Chicken Feed & Egg Production Calculator

That's the widely used industry planning average for a standard-size laying hen on a complete commercial layer ration with free access to feed. Actual intake varies by breed size, temperature, and how much the flock forages, so the field is adjustable - raise it for cold climates or larger breeds, lower it for flocks with substantial pasture access.

Healthy hens in active production typically lay at 70-90% (70-90 eggs per 100 hen-days), with production breeds toward the top of that range at peak and heritage/dual-purpose breeds more often in the middle. The calculator defaults to 80% as a reasonable whole-flock average, but adjust it for your specific breeds, flock age, and the season you're planning for.

Laying is triggered by light exposure - hens need roughly 14-16 hours of daylight per day to sustain peak production. Without supplemental lighting, shortening fall and winter days can push lay rate down to 40-60% of its summer peak. This is a normal, temporary seasonal effect, not a sign of a problem, and it reverses as days lengthen again in spring.

Once a year, usually triggered by shortening fall daylight, hens molt: they shed and regrow their feathers over roughly 4-12 weeks. Egg laying drops sharply or stops entirely during a hard molt because the protein that would otherwise go into eggs is redirected to feather regrowth. Production typically returns to pre-molt levels once the molt finishes.

Yes, though it rarely eliminates purchased feed entirely. Hens with real pasture access forage a meaningful share of their diet from insects, greens, and grit, which lowers the feed-per-hen-per-day figure you should enter - but layer feed still supplies the calcium, protein balance, and consistency that free forage alone can't reliably provide, especially for peak egg production.