Have had some friends ask me about egg laying hens recently and I thought I’d give you a few bits of information about it. Hens are all about protein – their eggs are high in protein and their feathers are 85% protein, so in short they need LOTS of protein.
Hens start laying their first eggs around 20 weeks, depending some on breed and feed. At about around 6 months (usually late summer or early autumn) the hens have their first molt. That is where they start losing their feathers and sometimes will appear quite bald. Being that their feathers contain so much protein hens will usually stop laying while their feathers are growing in.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcNuTqT77BU