Fresh eggs are just one of the many benefits we can enjoy from our backyard flocks. But when egg production slows down or halts, it can be a cause for concern. It’s normal for hens to lay eggs, and some breeds are very good at it. Understanding the reasons why hens may stop laying will help you take better care of your flock. Also, it can help you figure out what’s wrong if your flock stops laying eggs all of a sudden or if you notice a drop in egg production. Let’s explore some reasons why hens will stop laying eggs!.
Why Has My Chicken Stopped Laying Eggs?
If you’ve noticed a sudden drop in egg production from your backyard flock, you’re probably wondering why your chickens have stopped laying eggs There are several potential reasons chickens stop laying, most of which are easily remedied with some changes to their care and environment
The most common reasons for decreased egg production include:
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Diet: Chickens need a full layer feed with at least 2 grams of protein per day. Not getting enough protein, calcium, or other nutrients can make laying less likely.
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Daylight: For chickens to lay eggs, they need at least 14 hours of daylight. As seasons change, so does daylight which affects laying.
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When a chicken molts, it uses a lot of energy, so it stops laying eggs to save it for when new feathers grow. Molts occur 1-2 times per year.
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Age – As hens get older, they lay fewer eggs. Laying starts declining around 2-3 years of age.
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Stress – Changes to environment, predators, illness, pests and flock changes can stress chickens and stop laying.
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Broodiness: Hens that are broody stop laying eggs and focus on keeping them warm so chicks can hatch. Some breeds are prone to broodiness.
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Health Issues – Parasites, infections and diseases put the hen’s body into survival mode with laying shut down.
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Extreme Temperatures – Both high and low extremes can stress chickens and cause them to stop laying eggs.
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Egg Binding – Occurs when an egg gets stuck and the hen cannot lay it. It’s a medical emergency requiring treatment.
To get your chickens laying again, correct any issues with diet, daylight, stressors or illness. Provide ample layer feed, a light in winter and eliminate threats. Prevent mites, lice and worms through routine flock treatment and coop cleaning. You may see improved laying as your chickens recover and return to normal.
However, decreases due to age or broodiness are natural and unlikely to be reversed. As hens mature, you’ll get fewer eggs overall. Broody hens require persistence and patience for laying to resume.
Monitor daily egg counts to notice when your chickens stop laying eggs. Abrupt decreases warrant investigation into the cause. Catching issues early better ensures you can correct problems and improve flock laying rates again. Pay attention to the time of year as shorter winter daylight and annual molting will reduce production.
With extra TLC, most situations resulting in quitting laying eggs are temporary. Stay vigilant to your chickens’ health and wellbeing. Provide a stress-free environment meeting all their needs and your hens will reward you with bountiful eggs once again.
Health and Nutrition: A Key to Consistent Egg Production
Hens need to be healthy in order to lay well. However, laying hens are often prone to reproductive issues such as eggbinding, prolapsed vent, and reproductive cancer.
When your laying flock gets sick, eggbinding is one of the most common problems you may find. Eggbinding is when an egg gets stuck in the hen’s oviduct so that she can’t lay the egg. Here are some symptoms of an eggbound hen:
- Distended abdomen
- Straining
- Sudden onset of symptoms
- Decreased activity/sluggish
- Decreased appetite
- Visible egg
- Bloated abdomen
- Swollen vent
- Restlessness
- Penguin-walk
- Frequent vocalization/distressed sounds
To treat an eggbound hen, you need to help her relax. A soak in warm water can help her muscles relax enough to release the egg. Calcium supplements can also help trigger the egg laying muscles to push the egg out. As a last resort, an eggbound hen may need to be saved by careful removal of the egg. To learn more about eggbinding, visit this article on How to Care for an Eggbound Chicken.
Factors that Affect Production
Age: Young hens (called pullets) don’t reach reproductive maturity until they are around 20 weeks of age. Chicken breeds bred for high production may start laying as early as 18 weeks of age. Heritage and large chicken breeds will take longer to become fully grown and may not start laying eggs until they are 24 weeks old. Sometimes it may take as long as 6 months before you get that first egg!.
It may take a little while for a young pullet’s reproductive system to get started, so she may skip a day or two of laying as she starts off. Her eggs will also be small but gradually become bigger as she starts laying more regularly. She will then lay regularly for the next two to three years of her life. Heritage chicken breeds are known to not lay as many eggs in a year as hybrid production breeds, but they have a longer productive lifespan that allows them to lay well for up to five to six years of age.
As a hen ages, her reproductive system slows down as a response to the stress of aging and regular laying. Her body starts releasing less of the hormones that trigger the reproductive cycle. Older hens also need more daylight in order to trigger laying and they are more susceptible to diseases and ailments that can stop egg production. When a chicken stops laying completely depends on the breed and individual hen. Aged hens may only lay eggs during certain times of the year, like spring and summer, while others stop laying eggs altogether.
Breed: A chicken’s breed is another factor in how well a hen lays. Hybrid chicken breeds developed for commercial egg production start laying at an early age and lay prolifically for two to three years. Then they significantly drop in production after three years of age. Heritage chicken breeds won’t start laying until they are older, but they will lay consistently for up to five to six years before slowly decreasing in production.
Season: A hen’s laying cycle is often directly impacted by the seasons. Where you live may dictate what seasons affect your laying hens the most. In the wild, spring and summer are the seasons that naturally trigger the reproductive cycle for birds. While selective breeding has changed a hen’s reproductive cycle to some extent, she is still dictated by her natural environment.
Spring is naturally a time of high egg production. The lengthening daylight hours and warming weather triggers a hen’s reproductive hormones to kick in. The longer days and warmer weather continue to encourage reproduction right through the summer months. Although, extreme heat can cause hens to experience heat stress, which may decrease or halt laying.
If one of your hens stops laying during the spring or summer but is still sitting in the nesting boxes, then you may have a broody hen on your hands. Spring and summer are not only a time of high production, but those seasons also trigger broodiness in hens who want to be mothers. Broodiness causes a hen to stop laying as she focuses on incubating her eggs and raising chicks.
As fall hits, the shortening daylight hours and cooler weather triggers the fall molt. A laying hen who is over 1 year of age will molt annually in the fall. Molting is the process that every bird goes through which involves losing old feathers and re-growing new feathers. Molting requires lots of energy, so hens will stop laying eggs since producing eggs and re-growing feathers at the same time demands too much energy.
Following on the heels of fall, the colder and shorter days of winter don’t trigger a hen’s reproductive cycle to restart after the molt. If a hen’s pituitary gland is not sensing enough light within a 24-hour period, she won’t lay eggs during the winter. Young pullets need less light in order to lay, so sometimes young pullets will lay through the winter despite the shorter daylight hours. However, cold weather can lead to cold stress, which will cause a hen to stop laying as she uses energy to stay warm instead of making eggs.
Health: A hen’s health plays a crucial role in how well she lays. Health issues like infections, diseases, parasites, or injury cause stress to a hen’s body. Fighting a disease or healing a wound requires energy that is often redirected from egg laying. Stress and lack of energy will cause a hen to stop laying when she is ill or injured. Some ailments cause malnutrition, tumors, or organ failure that would also halt production.
A hen needs to be in good health and have a proper diet in order to lay eggs.
Chickens Not Laying Eggs For Months! The Causes
FAQ
When do chickens stop laying eggs?
The age at which chickens stop laying eggs will be different for each breed. For example some hybrids (such as Red Rangers and Golden Comets) will only lay for around 2-3 years at best. Selective breeding has increased the yearly egg output, but has sadly reduced the life expectancy for these breeds.
Why did my chickens stop laying eggs?
3. Molting Another reason that your chickens stopped laying eggs could be due to molting. Molting is when chickens shed their old feathers and re-grow bright shiny new ones. The chickens’ bodies work hard at this, so many of them stop laying eggs so their bodies can use their energy to grow new feathers.
Why are my chickens not laying well?
One of the most common reasons why chickens aren’t laying that well has to do with nutrition. Giving your chickens treats once in a while is fine, but you should try to do it as little as possible. Make sure your chickens are getting the vast majority of their nutrition from a complete layer feed.
What should I do if my chickens stop laying eggs?
There are some things you can do to get your chickens to lay eggs again if they have stopped. One of the simplest is to change their diet; adding some new foods or switching up their feed can help jumpstart egg production.
Why does my chicken never lay a single egg?
There are some chickens who, despite being great egg layer breeds and having all the conditions perfectly aligned, will never lay a single egg. Often, this is due to a genetic defect. Occasionally, health problems like these can be worsened or brought on by issues like a poor diet.
Why do hens stop laying?
Hens are fussy little things, and changes to their environment can cause them to stop laying for a while. If you’ve added new birds to the flock, moved their coop, or changed the type of feed you offer, these things can be enough to stress a bird and cause a pause in laying. Even things like extreme weather can disrupt a hen’s laying cycle.
Why did my chicken stop laying eggs all of a sudden?
The most common causes of decreased egg production include: not enough light/short days, improper nutrition, disease, advancing age, and negative stress.
How do I get my chickens to lay eggs again?
When should I worry about my chicken not laying eggs?
- Chickens typically start laying eggs around 5 to 6 months of age, depending on the breed.
- A chicken may gradually reduce its egg production after its second year, and by the age of 5 to 7 years, many hens may stop laying altogether.
- It’s also worth noting that hens can experience changes in l
What to do with chickens that are no longer laying?
Either way, many chicken keepers simply keep their retired hens as pets. This is a popular option among young families or people who keep a small flock. The good news is that an older hen doesn’t need as much energy to produce eggs, so she’ll eat less than younger flock members. Older hens also benefit their flocks.