will not be able to produce eggs. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder is a complementary mineral feed specially formulated to improve egg quality, assist digestion and provide nutritional support for laying hens. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder provides high levels of limestone, oyster grit and calcium to help strengthen and improve eggshell quality and added seaweed which is full of natural amino acids, to help improve yolk colour and support hens in lay.

3. General health – hens need to be in good general health to produce eggs.

4. Worm burden – hens with a heavy worm burden may stop laying.

5. Time of year – as we move into the winter, hens tend to reduce/stop laying as there is a reduction in the production of hormones which are responsible for reproduction.

6. Moulting – hens will stop laying when moulting as vital nutrients are diverted to grow new feathers.

Ensure your chickens are in good health by conducting a health check regularly, making sure their diet is nutritionally balanced and checking for and treating worms should your chickens have them.

My Chickens are laying eggs with soft shells, what should I do?

Sometimes hens may lay eggs that have thin, soft or no shells. There may be a number of reasons for this. First ensure that your hens are generally healthy by conducting a health check to identify any health issues and check their worm burden and worm if necessary. Feed your hens a high quality layers feed, making sure that this is a significant proportion of their diet and that treats are kept to a minimum, and only given after they have eaten all of their main feed. Soft shelled eggs might be more common at the start or end of the laying period, or when the hens are older.

Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder is a complementary mineral feed specially formulated to improve egg quality, assist digestion and provide nutritional support for laying hens. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder provides high levels of limestone, oyster grit and calcium to help strengthen and improve eggshell quality and added seaweed which is full of natural amino acids, to help improve yolk colour and support hens in lay.

My chickens are laying eggs with no shells, what should I do?

Sometimes hens may lay eggs that have thin, soft or no shells. There may be a number of reasons for this. First ensure that your chickens are generally healthy by conducting a health check to identify any health issues and check their worm burden and worm if necessary. Feed your hens a high quality food making sure that this is a significant proportion of their diet and that treats are kept to a minimum. Eggs with no shells might occur when hens are heat stressed. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder is a complementary mineral feed specially formulated to improve egg quality, assist digestion and provide nutritional support for laying hens. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder provides high levels of limestone, oyster grit and calcium to help strengthen and improve eggshell quality and added seaweed which is full of natural amino acids, to improve yolk colour and support hens in lay.

My chickens are laying eggs with grooves on, what should I do?

Eggs with grooves on them are perfectly normal but different to what is normally laid. This may be because of an illness that has not been treated so conduct a health check to rule out any possible diseases. You might want to consider adding Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder to their food. This complementary mineral feed is specially formulated to improve egg quality, assist digestion and provide nutritional support for laying hens. Nettex Poultry Egg and Shell Support Powder provides high levels of limestone, oyster grit and calcium to help strengthen and improve eggshell quality and added seaweed which is full of natural amino acids, to help improve yolk colour and support hens in lay.

Do I need to wash my eggs?

Yes and no! If the eggs are dirty and have mud or poo on them they will need to be wiped clean, otherwise there is no need to wash them. Fresh eggs have a cuticle or “bloom” which allows oxygen exchange from outside the egg for a chick to grow but prevents bacteria from getting inside and washing will remove this protection, therefore if your eggs are soiled wipe them clean with Nettex Poultry Sanitiser and Egg Wash but do not rinse.

What is a lash egg?

Occasionally your chicken may lay an egg which looks like a misshapen rubbery blob! This is known as a lash egg. It’s not actually an egg, it is the tissue from the ovary sloughing away and occurs mainly in hybrid breeds of chickens. Chickens tend to be fine after laying a lash egg but it is advisable to keep an eye on them just in case. Link to Health Check video.

How should I store my chicken’s eggs?

For optimum quality and safety, eggs should be kept at a constant temperature below 20 degrees. Eggs do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, but If you choose to store them in the fridge, store them in a cardboard box within the body of the fridge not the door.

How long can I keep my chicken’s eggs for?

The shelf life of eggs will largely depend on how the eggs have been stored. However, a good rule of thumb would be to use your eggs within 28 days from lay.