The average chicken will lay around 200 eggs per year. However, most chickens will lay between 1-5 eggs per day, with some breeds laying closer to 7 per week.
However, many factors can affect how many eggs a chicken lays in a day, such as a breed, age, health, housing, and season.
Read on to learn more about what affects a chicken’s egg-laying abilities and how you can ensure your chickens are laying as many eggs as possible.
How Many Eggs Do Chickens Lay A Day?
Chickens are amazing creatures. They provide us with not only delicious eggs but also meat and feathers.
Most chickens will lay between 1 and 5 eggs per day. That’s a lot of eggs!
However, some chickens may lay as few as 0 eggs per day, while others may lay up to 7 eggs per day.
How Long Do Chickens Lay Eggs in a Day?
You may wonder how long they lay eggs if you’re thinking about getting chickens.
After all, fresh eggs are one of the main reasons people decide to raise chickens first!
Chickens will lay eggs for 2-3 years before their production declines.
However, there are a few things you can do to help prolong their laying cycles, such as providing them with a balanced diet and a clean, stress-free environment.
Download the FREE Best Laying Chicken Breed Guide
Factors That Affect Egg Laying
There are a number of factors that can affect how often chickens lay eggs. Some of the most common include:
Breed
Different chicken breeds have different egg-laying abilities.
For example, Leghorns are prolific egg layers, while Araucanas are not.
If you’re looking for a chicken that will lay a lot of eggs, be sure to do your research and choose a breed known for its high egg production.
Age
Chickens reach their peak egg-laying years around 18 months old.
They usually start to slow down after that and may even stop laying eggs as they get older.
Health
Chickens need to be healthy to lay eggs consistently. Their egg production will likely suffer if they are sick or under stress.
Housing
Chickens need space to move around and access food and water at all times if they’re going to lay eggs regularly.
Their egg production is likely to suffer if they’re cramped up in a small space with no room to roam.
Season
The number of daylight chickens are exposed to each day has a significant impact on their egg-laying abilities.
In the spring and summer, when there’s more daylight, chickens will typically lay more eggs than in the fall and winter, when there’s less daylight.
Number of Hens
The number of hens in a flock also impacts egg production.
If there’s only one hen in the flock, she’ll likely lay fewer eggs than if there were two or more hens since she won’t have any competition regarding finding mates or nesting sites.
As you can see, a number of factors can affect how many eggs per day chickens lay.
However, by ensuring your chickens are healthy and have enough space to move around, you can help them lay as many eggs as possible.
So if you’re thinking about getting some chickens for your backyard flock, you can expect a decent amount of fresh eggs!
If you are interested to learn about what are the best treats for chicken, read it now!
David Perrera
Hi, I'm David and I've been raising backyard chickens for over a decade now with my wife. We've done everything from incubating our own eggs to having chickens sleep in the same bed, right in between her and I (seriously—bad visual). Anywho... I'm glad you found this site and hope it's helpful to you on your chicken keeping journey. If there's any questions we haven't answered... just ask! If I don't know... my wife sure does!Download the FREE Best Laying Chicken Breed Guide