Do broiler chickens lay eggs? It might be surprising to find out that many people don’t know about this. While my first answer is yes, a broiler chicken will lay an egg, it can be confusing to understand the difference between egg-laying and broiler chickens. And this confusion can lead to having a flock of chickens that don’t produce eggs. Let me explain.
Do Broiler Chickens Lay Eggs?
Broiler chickens are the type of chickens that we use for meat. They grow very fast and large. In fact, it only takes about 7 to 9 weeks for a broiler chicken to reach its full size.
For that reason, broiler chickens do not lay eggs. The breed of chicken used for meat is different from the breed used for egg-laying. The reason for this is that the breeds are grown with different purposes in mind.
Broiler chickens are usually slaughtered at around eight weeks of age, long before they’re capable of laying eggs. In fact, if you were to butcher broiler chickens at the same age as layer chickens (around 18–20 weeks), they would still be too small to eat!
But because broilers have the same anatomy as their egg-laying relatives, broiler hens can lay eggs until they’re slaughtered—hence why some people raise them for both meat and eggs.
At What Age Do Broilers Start Laying Eggs?
Broilers are not laying hens. They are, instead, a type of chicken that is raised for meat production. In other words: you won’t find broilers laying eggs on your kitchen counter, because they’ve been bred to be big enough to eat, not small enough to lay eggs.
The typical broiler reaches maturity at only six or seven weeks of age, meaning these chickens start out almost fully grown. They’re ready to go in the oven by that time, so there’s no need for them to produce eggs.
There are different breeds of broiler chickens—the Cornish Cross is popular for its rapid growth and abundance of white meat. They’re often used in competitions to see who can raise the largest chicken in the shortest period of time; the Guinness World Record is held by Canadian Tanner John, who reached a weight of 19 pounds and two ounces at just 47 days old.
How Many Eggs Can a Broiler Lay in a Day?
The average hen lays around five eggs a week, while the average broiler can lay up to 300 eggs in its lifetime.
So, how many eggs can a broiler lay in a day?
The answer depends on how old the bird is. A one-year-old hen will lay between six and eight eggs each day, but once she reaches two years of age, her output will drop to between three and four eggs.
As the bird ages, her egg production slows down even more until she eventually stops laying altogether. There are many factors that influence the egg-laying process, including diet, genetics, and environment.
What Color Eggs Do Broilers Lay?
When most people think of chickens, they probably imagine the classic domestic hen: a brownish-red bird that wanders around a fenced yard, clucking and scratching at the ground. But when it comes to laying eggs, not all chickens are created equal. In fact, there are many different kinds of hens that lay a variety of colored eggs and come in different feather colors as well.
One type known for its bright white feathers is the broiler chicken.
Broiler chickens are a specific breed that has been genetically modified for fast growth, larger breast size, and high feed conversion efficiency (essentially how much food a chicken needs to grow). Broilers are typically raised in large, open-sided barns with no access to the outdoors and live until they reach market weight (about 5 weeks old), which is much shorter than most other breeds of chicken.
If you’re looking for a breed of chicken that lays the everyday brown egg we’re used to seeing in grocery stores, broiler chickens aren’t the right choice for you—they lay white eggs instead. There’s no difference between white and brown eggs nutritionally; they are just different in colors.
Can Broilers Lay Fertile Eggs?
Yes, broilers can lay fertile eggs. However, broiler chickens don’t typically live long enough to lay eggs. They’re usually slaughtered somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks. Fertile eggs require a hen who is capable of producing an egg with a yolk inside, which is why most broilers aren’t used for egg production.
That being said, some broilers are used for egg production because they grow quickly and have larger breasts than other breeds of chickens. If you want to raise broilers as egg producers, they need to be raised in a humane environment where they’re not overcrowded or subject to environmental stressors that can cause them to peck each other out of fear or lack of space.
They also need a place where they can nest and lay their eggs in peace. The more comfortable your chickens are when laying their eggs, the higher the chance that their eggs will be fertile.
Can Broiler Chicken Eggs Be Eaten?
When it comes to eggs, there are many options. You can find eggs from a wide variety of birds, as well as different types of chickens (although most grocery stores don’t carry more than just brown and white). One type of chicken you may not have noticed is a broiler chicken. Broiler chickens are bred specifically for their flesh, not their eggs. But could you eat the eggs if you wanted to?
It turns out that yes, broiler chickens do lay eggs that can be eaten. Although they aren’t the large, fat-yolked eggs you’re used to seeing in your coop or at the store, they’re still perfectly edible.
Broiler chicken eggs are smaller than regular chicken eggs—about half the size—and they also have softer shells and thinner shells. The yolks are smaller as well and tend to be a pale yellow color compared to the dark egg yolks we’ve grown accustomed to.
In Summary
Yes, broiler chickens do lay eggs. However, the vast majority of them are slaughtered before they have the chance to lay eggs. If you do plan on raising broiler chickens, once they are old enough, they will give you fresh eggs every day.
