It is irrelevant to the point I was making -- that my worst layer today was, nonetheless, performing within the target range for flock improvement a century ago. This despite the fact that she was a Brahma, a breed noted for mediocre if not actually poor laying, and that the target flocks were Leghorns, the #1 egg producers of both that era and this era.
I do not keep formal records. But for the first year I had only 5 hens and thus had no problem knowing who was laying and how often.
My Brahma never did better than 4 eggs a week. My 2 Australorps were 6 days out of 7 or 13 out of 14. My SLW was 5-6 per week but was the first to stop to molt. My California White was at least 28 days out of 30 -- having missed no more than 8-10 days in her entire first year of laying and laying a full year before she molted. In her second year I'm still getting 5 white eggs a week (she's my only white layer).
I have to work and thus cannot do a proper productivity study with trap nests and a spreadsheet.
Note: I refer to the Brahma in past tense because I sold her last night -- with full disclosure of her age and egg-laying performance -- to a man who wanted a lawn ornament flock. She's very beautiful and will do well in her new role.
