Tracking your hens' laying is one of the most useful habits a keeper can build, even as a hobbyist. A few seconds a day are enough to build a history that reveals the flock's health, its productivity and the first signs of trouble, long before they become visible to the eye.
Why track laying
The number of eggs laid is an excellent welfare indicator. A healthy hen that is well fed and free of stress lays regularly. A sudden drop often signals a problem before any other symptom appears: parasites, illness, lack of water or a predator prowling at night. Tracking also tells you the real productivity of your coop.
What to record each day
Write down the date and the number of eggs collected. If you can, separate laying per hen or at least per pen, along with the colour or size, which help you identify the layer. Add a note for anything unusual: a feed change, extreme weather, the introduction of a new hen or a coop clean out.
Allow for natural cycles
A drop in laying is not always alarming. Several normal events reduce it:
- The annual moult in autumn, when the hen regrows her feathers and often stops laying.
- Shorter days in winter, since laying depends on daylight.
- Broodiness, when a hen sits on the nest instead of laying.
- Age: a hen lays mostly in her first two or three years.
Spotting an abnormal drop
A sharp, out of season drop deserves attention. Check water and feed first, then look for red mites at night, inspect the droppings, and make sure no eggs are being eaten or laid outside the nest. Stress, a heatwave or a night time predator can also cut laying very quickly. A log makes the drop obvious on the first or second day.
Paper log or app
A simple monthly chart pinned near the coop works very well to start. To go further, an app calculates averages, compares pens and keeps the history across several years, which makes trends far easier to read. Keeping this data, pen by pen and season by season, turns a vague impression into reliable information.