Rhode Island Reds (in my opinion) lay the best eggs. If you like brown eggs then a few Rhode Island Reds are the best way to go. If you want a smaller egg get a few Bantans. Their bodies and eggs are smaller. The egg shells may be blue or green and the eggs are about half the size of a regular egg. They taste about the same.
Stew meat. ;) Old chickens don't actually have any special nomenclature. "Pullets" are young, immature female chickens and "hens" are mature, female chickens. However, most hens will continue laying until the year they die, just not nearly in the quantity that they did when they were 1 year old.
No The laying mash or pellets are fine for the rooster. There really is no way to stop the rooster from eating the same things you feed the hens other than keeping them separated. My hens are fed laying crumble all year long and the roosters thrive on it.
Most pullets will begin laying eggs at about 16 to 24 weeks. Egg production peak before age 2 and drop from there. Most hens will stop production at around age 3 with only the occasional egg offered after that. There have been reports of hens laying well past 5 years old but these are exceptions rather than normal.
If she's a former battery hen (retired) they dont stop laying. Because its been laying constantly for years once the bodies come out of that routine it needs a break so she will go months may be a year or so without laying any eggs to let the body repair itself but she will soon be into a routine of laying egg again but within normal timing.
they lay around 250 a year but once a man bet the record of 364 in 365 days WOW
Some farms have 1.5 to 2 million laying hens, producing about 400 million eggs a year. The number of farms with 1 million or more hens, or layers, has increased in the 1990s.
Stew meat. ;) Old chickens don't actually have any special nomenclature. "Pullets" are young, immature female chickens and "hens" are mature, female chickens. However, most hens will continue laying until the year they die, just not nearly in the quantity that they did when they were 1 year old.
No The laying mash or pellets are fine for the rooster. There really is no way to stop the rooster from eating the same things you feed the hens other than keeping them separated. My hens are fed laying crumble all year long and the roosters thrive on it.
Most of the popular egg laying breeds reach peak production of eggs at about 18 months old and are culled within the second year.
It depends on what breed of chicken it is - normal laying hens lay about 150-200 eggs a year, but chickens like bantams and ornamental breeds lay about 80-120 eggs a year. Hybrid hens lay about 300 eggs a year! The record for most eggs laid in a year is 364. A day off for christmas?
Most pullets will begin laying eggs at about 16 to 24 weeks. Egg production peak before age 2 and drop from there. Most hens will stop production at around age 3 with only the occasional egg offered after that. There have been reports of hens laying well past 5 years old but these are exceptions rather than normal.
If she's a former battery hen (retired) they dont stop laying. Because its been laying constantly for years once the bodies come out of that routine it needs a break so she will go months may be a year or so without laying any eggs to let the body repair itself but she will soon be into a routine of laying egg again but within normal timing.
IN the fall, chickens molt or shed feathers to make room for heavier feathers for winter. They stop laying usually (Ohio) from October until March.
they lay around 250 a year but once a man bet the record of 364 in 365 days WOW
There is no really proven answer. Age and diet seem to have have a lot to do with it. Chickens tend to start laying at 6 months to 1 year old. Not sure about other hen species. If a hen (chicken) seems to just stop laying I change her diet and try different types of greens. Some seasoned farmers once told me to hang cabbage in my hens cage. Hanging it in pecking range. This sometimes works, but always makes the hens more active and seemingly happier.
a year old that is when they are past there best and have laid the most eggs
It varies with breed and care. A pampered flock can have hens that live upward of 10 years but most chickens will last about 4 to 6 years unless culled and used for meat after the best egg laying period is over.