Backyard chickens

Seven reasons why your hens stop laying eggs

a broody hen is laying eggs in the coop
When you gaze at your empty egg basket, you might be perplexed as to why your darling hens aren't producing eggs as frequently as before. Aside from a natural cause like age,  something goes wrong with your girls, and of course, there are some fixes to help! However, we must first determine the reason why they stop laying! Common reasons are as follows.
 
  1. Weather

 

Hot-inside-the-chicken-coop

Summer's extreme heat can disrupt the laying schedule of your chickens. Chicken performs very well at around 75°Fahrenheit and lower. Therefore, you ought to keep cold water available and accessible anytime. Adding a fan to your coop is also a great choice to help keep your chicken cooler in Summer. Make sure their coop environment is at the ideal temperature.

 

  1. Molting

 

Chicken-is--molting

Fall is when hens tend to go through feather loss and regrowth. In this case, they will focus all their energy on growing their feathers back. That also leads to fewer eggs or a cease in egg production in this period. To speed up the regeneration of their feathers, you can provide them with high-protein feed like meat leftovers.

 

  1. Brooding

 

The-chicken-is-brooding

Given that hens will sit on their eggs in the nesting box when they go broody, we can't get any eggs during three to five weeks of brooding. In this case, you can remove your girl from the nesting box in this situation and shut the box for a few days. Once they break the habit, you can soon enjoy your fresh eggs!

 

  1. Egg eating

 

The-egg-was-ate

Our girls will consume their eggs! It may sound absurd, though. They won't stop it if they start to appreciate the taste. You might occasionally find some evidence like spilled yolk and broken egg shells.

Offering your girls calcium supplements like oyster shells is the ideal answer. Additionally, extra bedding in their box can also aid in preventing eggs from breaking. Most importantly, collecting your eggs on a daily routine also works.

 

  1. Pressure from predators

 

fox-as-being-chickens-predator

Any predator like dogs, snakes, and rats can stress the hens out, which can cause a cease in egg production! Their anxiety and stress can only be managed with assurances of safety. You may help them achieve this by giving them an excellent automatic chicken coop door. It can shield your chicken from predators so your feathered friends can enjoy complete peace of mind. A Safer coop, happier chicken, and more eggs!

 

  1. Overcrowded coop

 

 

a-overcrowed-chicken-coop

Stress can decrease egg production, just as we just discussed. An overcrowded coop will put much pressure on hens. Imagine preventing them from even enjoying unrestricted freedom in the coop. A good rule of thumb is three to five square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop and ten square feet outdoor space. Your hens will be happy and start laying eggs as a result.

 

  1. Disease

 

Disease

No doubt that if your girls contract some disease, they will suffer a lot and cease laying eggs as well. It will help if you keep a close eye on your chickens every day to keep them healthy. As soon as you learn that a hen is sick, you should separate it and give her enough food and clean water.

 

You can rapidly get your hen hens back on track once we locate the issue and promptly and accurately address it with some effort!

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