How many eggs does a chicken lay?

Updated October 14, 2026 · Backyard flocks

A good laying hen gives 5 to 6 eggs a week in season, about 250 to 300 a year in her first year. Breed, daylight, age and the annual molt change that number more than anything you feed her.

Eggs per year by breed

Figures are for a healthy hen in her first full year of laying. Second-year numbers run 10 to 20 percent lower.

Breed	Eggs per year	Per week, in season	Egg
White Leghorn	280 to 320	6	Large, white
Production hybrids (ISA Brown, Golden Comet, Red Sex Link)	280 to 320	6	Large, brown
Rhode Island Red	250 to 300	5 to 6	Large, brown
Australorp	250 to 300	5 to 6	Large, light brown
Plymouth Rock	200 to 280	4 to 5	Large, brown
Easter Egger	200 to 280	4 to 5	Medium, blue or green
Sussex	200 to 250	4 to 5	Large, cream
Wyandotte	200 to 240	4	Large, brown
Orpington	180 to 220	3 to 4	Large, light brown
Marans	150 to 200	3 to 4	Large, dark brown
Silkie	100 to 120	2 to 3	Small, cream

What a hen's year looks like

• Weeks 18 to 22: first eggs, small and sometimes odd-shaped. Normal.
• Months 2 to 12: peak. This is where the breed numbers above come from.
• Autumn, around 12 to 18 months old: the first molt. Feathers everywhere, laying stops for 6 to 12 weeks while she regrows them.
• Winter: short days, fewer eggs. Below 12 hours of daylight many hens pause entirely.
• Spring: back to near-peak. Each year after, a little lower.

Why your count is lower than the table

1. Daylight. Hens need about 14 hours of light for full production. Nothing you can do about November.
2. Molt. The whole flock may stop at once. It looks alarming and it is completely normal.
3. Heat. Above about 90 °F (32 °C) hens eat less and lay less. Shade and cool water help.
4. Broodiness. A broody hen sits and does not lay. Silkies and Orpingtons do this a lot.
5. Protein. Layer feed is 16 percent protein for a reason. Too many kitchen scraps and scratch dilute it.
6. Stress and parasites. A new flock member, a predator scare, mites. Check at night with a flashlight.
7. Hidden nests. Free-ranging hens lay where they like. The count is fine; the eggs are under the porch.

So how many hens do you need?

Take the eggs your household eats in a week and divide by five. A family that goes through two dozen a week wants five hens, and will have extra in spring and not quite enough in January. Most keepers round up by one, which is how "chicken math" starts.

A paper calendar on the fridge is how most families track this. The ChikiPay app does the same thing from your home screen and adds the part paper can't: the yearly average per hen and what each dozen cost. Try the cost-per-egg calculator for the money side.

Common questions

How many eggs does a chicken lay a day?

At most one. A hen needs about 25 to 26 hours to form an egg, so she lays a little later each day and skips a day every so often. Five or six eggs a week from a good layer in season is normal; seven is rare.

At what age do chickens start laying?

Most pullets lay their first egg between 18 and 22 weeks. Production breeds like Leghorns can start at 16 to 18 weeks; heavy breeds like Orpingtons and Brahmas often wait until 24 to 28 weeks.

Do chickens lay eggs in winter?

Fewer. Laying is driven by daylight, and most hens slow down or stop below about 12 hours of light. A few breeds keep going at a reduced rate. Supplemental light brings laying back but shortens a hen’s productive years; many keepers choose to let the flock rest.

How long do chickens lay eggs?

Hens lay best in their first two years, then drop roughly 10 to 20 percent a year. A five-year-old hen may still lay two or three eggs a week in spring. Hybrids built for production decline faster than heritage breeds.