Practical egg logging for UK backyard keepers

Most keepers have a rough idea of how many eggs their hens lay. A written count is better than a rough idea, because memory smooths out the dips. It takes a few seconds a day, and over a season it tells you a lot about your flock.

Why count every day

Hens lay less in the short days of winter, during the moult and as they get older, so a slow decline is usually nothing to worry about. A sudden drop is different. If a flock that was laying steadily falls away over a day or two, write it down and look at your birds more closely. Stress, a change in routine, pests or illness can all show up first as fewer eggs.

A count can't tell you what is wrong. It is a prompt to check: are the birds eating, drinking and behaving normally? If anything looks off, or you're not sure, speak to a vet. If you suspect bird flu, it must be reported straight away, so follow the GOV.UK guidance on spotting and reporting bird flu.

GOV.UK's bird flu prevention guidance also lists egg production among the daily records keepers should hold, alongside things like feed and water use and any birds that die.

What to note

• The date and the number of eggs collected.
• Odd eggs: soft or thin shells, misshapen or very small eggs, and any that broke.
• Changes to feed, or a new bag or brand.
• Weather: a cold snap, a heatwave or a stormy night.
• Flock changes: new birds, a loss, a broody hen, a fox scare or a move to a new run.

You don't need all of that every day. The count is the habit; the notes are for days when something changes, so that a dip a week later has an obvious place to start looking.

Whole flock or bird by bird?

A single flock total is enough for most backyard keepers. Counting per bird is worth it if your hens lay eggs you can tell apart (different shell colours, or a breed whose eggs look different), if you're choosing which birds to breed from, or if you want to know which hen has stopped. If you can't be sure who laid what, stick to the flock total. A confident wrong number is worse than an honest total.

When you compare against a breed, remember that published egg figures are typical ranges, not targets. Strain, age, diet and daylight all move the number. Our breed encyclopaedia gives typical ranges where sources support them, and the best laying chicken breeds list is a starting point if you're planning new birds.

Logging eggs in Flockstock

Once you create a free account, the Today screen has a counter for each flock, and for individual birds if you add them. One tap logs an egg, and taps made without signal are saved and synced later. The history view shows a chart of recent days, and you can correct a past day, including how many eggs were broken.

Registration in England and Wales

If you keep poultry in England or Wales, GOV.UK says you must register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) even if you have only a few birds, including birds kept as pets. Its guidance covers registering within one month of starting to keep birds, confirming your details every 12 months, and telling APHA about changes within 30 days. Read the official pages rather than relying on a summary:

• Register as a keeper of fewer than 50 poultry or other captive birds
• Update your kept bird record
• All bird keeper registration guidance

If you sell a few eggs

Plenty of backyard keepers sell spare eggs at the gate or to neighbours. If you sell eggs, check the egg marketing standards guidance for England and Wales. It explains when eggs need stamping and what information you need to display, which depends on how and where you sell and how many birds you keep.