Does a Chicken Lay Eggs Year-Round?

Published on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

Does a Chicken Lay Eggs Year-Round?

Esperanza Pallana, who writes the urban farming blog Pluck and Feather, explains that chicks and pullets will take about nine months to get up to speed with the laying. And they have seasonal fluctuations, so expect fewer eggs in the winter.

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  • We're in Vermont and our chickens laid eggs at full output throughout the winter

  • It also depends on the breed. My RI Reds are laying nearly every day now although they dropped to every other day in January when we were having a real cold snap. The Americauna lays about 2 eggs every 3 days. We're in the South so we get somewhat warmer weather. Also, not all breeds are dual purpose (eggs & meat). Butchering birds that aren't meat breeds doesn't give you anything useful for the...+READ

    It also depends on the breed. My RI Reds are laying nearly every day now although they dropped to every other day in January when we were having a real cold snap. The Americauna lays about 2 eggs every 3 days. We're in the South so we get somewhat warmer weather. Also, not all breeds are dual purpose (eggs & meat). Butchering birds that aren't meat breeds doesn't give you anything useful for the table. Before buying pullets check with a reputable hatchery's website to learn which breeds give you the results you want.-COLLAPSE

  • In the northern half of the U.S, the hens will only lay for about nine months. If you want a steady supply of eggs you will need to buy new chicks every nine months. To get your second batch of chicks to lay through the winter you need to expose them to about 16 hours of light per day to make "summer." Use a light on a timer. Just a 60 watt bulb would be plenty for the average brooder house or...+READ

    In the northern half of the U.S, the hens will only lay for about nine months. If you want a steady supply of eggs you will need to buy new chicks every nine months. To get your second batch of chicks to lay through the winter you need to expose them to about 16 hours of light per day to make "summer." Use a light on a timer. Just a 60 watt bulb would be plenty for the average brooder house or hen house for home use. Each batch of chicks need to be kept seperate from the previous to prevent canablism and disease transfer.
    The first nine months the hens lay will be by far their best. So if you want to get the most out of them you will will want to butcher them at about 18 months old so they will make good stewing hens. The second season they will usually only lay 6 to 7 eggs per every ten the first season, and they will be much tougher the after this second season. Additionally you would have feed into them when they are not producing.-COLLAPSE