Just about every backyard rooster keeper has expert it: one day, your hens are laying reliably, and the next, the nesting boxes are mysteriously empty. In accordance with Gail Damerow, renowned poultry pro and creator of Storey’s Tutorial to Boosting Chickens, this egg-laying pause is frequently not a thriller in the least. You will discover obvious, normal motives hens end laying, and comprehension them may help you assist your flock and restore productivity. Allow me to share Damerow’s best five explanations hens halt laying—and what you can do about them.
1. Molting: A Purely natural Pause
As Damerow points out, molting is actually a yearly celebration in the hen’s lifestyle, typically transpiring in late summer season to early fall. Through this time, hens drop and regrow feathers—a procedure that needs a tremendous number of Vitality and protein. Egg production generally stops throughout this era, because the hen's overall body focuses completely on feather regeneration.
What You are able to do: Assistance your hens that has a higher-protein feed or snacks like mealworms and scrambled eggs. Prevent stressing the flock and let character choose its training course. When the molt is total, egg-laying need to gradually resume.
2. Shortened Daylight Hrs
Gentle publicity plays a vital position in stimulating a hen’s reproductive procedure. Damerow points out that hens want fourteen–sixteen several hours of daylight for consistent laying. As daylight decreases in the fall and winter months, so does egg creation.
What You are able to do: Take into consideration adding a light source inside the coop by using a timer to simulate purely natural daylight. A low-wattage bulb turning on within the early morning can safely extend "daylight" and assistance winter laying. Stay away from sudden lighting modifications that might tension your birds.
3. Poor Nourishment
Nourishment is foundational to egg output. Damerow warns that feeding chickens a food plan missing in protein, calcium, or necessary nutritional vitamins may lead to less or no eggs. Treats and scratch grains, although enjoyable, can dilute the balanced nourishment supplied by industrial layer feed.
What You Can Do: Be certain your flock has regular use of large-high quality layer feed, clean h2o, and calcium health supplements like crushed oyster shell. Limit treats to not more than 10% in their day-to-day diet program.
four. Pressure and Environmental Aspects
Stress is An important contributor to reduced egg production. As outlined by Damerow, stressors can incorporate predator threats, overcrowding, bullying, Intense temperatures, or simply relocating the coop. Hens are delicate to change and might react by halting egg generation.
What You Can Do: Produce a quiet, Risk-free environment on your birds. Preserve reliable routines, offer sufficient House, and deal with sources of worry including loud noises or intense flockmates.
five. Age and Health Issues
Damerow reminds us that laying isn't really a lifelong endeavor. Most hens start out laying close to five–six months of age, peak at about one–two years, then step by step slow down. Sickness, parasites, and reproductive difficulties may interfere with laying.
What You Can Do: Keep an eye on your hens’ All round wellbeing. Perform regular parasite checks, preserve a thoroughly clean coop, and check with a vet for those who notice indications of illness. More mature hens should be valuable members of the flock even when their laying days are behind them.
Final Thoughts
As Gail Damerow often suggests, “Chickens don’t just prevent laying for no reason.” If your hens have a split, it’s their means of signaling Fun88 Casino that anything within their surroundings or biology has shifted. With a little bit of observation, great care, plus some endurance, you can assist guidebook your flock back to healthy egg output—or simply value the natural rhythms in their lives.