Reasons Hens Aren’t Laying Eggs and How to Help

Did your hens stop laying? Get the reasons your hens aren't laying eggs and find out how to help!

Have you headed out to your coop with your trusty egg basket only to find that there are just a few eggs to gather?

You're probably wondering what's going on.

Throughout the seasons of the year and the seasons of your chicken's life, you will find that a decrease in eggs does happen.

There are several reasons this might happen, but take heart, there are ways to fix some of the problems that cause a decline in egg production.

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Carton of fresh backyard chicken eggs in varying shell colors

Top Reasons for Decreased Egg Production:

Breed of chicken
Diet
Stress
Hours of light
Molting
Age of chicken
Broody Hens
Illness

Breed of Chicken

The breed of your chickens makes a significant difference in the number of eggs laid in their lifetime. Rhode Island Reds, for example, lay around 200 eggs a year, whereas an Ameraucana or a Silkie lay remarkably fewer, only about 100 per year. That could be one of the reasons your hens aren't laying eggs.

So make sure to know the average egg capacity for your chickens before you count on filling that basket.

Barred Plymouth Rock hen standing in a grassy backyard, showing distinctive black-and-white barred feathers and healthy red comb

Diet

Many factors within a chicken's diet can also affect egg laying, such as changes in food, not having proper nutrition, and too many treats.

Changing their feed or even the brand of feed can cause a ripple of change in the coop. Chickens like continuity, and changes in their routine alter egg production.

Adding too many supplements or not having the essential 30+ nutrients needed in their diet can also be harmful. Using a complete layer feed can guarantee that proper nutrition requirements are met.

The 90/10 rule should always apply to treats for your chickens. 90% nutritional feed and 10% treats are the correct balance.

Brown laying hen eating grain from a person's hand in a grassy backyard

Stress

You wouldn't think by looking at them, but chickens have stress.

These stressors can range from loud noises to heat/cold extremes to predators trying to eat them. That would get to anyone.

Loud noises are pretty tough to keep at bay on a farm, but you can give them a sense of security by predator-proofing their run and coop.

As heat and cold fluctuate in the seasons, additional heat or cooling may be necessary within the coop. Just be sure not to have a vast difference in temperature between the coop and the run.

Your hens will not be able to adjust their body temperature as needed, which can cause them to get sick.

Other stresses can be as simple as adding new hens or roosters to the coop. A chicken's pecking order is no joke. When you add new flock mates, the fight for the top may stop egg production until calm resides in your coop once again.

Overcrowding is also an issue that affects laying, which is easily rectified with the four square feet per bird rule within the coop and five to eight square feet allotment per bird within their run.

Row of pastel-colored chicken eggs-blue, pink, brown, and green-lined up on a rustic wooden surface, showcasing natural egg color variation.

Hours of Light

Chickens require 14-16 hours of daylight to lay an egg. This light produces a hormonal response necessary for production.

In the winter months, if you want more eggs from your flock, it may be necessary for you to add artificial light to your coop, but only for the required hours needed. The easiest way to do that is by using a light timer.

There is another school of thought on supplemental light. The thought is that if your hens aren't laying due to the lack of light, you may want to let them go natural.

The downtime during the winter helps them to become more proficient and more extended producers.

Backyard chickens foraging on the ground in winter, standing on patches of snow beneath bare trees in a cold-weather yard.

Molting

Chickens molt annually, and as they go through the feather loss and regrowth, it affects the number of eggs they lay.

All their energy is going to replacing their feathers during the fall molting process. It takes eight to sixteen weeks to re-feather.

But don't worry, they start right back in laying as soon as they are fine-feather beauties once again.

Backyard hen dust bathing in dry soil under a wooden structure, spreading feathers to clean and protect against mites and parasites.

Age of Chicken

The laying cycle of a chicken, unfortunately, is one of decline. Even the most proficient layers have a reduction in eggs each year.

Some breeds only lay four or five years where others can produce well past that.

Broody Hen

If you find your hen sitting on a nest, refusing to leave the eggs she has warmly tucked under her, you may have a broody hen.

Check for signs of feathers missing on her front that she has plucked out to add warmth to her clutch of eggs. If so, she's officially broody.

Broody hens stop all egg production for at least twenty-one days, the life cycle of an egg, and no amount of coaxing will start her egg-laying up again.