[Ben_H]

Our Nera, Clara has been in lay for 3 weeks now and after starting with  6 days of laying in a row had a break for three days and has now settled into a pattern of every other day with all eggs being double yolkers. I was expecting her to lay at the more frequent )5 or 6 times a week) rate based on an a supposed average of 290 eggs in her first year.

Is this current pattern down to being a new layer and therefore likely to change, is she just a strange bird or is there possibly something else going on here?

Clara is the hen who was pulling and eating other chickens feathers which other posters thought was down to low calcium. Her egg shells now seem very thick and have an almost powdery outside surface. When you go to break an egg it is hard to do but tiny amounts of shell fall off from the outer layer.

Any thoughts?

[Casey76]

I'ts just typical new-to-laying problems.  They should iron themselves out eventually

[feelingbroody]

My hybrids layed double and treble yolkers for a time and had sporadic laying patterns, and as advised by other members on here its just their little egg laying machine getting into practice 

[Lindeggs]

As she has only been laying for three weeks, I will also go with the theory that she will settle down after a while.

Also, in her defense, she is giving you an average of one egg a day.   The number of eggs a year is actually a measure of the number of yolks.  So a double yolker really is two eggs in one shell.  By laying a double yolker every second day, she is laying an average of an egg a day.

Feather eating is more likely to be a result of a lack of protein rather than a lack of calcium, but it is not well understood and there are all kinds of other trace elements she may be looking for.  If you have shell grit available to her she will get as much calcium as she needs by picking at that, so don't be tempted to add it to her food.