7 Ways To Help Your Chickens Lay More Eggs

Getting your first eggs from your flock is a magical experience. I wept the first time my Barred Rock hens laid their first eggs as it was the culmination of a long journey of care, growth, and development. Knowing you have a clean and reliable protein source for your family is life changing. Hens’ bodies are built for laying eggs but they need some things from us in order to perform at their best. First, let’s look at some possible reasons your egg count may have decreased naturally.

Winter season– During the winter when chickens have less exposure to day light their egg laying cycle will slow down and, in many cases, cease during the height of winter. Enduring winter conditions puts a significant amount of stress on a hen’s body and their body will take a natural break during the harshest days of winter. Egg laying will naturally increase as the days get longer. Experiencing a lighter production of eggs or some zero egg days in the winter is a natural process. It can be startling if you’re not expecting it. *I do not recommend the use of artificial light to manipulate your hen’s laying cycle. * This can result in serious health issues and significantly reduces the life span and health of your hens.

Inadequate or inappropriate nutrition-Hens need a variety of nutrients to perform at their best. Insufficient food or an unbalanced diet will result in decreased egg production. Hens need sufficient and appropriate nutrition to make eggs. Provide your flock with a high-quality complete layer feed. Limit snacks and scraps to a few times a week to avoid accidentally creating a nutritional deficiency or imbalance. If your hens are still growing, continue to provide them with chick starter grower feed until they are about 4 months old. After they are 4 months old, transition them to a complete layer feed.

Molt-During their annual molt your hens’ body will prioritize replacing their lost feathers. This can result in a decreased egg production rate or many hens will stop laying all together until their molt is complete. You can supplement your hens nutrition with additional calcium and protein to ease the stress of molt.

Stress-Stressed hens may stop laying in response to inadequate space, predator pressure, disruption while sleeping or laying, overcrowding, disease, pests, and other issues. Stressed and unhappy hens will be less productive.

Age-Most breeds of chicken reach the peak of their productivity sometime between 2-4 years of age. They will still continue to lay eggs for many years after their prime, just not as reliably or frequently. Conversely, they may not be old enough to start laying eggs yet. For most breeds hens will begin to lay eggs sometime between 4-6 months old but this can be closer to 8 months or a year for other breeds. My Barred Rock hens began to lay between 4-6 months old but my Buff Laced Polish hens didn’t lay eggs until they were almost a year old. Different breeds will mature at different rates assuming they are also healthy and their basic needs are being met.

Predators-Your hens may be laying eggs but a predator may be consuming them before you can collect them. Pests like snakes and rodents are notorious for stealing eggs. Make sure you provide your flock with predator proof infrastructure.

Hidden nest or broodiness-Broodiness is the condition when a hen’s brain and body change to adapt to the responsibilities and tasks associated with raising chicks. If you notice a drop in egg production and one of your flock members is suspiciously absent, your hen may have a hidden clutch (collection of eggs) somewhere they have access to and the hen may have gone broody. Inspect your chicken areas to be sure there are no hidden nests. The eggs may also be in unexpected places like under a deck or in tall grassy areas.

If you’ve already considered all of these factors, here are 7 ways you can support your flock for maximum egg production.

1. Build your flock with egg layers. Not all chicken breeds are known for high egg production. Some bantam and ornamental breeds have a lower egg count because egg production was not a priority in the development of these breeds. Most backyard chicken breeds will begin to lay eggs between 4-6 months of age while some ornamental breeds may take up to a year to begin to lay eggs. Some high egg production breeds include the Leghorn, hybrid breeds like the Comet, Rhode Island Reds, Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, and others.
2. Minimize stress. Unhappy and unhealthy chickens will be less productive. Take measures to ensure your chicken areas are predator proof. Use hardware cloth on your chicken coop. Regularly check your chicken areas for signs of a predator presence. Provide them with a peaceful, dry coop and clean, appealing nesting boxes.
3. Provide your chickens with excellent nutrition. Provide your flock with a high-quality complete layer feed. You can supplement with scraps and treats a few times a week. I limit this to 3 times per week so they are still getting the majority of their nutrition from their complete layer feed. Provide calcium and grit supplement. Calcium helps your hens form strong egg shells and feathers. Grit ensures they can properly digest their food and absorb the most amount of nutrients possible. You can ferment your chicken feed to make it even more nutritionally accessible to your flock.
4. Supplement your feed with calcium and protein. Calcium is essential for healthy egg shells and protein is the material your hen turns into her eggs. Provide free choice calcium supplement to your chickens in a container or dish separate from their food. You can boost their protein intake by providing treats such a meal worms, fly larvae, or healthy kitchen scraps.
5. Provide your flock with fresh water daily. Dehydration can cause a drop in egg production and other health issues. Provide your flock with plenty of fresh water and preferably multiple water stations so your less dominant flock members can still drink freely.
6. Keep your chicken areas clean. Regular maintenance and cleaning of your chicken area is part of responsible chicken ownership. Unsanitary conditions cause stress, disease, pests, and reduces your flock’s productivity.
7. Provide as much space to your flock as you can. Overcrowding causes stress in chickens. At least 4 square feet of coop space and 8 square feet of run space per standard size chicken, these numbers reflect the bare minimum space recommendations. More space is always better. You can expand your space by providing multiple perching and roost options, create a chunnel, or utilize temporary and moveable fencing to give your chickens more options for movement. Provide enrichment to the flock in the form of toys, treats, perches, and positive interaction.

I hope this provided you with some helpful information to naturally support your flock’s health and productivity.

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