It’s all about daylight
A hen needs around 14 hours of daylight to lay well. As the days shorten in autumn, most hens slow down or stop laying for a while.
The moult
In autumn, hens also drop their old feathers and grow a new set, ready for winter. Growing feathers takes lots of protein, so they rest from laying while they do.
Back in spring
As the days lengthen after Christmas, the hens start laying again. By spring they’re in full swing.
A hen’s laying life
- Point of lay: a young hen starts laying at around 18 to 22 weeks old, depending on her breed.
- Her best years: she lays most in her first year or two. A good laying hen can manage around 250 to 300 eggs in her first year.
- Slowing down: after that, she lays a little less each year, and the eggs are often bigger with thinner shells.
- Retirement: most hens lay very few eggs, or none at all, by five or six years old, but they can live to eight or ten.
A second life for commercial hens
Farms producing eggs on a large scale usually replace their hens at about 18 months old, while they’re still laying well. The British Hen Welfare Trust rehomes many of these hens with families and smallholders, where they can enjoy their retirement and still lay plenty of eggs.
Did you know?
A hen takes about 25 hours to make one egg, so even at her best she can’t quite lay one every day.