14/11/2015
Sometimes hens don't lay. But why?
Short of a dirty nest box full of mites and parasites here are 4 common reasons why hens don't lay.
The hen's age
From as early as 6 months hens can lay eggs. The first 2 years of a hen's life is her most productive. By the time she's 5 years old she will only lay half as frequently as she did during her first 2 years. Good egg laying hens have 2 egg laying cycles of 50-60 weeks each. After that there will be a sharp decline in egg production. Keep in mind, that hens are born with a limited amount of egg cells and once those are spent she'll lay no more eggs.
Stress
It could be as simple as fewer hens, or more roosts. Older hens may prevent younger hens from roosting at night. Stress for the young hens. The younger hens use the roosts during the day to rest. That roosting is disliked by the older hens, which stresses the older hens. A fright, running out of food and water, disruptions of the pecking order (for example adding a rooster to the flock) and getting moved to a new coop/run all causes stress. When you buy hens and bring them home to a new coop it could take up to 6 weeks before they start laying again. Adding unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) will help your chickens deal better with stress. The ratio is 4-5 tablespoons to a gallon water.
Incorrect Feeding
Either not enough feed or food for another age group. Younger hens benefit from different food to older hens. Or a change altogether. The average laying hen's skeleton contains 20g calcium and one egg represents 10% of that. Hens do have calcium reserves stored up in their bodies, but if they do not get enough calcium from their food for their egg shells the stores will get depleted very quickly and they will stop laying. It's important that laying hens get fed either a proper, balanced layer feed (mash or pellets) or a good quality all flock feed with a calcium supplement like shell grit offered free choice. It is best to offer layer food "free choice" i.e. have the feeders full at all times, to ensure hens get enough food. Keep in mind that the average hen needs 5 ounces of food and 10 ounces of water to produce 1 egg. Feeding too much treats, table scraps and scratch means the hens will eat less of the food they need, so only feed limited amounts of those. Overfeeding scraps and scratch can also cause the hens to get too fat. Overweight hens don't lay eggs.
Daylight and the seasons
In nature chickens only laid eggs in Spring and into the middle of Summer. The reason for this is because chickens lay eggs to reproduce and during the Spring and Summer months the weather is good and there is more food available, so conditions are perfect for raising chicks. When the days get shorter the hens' bodies sense the change of season and egg production slows down and stops. Humans have been modifying this behaviour and have been breeding the most prolific layers to ensure year round egg production, but given the chance most hens will still do what nature tell them to. Most hens need a minimum 14-16 hours of light per day to fool their bodies into thinking it's Spring and keep them in production. This could be either natural or electric light or a combination of both.
