Each yard hen keeper has skilled it: sooner or later, your hens are laying reliably, and the subsequent, the nesting bins are mysteriously empty. In keeping with Gail Damerow, renowned poultry professional and author of Storey’s Manual to Raising Chickens, this egg-laying pause is often not a secret at all. You will find distinct, all-natural factors hens quit laying, and comprehending them can help you support your flock and restore efficiency. Here i will discuss Damerow’s top rated five factors hens stop laying—and what you are able to do about them.
1. Molting: A All-natural Pause
As Damerow clarifies, molting is often a annually occasion in a hen’s everyday living, generally happening in late summer months to early slide. In the course of this time, hens lose and regrow feathers—a course of action that requires an amazing level of energy and protein. Egg generation frequently stops all through this period, given that the hen's entire body focuses solely on feather regeneration.
What You Can Do: Guidance your hens having a significant-protein feed or snacks like mealworms and scrambled eggs. Steer clear of stressing the flock and Permit nature get its class. Once the molt is finish, egg-laying should slowly resume.
two. Shortened Daylight Several hours
Light exposure plays an important role in stimulating a hen’s reproductive system. Damerow factors out that hens have to have 14–16 hours of daylight for regular laying. As daylight decreases in the autumn and Wintertime months, so does egg production.
What You Can Do: Contemplate incorporating a light-weight supply during the coop with a timer to simulate all-natural daylight. A minimal-wattage bulb turning on in the early morning can securely lengthen "daylight" and help Winter season laying. Keep away from sudden lighting adjustments that might tension your birds.
3. Bad Nutrition
Nourishment is foundational to egg output. Damerow warns that feeding chickens a food plan missing in protein, calcium, or necessary nutritional vitamins may end up in less or no eggs. Treats and scratch grains, whilst enjoyable, can dilute the well balanced nourishment supplied by commercial layer feed.
What You are able to do: Be certain your flock has consistent entry to high-quality layer feed, clean up drinking water, and calcium dietary supplements like crushed oyster shell. Restrict treats to no more than ten% in their every day diet.
four. Anxiety and Environmental Factors
Strain is A significant contributor to decreased egg generation. In line with Damerow, stressors can consist of predator threats, overcrowding, bullying, Extraordinary temperatures, as well as moving the coop. Hens are sensitive to vary and may respond by halting egg manufacturing.
What You are able to do: Create a serene, safe natural environment for the birds. Retain constant routines, present ample Room, and handle sources of pressure which include loud noises or aggressive flockmates.
5. Age and Medical issues
Damerow reminds us that laying isn't a lifelong endeavor. Most hens get started laying all-around 5–6 months of age, peak at about 1–2 yrs, and after that little by little decelerate. Illness, parasites, and reproductive concerns might also interfere with laying.
What You are able to do: Regulate your hens’ General overall health. Carry out frequent parasite checks, maintain a thoroughly clean coop, and seek advice from a vet when you see indications of health issues. More mature hens should be important users of the flock even if Fun88 Casino their laying days are behind them.
Final Views
As Gail Damerow often suggests, “Chickens don’t just prevent laying for no rationale.” In the event your hens have a split, it’s their technique for signaling that anything of their environment or biology has shifted. With a certain amount of observation, superior treatment, and several persistence, you might help guide your flock again to nutritious egg creation—or simply appreciate the purely natural rhythms of their lives.