Hens don’t always lay an egg each day, but it is not uncommon for one to lay every other day or every three days. It usually takes about 24 hours for a bird’s body temperature to rise high enough for the urge to lay an egg. During this time, it may seem as if the hen is no longer laying eggs.
In this article, we will find out why your chickens may not lay eggs and how to get them to lay eggs.
Why Won’t My Chickens Lay Eggs?
It’s a common problem: You have chickens, and you want eggs. But no matter how hard you try, your girls just won’t lay.
The reasons for this vary. Here are some of the most common causes of egg-lessness in backyard chicken flocks.
1. They’re too young
If you buy a batch of chicks from the feed store and bring them home, they may not start laying until they’re 8 to 12 months old. If you’ve got a heritage breed laying hen that’s been bred to lay eggs, she’ll probably go into molt around this time of year and stop laying for several months — sometimes longer than a year.
2. They’re too old
Hens usually stop laying when they’re between 2½ and 4 years old (the average lifespan is 5 years).
3. They’re molting
When hens molt, they lose their feathers all at once — often an entire feather layer at once, which is called an “annual” molt — followed by several weeks of rest while their new feathers grow back in place (this is called a “seasonal” molt). During this time, hens will stop laying eggs because their bodies aren’t producing enough energy to make eggs and keep their body healthy.
What Causes a Delay In Laying Eggs?
Sometimes there is a delay in laying eggs, and this can be due to several reasons. These include:
1. Stress
If your bird is stressed by something going on in its environment or its life, it might delay laying eggs. For example, if you have recently moved house or changed jobs, your bird may feel unsettled and this can affect egg production. If you think that this may be the case with your bird, try to reduce its stress levels as much as possible by ensuring it has plenty of time out of the cage each day and plenty of toys that it enjoys playing with.
2. A change in diet or food quality
A change in diet or food quality can also cause a delay in laying eggs as your bird may not be getting all the nutrients it needs. If there has been a new brand of food introduced into the household recently, try switching back to an old brand for a couple of weeks to see if this helps resolve any issues that may have arisen from the new product being introduced into the cage.
3. Illness
Illness can cause birds to stop laying eggs altogether or at least put them off laying for a while until they get well again. This is because illness puts stress on their bodies and makes them feel exhausted so they don’t have the energy to lay eggs.
How Long Can a Chicken Go Without Laying An Egg?
A chicken can go without laying an egg for a couple of months. In fact, some hens go into a molt, which is a period where they stop laying eggs.
Spending time with your flock during the summer months can help you identify signs that your hen isn’t laying eggs. If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to do a little detective work to determine what’s going on.
Here are some common reasons why hens stop laying eggs:
1. Lack of protein and vitamins in their diet
2. They’ve reached the end of their laying cycle and are about to start molting
3. They’re being bullied by another hen or rooster in the flock
4. There’s something wrong with the environment (temperature or lighting)
How Do You Know When Chickens Will Start Laying Eggs?
Chickens will start laying eggs at different ages. There are many factors that can affect when your chickens will start laying eggs:
Age. Chickens lay eggs for their whole lives, but the amount of eggs they lay per year is usually highest when they are younger than 2 years old. After that age, egg production declines, although it may be possible to get higher production again by giving them more light or increasing the amount of protein in their diet.
Sex. Male chickens don’t produce eggs, so if you want to get eggs from your flock, you’ll need to have at least one rooster.
Feeding regime. If you feed your chickens a good quality diet with plenty of protein and calcium, they should start laying eggs sooner than if they are fed only basic chicken feed.
Environment. The warmer their environment and the more light they have access to, the sooner they’ll begin laying eggs!
What Time Of Day Do Chickens Lay Eggs?
Chickens are great egg producers. They lay eggs on a regular schedule and in a variety of colors and sizes. However, you may wonder when your chickens lay eggs. Chickens typically lay eggs in the morning, although they may lay at any time of day if they’re disturbed.
Chickens are most productive in spring through fall when they have natural light to stimulate them to lay eggs. During the winter months, they produce fewer eggs than in warmer months because the cold weather makes it difficult for them to produce enough heat to keep their bodies warm.
You can expect your chickens to lay one egg every 24 hours during peak production times.
9 Tips To Help Your Chickens Lay More Eggs
If you’ve been keeping chickens for a while, you know that they lay eggs all year long. But if you’d like to help your hens become more productive egg layers, there are some steps that you can take.
The first step is to make sure their living environment is comfortable. Chickens need access to fresh water and food at all times. This makes it easier for them to lay eggs. You also need to keep them warm during cold weather so that they don’t stop laying eggs.
There are several other things that can help your chickens lay more eggs, including:
Manage the Lights
Chickens lay eggs on a regular schedule. If you want them to lay more eggs, you need to make sure they have enough light.
A chicken’s body clock is set by light and dark. When it’s dark, the pituitary gland releases hormones that stimulate egg production. When it’s light, this stops and the hormones are broken down by the liver. This means that if you keep your chickens in darkness at night, they won’t lay many eggs.
On the other hand, if you provide plenty of light during the day, your chickens will be stimulated to produce more eggs than they normally would—especially if their diet is high in protein and carbohydrates (like corn). This is because the pituitary gland produces a hormone called prolactin when there’s too much protein in the bloodstream. Prolactin stimulates egg production by causing an enlargement of the ovaries which makes them capable of holding more eggs—that’s why pregnant women often get huge belly bumps!
Chickens won’t lay as many eggs during winter because there aren’t as many daylight hours, so it’s important to keep your coop well lit during this time of year especially
Maintain Nutritional Balance
A balanced diet is one that contains all the nutrients required by your chickens to stay healthy and lay eggs consistently. A good chicken feed should contain vitamins, minerals, and proteins in appropriate proportions. You can make your own feed at home or buy it from a store.
Provide Enough Room
Chickens need to have enough space in their coop to lay eggs. If they are crowded, they will be stressed and not lay as many eggs. If you have a few chickens, you can help them lay more eggs by providing enough room.
You should have at least 4 square feet per chicken, and preferably 6 square feet per chicken. This means that if you have 5 chickens, they should have at least 20 square feet of floor space in their coop.
The more space the better! Chickens like to spread out and move around during the day and roost down for the night. The coop should be big enough so that each chicken has its own spot to sleep; some people use hanging nests for this purpose. It is also nice if it is someplace for them to dust bathe (sand or sawdust works well).
Create a Clean Nest Box
One of the best ways to help your chickens lay more eggs is by providing them with a clean nest box.
Chickens like to nest in soft, dry dirt. They need a place where they can lay their eggs, but also one where they can feel safe from predators.
A dirty nest box can make your chickens less likely to lay eggs in it, so it’s important to keep your chicken coop clean and tidy. This will make sure that your chickens feel safe enough to lay their eggs in the nest box, which will lead to more eggs being laid by your hens.
Keep the Coop Clean and Comfortable
Keep their coop clean. A dirty coop leads to disease and parasites. Make sure to clean out their litter box every day, and add fresh bedding as needed. And don’t forget about the perches — chickens love to perch on high places where they feel safe from predators!
Keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. Chickens need a constant temperature year-round — otherwise, they’ll get sick or stop laying eggs altogether. To keep them warm in winter, place an electric heater (like this one) in their coop which will keep their water from freezing overnight so they can drink from it during cold spells — this is especially important if you live in an area where temperatures drop below freezing regularly during winter months.
Calcium
Calcium is important for producing eggs since the eggshells are made mostly of calcium. If your hens aren’t laying as many eggs as you would like, it may be because they aren’t getting enough calcium.
You can help your chickens lay more eggs by giving them a calcium supplement. Calcium is an important nutrient for all animals including humans, but especially for laying chickens. When chickens don’t get enough calcium, their bodies will take what they need from their bones or other organs. This can cause problems with laying because it makes the shells thinner and harder to form properly around the yolk of each egg.
The best way to provide your chickens with calcium is by adding oyster shell grit or crushed eggshells to their feed or water (or both). Oyster shell grit is easy to crush up yourself if you have plenty of them lying around from past batches of hard-boiled eggs. The amount that you will need depends on how many chickens you have in your flock and how much food they consume each day; however, most people recommend between 1/8th and 1/4 cup per day.
Coop Security
Chickens need a safe and secure coop in order to lay eggs. This is why it’s important to make sure your chickens have a secure coop. If you don’t have a fenced in area, then you need to make sure that there is some kind of barrier between your chickens and predators.
Chickens are vulnerable to many predators including dogs, foxes, raccoons, and even hawks. One way to protect your chickens from these predators is by installing an electric fence around the coop. The electric fence will keep all animals out of the coop area so that they can’t get near your chickens. The electric fence should be installed before you let your hens out into the yard or pasture.
Provide Plenty of Fresh Water
Chickens need plenty of water to drink and bathe in order to stay healthy and lay eggs regularly. Use shallow dishes that allow them to reach the water easily; otherwise, they may not drink enough water and end up becoming dehydrated which can lead to other health problems such as poor digestion, lack of appetite, and reduced egg production.
You may also want to provide them with some shallow mud puddles where they can splash around and cool off during hot summer days (this will help them keep cool during hot weather).
Parasite Control
Takeaway: You can make your chickens lay eggs by controlling their light cycles and ensuring they are eating the right foods and living in a comfortable space!
Conclusion
If your hen is laying eggs and all of sudden they stop, there are several reasons why. Most of the time, it’s usually due to the season, age, or they are molting. Sometimes, it could also be due to the hen not getting enough nutrition. Once you have figured out what the issues are, the hen will start to lay again.
