Do Broilers Lay Eggs?

Chickens raised specifically for meat, known as broilers, are bred for rapid growth to be ready for processing at six to eight weeks of age. Including breeds, such as the Cornish cross and Red Ranger broiler, selective genetics are focused mostly on producing sizable breast and leg portions rather than eggs.

  1. Maturity

    • Chickens usually begin to lay eggs at five to seven months old. Broiler breeds can experience difficulty laying at this time as their rapid growth is not designed for optimal health during adulthood. The chickens may become too heavy for their legs and have trouble walking, an indication of skeletal problems, and are known to have a history of organ problems in adulthood. Bulky bodies also preclude natural fertilization of eggs in most members of the breed.

    Broiler Eggs

    • You can tell if your hen is laying by looking at her vent -- the slit under her tail. Chickens who are not laying will have a small, round vent, while chickens who are laying eggs will have a wider opening. Most broiler breeds average about one egg per week. Eggs usually are small in size, and sometimes have thin shells and sometimes no shell at all, with the yolk and white encased in a rubbery membrane.

    Producing the Next Generation

    • To increase your chances of getting viable eggs, raise the chickens you intend to breed separately from your meat chickens. Don't feed broiler ration, which is intended to produce rapid growth, but use normal chick starter to permit chicks to develop more slowly, and give the skeleton and organs time to develop. Switch hens to laying ration at four months of age. Alternatively, breed your own Cornish hens with Plymouth rock roosters to produce a homegrown Cornish cross.

    Dual Purpose Chickens

    • A simpler solution can be to raise dual purpose chickens. While somewhat smaller than the jumbo broilers, these large bodied chickens have been bred to provide adequate meat for the table as well as reliable egg productivity. Breeds, such as Orpingtons, Australorps, Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds, produce more than 300 eggs annually while producing 4 to 5 pounds of meat for the table when they are 4 to 6 months old. Multipurpose chickens are able to reproduce naturally, and most breeds are good parents.