You should not be alarmed if your hen does not lay eggs daily over a continuous period of time. You should note that it takes time before an egg can be formed and eventually laid. When a hen lays an egg, it takes about 26 hours to form another egg fully. If you consider this time, the hour in which the hen lays an egg varies each day, and sometimes the hen will lay its egg in the evening. The hen may at times skip a day or even more. When selecting hens for breeding, you should take into consideration the length of time they will continue laying eggs. The length in which a hen will lay eggs will vary depending on the breed type. For instance, a number of the home flock will continue producing eggs for about three or four years. You should also know that the size and quality of the eggs change over time. Every year, the size of the egg will increase, but the quality of the shell will decrease. Therefore, you should consider selecting the right breed for your purposes. There are breeds that are specifically bred for commercial purposes, and hence their production of eggs will be high.
