The autumn egg drop

As the summer days fade, many chicken keepers notice their hens' egg baskets looking a little emptier. Experienced breeder Kate from Kent shares her wisdom on what to expect during the autumn egg drop, and how to spot when it might be more than just a seasonal lull.

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For many chicken keepers, autumn can bring an unwelcome surprise... a sharp decline in egg production. After the steady bounty of spring and early summer, the sudden slowdown can leave even seasoned keepers second-guessing their flock's health. But as Kate, a longtime poultry enthusiast from the Kent/East Sussex border, explains, the autumn egg drop is not only expected, it is entirely natural.

“I have been keeping chickens for over twenty years now,” says Kate. “It all started with six brown hens, just your average Hybrids, but I wanted blue eggs. Back then, hybrids that laid blue eggs were not around, so I bought some Cream Legbars and a few bantams. That was my gateway drug into the world of chicken maths!”

Today, Kate manages around ten rare breed breeding pens and still keeps her beloved Cream Legbars. She balances chicken breeding with her other occupation, running a eucalyptus farm, which, she notes, fits perfectly around the seasonal demands of poultry keeping.

THE NATURAL SLOWDOWN OF AUTUMN

The shift from summer's long, bright days into autumn's cooler, shorter ones brings about changes not only in the garden but also in the coop. “A lot of my pure breeds tend to think about going broody during July and August,” Kate explains. “They have been laying well since spring and start to look quite shabby by late summer. There is a lot of hanging around in nest boxes, but fewer eggs are appearing!” This also applies to most breeds of bantam.

Unlike hybrids, however, which are selectively bred to maintain high production levels, purebreds and bantams follow a more natural laying cycle. “My pure breeds will usually start slowing down in July and August,” she says. “By September, most of them look ridiculous, half-feathered and hardly laying at all.”