10 Tips Why Aren’t My Chickens Laying Eggs?
Gathering eggs from your backyard flock is one of the many joys of backyard chicken keeping. It’s important to view production issues as a potential nutritional, health, or environmental problem. Not laying eggs is not a behavioral problem. It is a result of one or more of your flock’s basic needs not being met. If you’re encountering empty nest boxes day after day, here are some things to consider that may help.
Is your flock old enough to be laying eggs? The age your hens will physically mature and be capable of laying eggs varies greatly depending on their breed, heritage, nutrition, environment, age, and other factors. A hen can come on lay (begin laying eggs) anywhere between 4 months to 1 year old. Heritage breeds and high production egg laying breeds will begin to lay eggs significantly earlier than ornamental breeds as egg laying was not a priority in the development of ornamental breeds.
Is your flock molting? Annually chickens undergo an extremely arduous physical process called molt where they will slowly shed and regrow all their damaged feathers. This is their bodies way of preparing them for harsh winter conditions because damaged feathers can’t help a chicken regulate their own body temperature and stay warm. During the molting process your flock may decrease production or stop laying entirely while their bodies prioritize replacing the damaged feathers. Molt typically progresses in patches from the head to tail of the chicken and can take anywhere from 1 to 3 months. The severity and length of the molt varies based on things like your flock’s overall health, their nutritional support, stress levels, their environment, their age, and other factors. Things like providing grit and calcium supplement, increasing their protein intake by providing an all-flock style or feather fixer feed, high protein treats like grubs, meal worms, and fly larvae, and providing a dust bath are all ways to help your flock progress through their molt cycle as efficiently as possible.
Is your flock suffering from nutritional gaps in their diet (inadequate or inappropriate poultry nutrition)? Economy layer feed was not designed with your backyard flock in mind. While safe for your backyard flock, economy layer feeds often have high grain content and contain what is considered the bare minimum nutrition required to keep your flock alive and productive. These formulas do not account for the changing nutritional needs of a backyard flock. These nutritional gaps can cause a lapse or a complete stop in production. Without the necessary nutrition they need, your flock can’t perform at their best. I have fed economy style layer feed for years, but never exclusively. I supplement with healthy kitchen scraps and treats 3 times per week. I also ferment my chicken feed which increases the B vitamins, beneficial microbiome, and overall bioavailability of the nutrients in the feed so my flock can receive the maximum nutrition possible from their feed, whatever brand it is. The two primary components of an egg are protein and calcium. If your flock is not receiving enough of these two key nutrients production will suffer and so will your flock. If they don’t receive enough nutrition from their diet a hen’s body will begin to steal nutrients from their body to produce eggs. Signs of malnutrition include things like poor feather regrowth, an unexplained drop or total stop of egg production, severe aggression, dull eyes, pale combs and waddles, and others. Things like providing grit and calcium supplement, increasing their protein intake by providing an all-flock style or feather fixer feed, high protein treats like grubs, meal worms, and fly larvae, reducing their grain intake (reducing items like corn or scratch grain in favor of a complete poultry feed), and fermenting your chicken feed are all things that may help. I use a 1 part to 4 parts protein increase with my backyard flock during molt or if I suspect my flock isn’t receiving enough protein. What this looks like for me is 1 scoop of all-flock formula to 4 parts regular layer feed. Too much protein in your flock’s diet can result in digestive upset and organ strain. High production breeds require more protein than other breeds. Dialing in the nutrition to your flock’s specific needs is an important part of helping them thrive. *Backyard chickens do their best when provided with a complete poultry feed appropriate to their breed and purpose. They are domesticated livestock animals and unlike their ancestors, the wild jungle fowl, your backyard chickens can’t live on forage (especially just grass) alone!
Are you feeding too many grain treats? Scratch grain and corn are like the marshmallows in cereal for chickens. They love them, but they lack many of the essential nutrients, specifically protein and calcium, that your chickens need to be healthy and productive. Limit grain treats to a few days per week especially during times like molting season or the height of your flock’s production during the summer months.
Has your flock aged past their productive years? Hens will experience henopause or a complete ceasing of their productive years sometime between 2-7 years of age with a significant drop in production when they are past their physical prime. Hens especially heritage breeds may continue to lay eggs for many years past their prime, just not as often. High production breeds tend to enter henopause earlier than heritage breeds. By 7 years old most hens have completely completed their egg laying production years.
Is your flock overcrowded? Too many chickens in a small space can lead to a drop of lack of egg production. Space recommendations for standard size chickens are 4 square feet of coop space (per chicken) and 8-10 square feet of run space (per chicken). Bantam breeds require approximately half of that. Larger, heavier breeds need more space. You can alleviate overcrowding with things like additional enrichment, perches and roosts, and expanding the space available to your chickens with things like moveable livestock fencing or by constructing a run. Runs can be created more economically by repurposing materials like cattle panels to form a hoop house or by adapting structures meant for other animals like dog kennels. Keep in mind since those structures are intended for other animals, not chickens, they will need to be modified to be safe for your flock.
Is there a secret nesting site or clutch somewhere in your chicken area? If your flock is allowed to free-range even within limited space, it’s very possible your flock is still laying eggs just not in their nesting boxes. Hens look for a cool, quiet, dark, peaceful to space to lay their eggs. It is also possible one of your hens has gone broody, meaning her reproductive hormones have been activated, and other members of the flock may be contributing to her hidden clutch (a collection of eggs a hen creates to sit on in order to hatch them). Search your chicken area and your chicken yard for signs of a hidden nesting site. Check unconventional or hard to access places like under a deck, in tall grasses, an unused dog house, or another potential sites appealing to your flock. If your flock is habitually laying eggs somewhere other than their nesting boxes, check out my YouTube video all about nesting box basics to create a nesting box your flock will use and enjoy!
Is a predator eating your eggs before you can collect them? Predators are notorious egg thieves and if you’re not finding any eggs at all it is possible an animal is consuming them before you can collect them. Daily egg collection is a part of responsible chicken keeping. Collecting eggs every day as part of your chicken maintenance is considered best practice. Look for signs of a possible predator presence in your chicken area such as: unexplained holes appearing around your coop and chicken run, signs of digging and dirt piles not made by your flock, pungent smell from spraying or scent marking, claw marks, or signs of nesting or borrowing that were clearly not created by your flock. Walk along your chicken area perimeter and inspect your fencing. Don’t forget to look up! Snakes, mice, rats, and even raccoons can create homes in the ceiling or roof of your chicken housing.
Is your flock coping with a pest, disease, or a parasite infestation? Parasites and insect pests like intestinal worms, lice, mites, disease, and other ailments can all cause your flock to stop laying eggs. Proactive management of potential pests and parasites is highly advised as your chickens may be exposed to these elements by simply existing in their environment. Poor biosecurity, doing things like introducing new flock members without an isolation plan or wearing shoes worn in public into your chicken area can also expose your flock to pests and even disease. Over the counter remedies for many of these issues are available online and at your local farm box store or livestock veterinarian. Avoiding these conditions through responsible and proactive health management of your flock can help you skip heart breaking, time consuming, and potentially deadly consequences for your backyard chickens. My YouTube channel features a video all about biosecurity for beginner backyard chicken tenders.
Would your flock benefit from supplements to support their egg production? Oyster shell supplement and grit are highly advised for typical backyard chicken tenders. If your flock has access to fresh, new pasture daily and each day they have access to a new area some of these supplements may not be necessary. However, if your backyard flock like most is living in partial or fulltime confinement these supplements are crucial to ensure healthy eggshells, aid feather regrowth, and support egg production. Calcium helps your chickens have strong egg shells and aids in feather regrowth. Grit makes it possible for your flock to digest their food properly. Chickens don’t chew their food and instead rely on grit in an organ called the gizzard to help them properly break down the food so they can access its nutrition. Without grit your flock can’t absorb the nutrients in their food and you run the risk of life threatening conditions like impacted crop or sour crop. During the winter season especially if your region experiences snow and ice grit which can normally be accessed in their environment is unreachable underneath ice and now. Grit and oyster shell are very affordable and can be given to your flock in a free choice dish or dispenser and refreshed as needed. Your flock will consume what they need when they need it. You can also offer a poultry nutrient supplement in one of your flock’s water stations. There are many varieties to choose from. It’s important to only use the supplement in one of your water stations in addition to offering plain, fresh, clean water because some members of your flock won’t drink the supplement water. There are nutrient formulas and packets for many purposes like hydration support, probiotics, overall health, and others. You can find the formula or variety of formulas that would be most beneficial to your flock. Follow the instructions on the packet or bottle for proper use.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post all about possible reasons your flock is not producing eggs. If you’d like to learn more about backyard chickens and see more backyard chicken and homesteading content, check out Chuck’s other social media linked below. Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog for helpful backyard chicken tips sent straight to your email so you never miss any essential tips.
Chuck and the Chicks 