Where have all the eggs gone? Why chickens stop laying.

A very common question ! Chicken owners, particularly those new to chicken farming, those that have panic bought chickens or haven't looked into it too much but like the idea of it, can quickly come to discover that their new feathered friends don't necessarily perform on command all year round!

What? do you mean they don't lay an egg or two each day, every day, for their entire life ? No, no and sadly no! 

There are many reasons why your hens may not be laying. Let's chat about it ! ​

Age, Breed & Broody!
Chickens start laying anywhere from about 16 weeks onwards. Despite being sold as "point of lay", it doesn't mean they'll start laying straight away. Many will start to lay by about 24 weeks of age, but at Poultry Patch, we waited 11 months for a pure bred Araucana (Ginger bird & blue egg photos) to start laying. Talk about having to be patient !!

Hybrid chickens are bred to be more robust and to lay well. They, like ISA Browns for example, will start laying earlier than the heavier purebreds. Hybrids, including cross breeds, can lay up to an egg a day during Spring and Summer (peak laying season). Purebred chickens may lay 2-3 eggs a week in peak season. 

Either way, it is not an exact science, and like human females, many factors affect when and how often ovulation cycles operate.

And whilst we're at it... when bringing home new chickens, give them a few weeks to settle in before feeling frustrated that they haven't started laying for you yet. Isn't there a saying that all good things come to those who wait ? ;-)

​Then there are the broody hens. You know, the ones that take up residence in the nesting box and try to peck you when you come to collect the eggs that they've hoarded and are sitting on.

To keep it brief, broody hens are so busy trying to incubate a clutch of eggs, they stop laying. Some breeds tend to go broody more often. Check out my blog post on the topic of broody hens driving you nuts ! 
https://www.poultrypatch.com.au/chicken-chat/are-spring-time-broodies-driving-you-nuts1764488

Diet
A chicken's diet is far more important than people seem to realise. A common stumbling block, we are fed the notion that chickens are the great recyclers of all time and whilst that is true to an extent, it also can be the reason why your girls have ceased or decreased their laying.

In a nutshell, all that lovely recycling (kitchen scraps) dilutes the nutrients the hens need to create and lay eggs. It's like a candy bar for them, they love it but it's ultimately not good for them. 

Chickens need a consistent protein level of 16% to support egg laying. Anything less will not be enough to keep a regular supply of eggs appearing in your nest boxes. It can be in the form of a commercial mash or pellets UNLESS they have a very large space to roam and can find a variety of food and a consistently supply of bugs.

At Poultry Patch, we prefer to feed our flock pellets because it doesn't allow the hens to pick and choose what they eat, they get a balanced diet without trying. There is also minimal wastage, whereas mash can be powdery and easily be wasted.

Be careful of scratch mix. Think of it as also being lollies for your chickens. They love it but rarely are the protein levels high enough for regular egg laying. They'll pick out the sunflower seeds first! They just love them !!
​

Season & Moulting
​
Daylight is directly linked to hens laying. They need about 14-16 hours of sunlight everyday to trigger regular laying. As we get closer to Winter, the hours of daylight decrease, so does the laying. It's normal and natural.

It is also very normal for adult chickens to replace their feathers each year (anytime between Autumn/through to Spring). During the process of moulting their feathers, their protein levels are diverted away from egg laying and into creating new feathers. Egg laying stops.

How do you know if your hens are moulting ? 

During this time, some birds will look like they've been in a fight and the evidence (discarded feathers) will be peppered around the run. Don't be concerned. Chickens moult from the head first so when you see them losing tail feathers, you know that's the last part of the body to lose feathers.
Their combs and facial redness will be much paler than normal, this is also a sign of them being 'off the lay' during this time of year. Both photos to the left show "Mumma" (a reliable broody hen of ours) who is brooding on eggs (top photo) and laying in the nest box (bottom photo). Notice the contrast in colour in her face, comb and wattles. Check our your hens... who's faces are flushed red, and who are pale. It'll be quite obvious once you know what to look for.

Expect the moult process to be about 4 - 16 weeks per bird with each bird starting at different times. Sometimes it's a dramatic loss of feathers, sometimes very minimal.

At Poultry Patch, we regularly supplement our girls with mealworms to keep their protein levels boosted as they grow their new feathers. Here's what we give them: https://www.poultrypatch.com.au/store/p2/Chubby_Dried_Mealworms.html 

Environmental factors

Imagine you're a chicken living at your place...

• Is it a stressful place to live ? 
• Are you feeling threatened by a dog or other birds ?
• Are there some bullies in the flock ?
• Do you have easy access to food and water or are the flock bullies preventing you from eating regularly ?
• Is the hen house relatively clean ?
• Do you have plenty of room to roam and escape other flock members ?

Any or all of these factors can put lots of stress on your hens and affect their laying.

Food and water are a big one. We have had dominant members of the flock standing guard so that other hens cannot get at the food and water... yes, they can be really nasty to subordinate members of the flock !

So we make sure we have multiple feeders and water available around the run so that the dominant hens cannot prevent the others from eating. If offering extra greens or mealworms, it is spread far and wide so again the bullies cannot control who gets the goodies.

Health

This may sound very obvious but as you can probably imagine, hens rarely lay when they're unwell. It does really depend on what is ailing them, but healthy well fed chickens who have a nice environment to live in will lay well for you over a number of years, depending on their breeding and age.

So how does one spot a sick chicken ? Well, as mentioned above, paleness of comb, wattles and face is often a clear indicator of being unwell. Being hunched, inactive, fluffed up and lethargic is also another sign. 

Spending regular time with your chickens really help with spotting a sick chicken. Check our the recent blog post on this topic: 
​
https://www.poultrypatch.com.au/chicken-chat/spend-time-with-your-flock-the-key-to-healthy-backyard-chickens

So next time you are wondering where have all the eggs gone ? Hopefully you have some more ideas on why your hens are having a rest from laying... and if you can do something about it or just let nature take it's course !