11/10/2026
On today's episode of "YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH" let's talk about chickens and the most asked question of the past month.... "why aren't my chickens laying eggs?!"
Chickens are NOT egg laying machines in a literal term 🙄
*** inhale deeply through your nose, feel your lungs being filled with air... now hold it... 1....2....3....4....5.... now exhale through your mouth, slowly.... 1....2....3....4....5.... ***
There are 101+ reasons why your chicken's egg production has decreased. While I will not be covering all of the reasons, let's talk about some of the major factors affecting most flocks as we speak....
1. Stress.... Stress can and will halt egg production. The most common stressors include introducing a new chicken to the flock.... this can affect not just the new chicken(s) but existing residents too. Predators... predators cause stress.... what may not even really be a predator like that plastic owl that has eyes that glow and makes hooting noises to warn off real predators.... is a predator 🤦♀️ if it can cause a flea to jump then guess what, it can be identified as a predator to the chicken brain. Give them time to re-adjust themselves. Just because the laying hen you bought from Sammy Jo Smith laid an egg before you picked her up or laid an egg or 2 the 1st few days she took up camp at her new domicile, doesn't mean there is no stress.... it can be immediately or it can be delayed.... breathe, it will be ok.
2. Extreme heat or extreme cold... While some breeds handle extreme heat or extreme cold better than others, this is a general rule. In extreme heat, Hennifer does NOT need a portable window unit in her clucky condo, she does NOT need cold water bottles taped under her wings, she does NOT need a swimming pool with her itty bitty yeller polkadot bikini. Chickens are not water fowl and not designed to swim and dunk or go bobbing for peas and learn the backstroke. You're doing too much! Make sure there is shade, fresh water, and air circulation (WIND).... that's it, that's all! In extreme cold, Henny Penny doesn't need a space heater, she doesn't need that cute little crochet sweater you seen on Etsy, she doesn't need rubber boots or earmuffs.... she needs a wind block, mainly from the North wind. She needs her feet and comb to stay dry. Really, that's it, that's all. You can add hay or shavings to your coop and run floors especially if it likes to rain a lot during the cooler months. A wind block is generally for a run or open air coop... some plywood, fence boards, a tarp, empty feed bags taped together... all of that works... all you are doing is blocking wind and retaining natural heat.... some look better than others but this is about not doing too much, right?
3. Molting. Every end of summer poultry goes through what is called Molt. Notice all those feathers everywhere? Your yard looking like some kind of post apocalypse chicken survival movie.... yep that's from molt. Similar to how a dog sheds its coat in preparation for the next season. Nothing you can do to stop it, it's part of nature. At the 1st sign of molting it is good practice to boost their protein intake if you feed the typical 12-16% layer feed. If they are on 18%+ then you are already doing what you can. No need to go buy all sorts of vitamins and supplements or go the extremes with worming and other medications... then you will be doing too much and for no reason while understanding a quality feed and protein adjustment is really all thats needed.
4. Shorter daylight hours. Yep, you read that right. Chickens need a good 14 or more hours of daylight for optimal egg production, anything less then production will decrease. Guess what, it's fall! Fall = shorter daylight hours. Winter = shorter daylight hours. You have 2 choices here... let them take a break like nature intended or give them supplemental lighting in their coop to allow them 14+ hours of light. A standard dusk to dawn solar lamp usually does the trick. You don't need anything fancy.... I promise KarHen from down the street ain't jealous that your coop is hardwired with alexa enabled smart lights and set on timers while her Wal-Mart Mainstays brand solar lights do the trick just as well without additional upfront cost or additional cost to your light bill....
Yall, seriously, I see so much while scrolling that makes me cringe, makes me question sanity, makes me sit back and simply say "YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH"
Do you think great grandpa Honk put all this effort into getting some eggs for the house? Do you think Aunt Gertrude had a $1,000 mansion of a coop with toys and a feed bill for chickens the same amount as a herd of cattle? Do you think Uncle Borace hunted out non-GMO vegan friendly option and played Yanni at night over his polk audio equipped coop for his girls? No, they didn't and their chickens were just fine and probably happier and healthier than most.
So one thing I like to say, and yes I say it a lot, is: If you have to put a lot of thought into it... most of the time that is a clear sign... YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH 😘
