Chickens always gave a lot of eggs. That's why they were popular since ancient times. As long as they had surplus food, they start laying eggs. A dozen a year is just misinformation - that's only in the wild, during spring because that's when they have a surplus a food. If humans feed them every day, then they lay eggs because they always have extra food.

We raised free roaming wild chickens. The hens had a high up coop we'd close to keep safe from predators that they'd return to on their own at night.