Buff Orpington laying one egg a day??

[hzdjj]

My pullet started laying about 2 weeks ago, and has been laying one egg a day. Really??? I thought Buff Orpington is not known for egg production. She is very punctual and always lays 2 hours after sunrise.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They're also known to go broody, which is what lowers the total average number of eggs.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Pullets often lay every day when they're first starting, even if the breed isn't known for egg production. Buff Orps are relatively good layers, though, for a dual-purpose chicken.

 

[NatJ]

My pullet started laying about 2 weeks ago, and has been laying one egg a day. Really??? I thought Buff Orpington is not known for egg production. She is very punctual and always lays 2 hours after sunrise.

I've had some pullets (bantams) that laid an egg every day for 2 weeks, then spent 6-8 weeks being broody and raising chicks. Then they did it all over again.

So those pullets of mine looked like great layers at first, but only produced about 14 eggs every 2+ months (average: less than 1/4 egg per day.)

Your Buff Orpington will probably do better than my bantams did, but egg production rates are based on a whole year, not just the first few weeks.

The chickens who are "poor layers" seem more likely to lay in clumps, rather than a steady slow rate. Some go broody in spring or summer, some take the winter off, and some do both.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Depending on where the birds are from there can be a lot of variation from one bird to the next within a breed. I have a buff Orpington that does an egg a day; she's almost a year old. She started laying eggs almost a whole month before my others of the same age and has kept up the daily egg rate with very few exceptions. The main issue I've had is getting her to eat enough calcium, since a daily layer of course needs quite a bit more of that than either infrequent layers or pullets who aren't laying yet.

 

[Outer limit]

My pullet started laying about 2 weeks ago, and has been laying one egg a day. Really??? I thought Buff Orpington is not known for egg production. She is very punctual and always lays 2 hours after sunrise.

I have 9 buffs that just turned a year old. We get at least 6-7 eggs a day and sometimes 8 a day. They are consistent layers… even laid 3-5 eggs a day throughout the winter (sometimes 6) with no artificial light. Our 9 girls supply 4-5 small households. They do have good living conditions and get a cheaper end organic feed (Nature’s Best from TSC) They are excellent foragers and get a lot of bugs and greens when out in their tractor during afternoons and evenings as weather permits. I have noticed that they usually lay by 4:00 pm and then want to go in the tractor! We have nesting boxes in the tractor, but they rarely lay in them. They are psychos about using their nesting boxes in the coop I think the bottom line is happy chickens lay more eggs! We also love their affectionate nature and goofy personalities