How Many Chickens Do I Need to Provide Eggs For a Family of 4?

The number of eggs you will get from a chicken depends on the breed. Common varieties such as the Rhode Island Red or Oxford Brown lay around 310 eggs per year, and at the top end of the scale the Australorp lays, on average, 320 eggs per year (some have even been known to lay 364 per year!)

Chickens are all about eggs

The average number of eggs per chicken is around 270 per year, normally slowing down or stopping in the winter months. So, normally 4-6 chickens should be plenty for a family of four - 3 to 5 per week. Bear in mind that you won’t use all the eggs every week, so 3 to 5 really does work out quite well.

The quality and quantity of eggs all depends on the diet of the chickens. Always give them top quality chicken feed, and make sure they’re eating lots of greens too - that’s what makes the yolks turn a lovely orange-yellow.