Top 5 Factors Your Hens Quit Laying – Defined by Gail Damerow
Top 5 Factors Your Hens Quit Laying – Defined by Gail Damerow
Blog Article
Every single yard hen keeper has seasoned it: one day, your hens are laying reliably, and the following, the nesting bins are mysteriously vacant. According to Gail Damerow, renowned poultry professional and author of Storey’s Manual to Raising Chickens, this egg-laying pause is often not a mystery at all. You will find very clear, normal motives hens end laying, and comprehension them can assist you guidance your flock and restore productiveness. Here's Damerow’s prime five factors hens end laying—and what you can do about them.
one. Molting: A Normal Pause
As Damerow describes, molting is really a yearly function inside of a hen’s everyday living, ordinarily transpiring in late summer season to early fall. Through this time, hens get rid of and regrow feathers—a procedure that requires a huge quantity of Electrical power and protein. Egg production usually stops all through this era, because the hen's overall body focuses solely on feather regeneration.
What You are able to do: Assistance your hens that has a superior-protein feed or snacks like mealworms and scrambled eggs. Steer clear of stressing the flock and let nature choose its training course. After the molt is total, egg-laying should gradually resume.
2. Shortened Daylight Several hours
Light-weight publicity performs a significant purpose in stimulating a hen’s reproductive method. Damerow points out that hens need to have fourteen–sixteen several hours of daylight for constant laying. As daylight decreases in the fall and Winter season months, so does egg generation.
What You are able to do: Contemplate incorporating a light resource inside the coop which has a timer to simulate normal daylight. A reduced-wattage bulb turning on during the early morning can securely increase "daylight" and help Winter season laying. Prevent unexpected lighting variations that might pressure your birds.
three. Weak Nourishment
Nourishment is foundational to egg generation. Damerow warns that feeding chickens a food plan missing in protein, calcium, or important nutritional vitamins may lead to less or no eggs. Treats and scratch grains, although entertaining, can dilute the balanced nourishment furnished by professional layer feed.
What You are able to do: Be certain your flock has constant access to higher-high-quality layer feed, cleanse drinking water, and calcium health supplements like crushed oyster shell. Restrict treats to no more than 10% in their each day eating plan.
4. Strain and Environmental Factors
Strain is An important contributor to diminished egg manufacturing. In accordance with Damerow, stressors can include predator threats, overcrowding, bullying, extreme temperatures, or simply going the coop. Hens are sensitive to alter and will react by halting egg output.
What You Can Do: Make a relaxed, Harmless surroundings for your birds. Keep consistent routines, give enough Area, and tackle resources of tension for example loud noises or aggressive flockmates.
5. Age and Medical issues
Damerow reminds us that laying isn't a lifelong Fun88 Casino endeavor. Most hens get started laying around 5–6 months of age, peak at about 1–2 decades, and after that slowly decelerate. Illness, parasites, and reproductive concerns might also interfere with laying.
What You are able to do: Regulate your hens’ General wellness. Carry out common parasite checks, manage a clean coop, and seek advice from a vet when you detect indications of health issues. More mature hens should be important users of the flock even when their laying days are behind them.
Final Thoughts
As Gail Damerow often says, “Chickens don’t just stop laying for no reason.” If your hens have a split, it’s their means of signaling that anything within their surroundings or biology has shifted. With some observation, excellent care, plus some endurance, you can assist information your flock back to healthy egg output—or simply enjoy the natural rhythms in their lives.