Why Did my Chicken Stop Laying

Nothing is better than fresh eggs. That’s one of the reasons you got chickens, right?. Things were going well and all of a sudden – zero, zilch. There are several possible reasons why your chicken stop laying.

Illness

My first concern would be illness. There are several illnesses that chickens can get. The most common chicken illness is mites, lice, worms, or respiratory sickness.

Are they acting normal? Is the comb pale, deflated or floppy?  If they are sick or injured, their bodies will concentrate on getting better rather than making eggs. If you find your bird is sick, isolate and treat as soon as possible. Illness can spread quickly in a flock. 

Age may be why your chicken stop laying

How old is your chicken? Chickens start laying around 20 weeks of age. The first year you may go through a few spells where your chicken doesn’t lay. Their bodies are trying to work out the kinks and you may even get some unusual eggs.

But by year two, they should be in full production mode and laying regularly. Year three and four, you will notice a decrease by about 30% and year 5 around 50%. After that, it will be hit or miss when you get eggs. 

It’s hard to tell how old a chicken is by looking at them. A five year old chicken will look a lot like a two year old chicken. So your bird may be older than you think. Make sure if you are buying an older chicken, that you buy from a reputable source. 

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is needed for egg production. This may be the second biggest cause, after illness, why your chicken stop laying.

Your chickens need a quality layer feed once they start laying. Some people will try to cut cost by decreasing the feed and adding corn or other grains. A quality layer feed will contain all the proper amount of protein, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals needed.

The only additional thing required is water. Make sure they have plenty of water at all times. Eggs are made up of 70% water.  

If you use well water and your girls aren’t laying, you may want to have it tested. Some wells don’t contain enough salt and insufficient amounts will decrease egg production. 

If you give treats, make sure and not give too many. Whatever you give should be consumed in 20 minutes. Our girls are done in about five.  

Also, chickens at the bottom of the pecking order will be the last to eat and drink. We leave food out at all times of the day to insure Clara gets some. She eats once everyone goes off to forage. 

Breed

Not all chickens lay everyday. Some will lay 200 eggs per year and others over 300. We chose breeds that produce a lot per year.

Be sure and check out that blog to meet our girls and for info on other great egg layers. 

I keep a log of who’s laying, which helps me to identify any illnesses early on.

Each of our girls has a distinctive color or shape to their egg. Even the brown ones are a little different.  

Time of Year

Different times of the year can be bothersome for your chickens.

During the dog days of summer, you may notice a decline in eggs. The girls are using their energy trying to stay cool. Their water intake increases and their food intake decreases, which affects egg production. When we do get eggs, they tend to be smaller. 

Once fall is here and it starts getting darker earlier, your birds will lay less or your chicken may stop laying completely. Egg production is dependent on sunlight. It requires between 12 and 14 hours of daylight. Some people will add artificial light to increase production in the winter but we let nature take its course and give our girls a break. 

I’ve even noticed when we have several stormy or cloudy days in a row that our egg production decreases. 

Broody

Hazel goes broody often. She’s the only one of our girls that does. When hens are broody, their bodies are telling them it’s time to hatch eggs.

Each broody is different but once they start to “sit,” they will not lay eggs for about a month.

It takes 21 days to hatch eggs then Hazel will be in Momma mode. She takes care of the babies for about six weeks so it’s nearly two months before she lays. 

Even if you aren’t hatching eggs, until the birds hormones run their course, she won’t lay. You can try breaking a broody but we have not been very successful.  

Molting will cause a chicken to stop laying

In late summer or early fall, your chickens will go through a molt. Old worn out or broken feathers are replaced with new feathers just in time for winter. This process is extremely hard on the birds. When your chickens are molting it is rare they lay any eggs. Their bodies are using all their energy and nutrients to regrow feathers. 

Stress 

Is your chicken stressed? There are several causes that lead to stress. Pecking order issues, overcrowding, predators, and adding new chickens to the flock are a few. When chickens are stressed, they won’t lay. Monitor your girls and intervene if necessary.  

Additionally, stress can lead to pecking which can lead to cannibalism. Be sure and check out my blog on The Dark Side of Chickens where I go into more detail. 

Nest box

To encourage your chickens to lay, make sure they have a secluded and private area with no stress. The nest box should be at least 12 inches off the ground. If your chicken is stressed about predators while laying, this will decrease egg production. 

Also, make sure the nest box is clean and free of parasites. If your chickens are being bit while trying to lay, they may find a different spot.

Adequate nest box space is important. You should have one box for every three hens. Our girls all like to lay in the same one so occasionally Marble will find a different spot. If it’s been a few days and we don’t have an egg from her, we go on a hunt. We’ve found them in the pine shavings bag and my husband’s lawn mower bag.

Always a surprise!