Hens usually don't simply just discontinue laying eggs when they get to a certain age, but they will lay fewer as they get older. The first several eggs are usually not well formed or not normal in size and usually very small. Most laying breeds of hen will lay more for five to seven years. Common hens should lay once per day(healthy ens), as the days get shorter they will slow down since they need sunlight to stimulate a gland in their eyes to stimulate hens to lay more eggs. Large egg companies uses synthetic lighting to ensure continued laying of eggs

Chickens lay well for the first two years of their lives. After those two long years the production of eggs still occurs but the number of eggs produced decreases. Hens that are three to four years or older may still lay eggs but only for a several times in a number of months. Most egg business or commercial egg productions select hens after the first or second year of egg production for maximum efficiency.

Mostly hens will begin laying their eggs at about 15 to 24 weeks. The egg production hit the highest point before age two and drops as the hens grow older from that time. Most hens will stop production at around age three with only the irregular egg offered after that. Though some hens still produces egg even if they are five years old. There have been reports of hens laying eggs well past five years old but there are exceptions like the number of eggs they produce in their first two years rather than the chicken laying in normal or younger times.

Chickens may differ on the number of eggs they produce during their life span. The chicken’s life span expectancy is only about five to seven years. The maximum lifespan they will have is up to 12(not usually happens) years and the production of eggs will stop before they reach one or two years before they will expire.

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