Several Reasons Why Your Hens May Stop Laying Eggs

Declining day length

Hens are sensitive to day length, and particularly to the direction in which day length is changing,
when it comes to laying eggs. Declining day lengths discourage egg production. It is not unusual for
a flock owner to have hens go out of production in the latter part of summer and in the fall because
the days are getting shorter. Commercial egg producers avoid this problem and maintain egg
production year round by using artificial lighting to give hens a long day length no matter what the
season.
A backyard flock owner can do much the same thing if the flock roosts inside a building by keeping
lights on long enough to simulate an appropriately long day length. A good rule of thumb is that the
total length of light per day, both artificial and natural, should be no shorter than the longest natural
day length the hens will experience. Therefore, the amount of artificial light needed will be minimal
in summer and greatest in winter.

Improper nutrition
Hens need a balanced and adequate diet to maintain egg production. Each egg contains significant
amounts of protein and energy, which must first be consumed by the hen as part of its daily food
intake. Too little dietary energy or an imbalance of amino acids can cause depressed egg
production. Many backyard flock owners dont realize how much calcium a hen needs. The shell of
each egg contains roughly 2 grams of calcium.
Since the skeleton of a typical modern egg-laying breed of hen only contains about 20 grams of
calcium, each egg represents 10% of the hens total bodily calcium. While the hens skeleton acts
as a calcium reserve to supply the demands of egg production, this reserve is rapidly depleted in
the absence of an abundant calcium source in the feed eaten by the bird. In such a situation the
hen will stop laying eggs. To maintain egg production, flock owners should feed only a prepared
layer ration balanced to meet a hens nutritional requirements, or at least provide a particulate
source of calcium, e.g. suitably sized ground limestone or oyster shell, that the birds can eat
selectively according to their needs. The layer ration or calcium source should be available from a
local feed supply store.
Occasionally, a feed mixing error causes important nutrients like salt to be left out of the diet.
Insufficient dietary salt will depress egg production. Conversely, in some regions, well water may
have too much dissolved sodium, which also will depress egg production. If water quality is
suspected to be a problem, a water mineral analysis can be obtained through your county extension
office, but be sure to contact the office for instructions before drawing the water sample.

Broodiness
Some breeds of hens are prone to become broody, meaning that they will try to incubate eggs to
make them hatch. When this happens, they stop laying eggs. They are more likely to become
broody if they are allowed to accumulate eggs in a nest. The problem is most prevalent during
spring under natural daylight as the hens come into production due to the stimulating effects of
increasing day length. To avoid this problem, it is best to pick up eggs at least once a day to prevent
the hen from building a clutch. Daily egg gathering is also an important practice to preserve the
safety and quality of eggs for human consumption. If the housing facilities permit, hens can be
moved to different living quarters periodically to disrupt their attachment to specific nesting sites.

Molt
After a hen has been producing eggs for several months, she becomes increasingly likely to molt.
Molting and egg production are not mutually compatible, so when molting occurs, egg production
ceases. The rest from egg laying allows the hen to restore its plumage condition by shedding old
feathers and growing new ones. At the same time, the hens reproductive tract is rejuvenated,
allowing it to increase its rate of egg production and produce higher quality eggs when it returns to
lay. Under natural day lengths, molting tends to coincide with the change in season so that hens
molt in the fall after they cease egg production due to declining day lengths. In these circumstances,
it is normal for all the hens in a flock to go out of production and molt more or less in synchrony.
However, if artificial lighting is provided, a hen may molt at any time of year and not in synchrony
with other hens. If this happens, she should return to lay in several weeks.

Age
A hen can live for many years. It is not unusual for a backyard flock owner to keep several
generations of birds and lose track of how old some hens are. Much as in other species, an aging
hen eventually will lose its ability to be reproductively active and stop producing eggs.

Disease
Many poultry diseases will affect egg production. Often the birds will show symptoms of illness, but
sometimes they will not. If a disease is suspected, it is important to consult a poultry veterinarian
without delay. A timely diagnosis may allow effective treatment for some diseases. In the case of
certain virulent diseases such as highly pathogenic Avian Influenza, a speedy diagnosis may
prevent losses of whole flocks in entire regions, and minimize the risk of zoonotic transmission of
deadly disease from chickens to humans, e.g., bird flu.
Consult your county agent for the nearest diagnostic lab to submit birds for disease evaluation.
Further information on actions to take in the case of disease can be found in the November, 2004,
Backyard Flock Tip published by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service entitled,
My Flocks Health is in Question: What Should I do? Copies may be obtained from your county
agent or by accessing the UGA Poultry Science Department website at
http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/ .

Egg production is a remarkable thing. A pullet (young female chicken) begins laying eggs
at 18 to 20 weeks of age. She reaches peak production at about 35 weeks, with a production
rate greater than 90 percent (thats 9 eggs in 10 days for a single hen or 9 eggs from 10
birds daily). This period of peak production lasts about 10 weeks, after which her egg
production slowly begins to decline.
A high-producing hens annual egg production is more than 10 times her body weight. The
average commercial Single Comb White Leghorn hen lays about 265 eggs per year, with
backyard breeds laying fewer. In most cases, the more exotic the breed, the poorer the egg
production.
Hens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. External or internal stimuli affect hormone
levels, which change the condition of the ovary and oviduct, the organs responsible for egg
production. The result of these changes is the reduction or cessation of egg production. The
most common stimuli that affect egg production are decreasing day length, disease,

broodiness, poor nutrition, and stress. However, even under ideal conditions, every hens
egg production eventually slows down and stops.

Decreasing day length

Days become shorter beginning June 22 and begin to lengthen again on December 22. In
Oregon, day length decreases from nearly 16 hours of light at the beginning of summer to
just over 8 hours at the beginning of winter. This change in day length causes hens to molt
and cease egg production, a process that may take several months.
Preventing production losses due to changes in natural day length requires artificial
lighting. To maintain production, day length must increase or remain constant at more than
12 hours per day; a 14- to 16-hour day is typical. Light needs to be just bright enough to
read a newspaper, and the type of bulb does not matter. If a lighting program is started, it
must be continued. Even a 1-day lapse can have a negative impact on egg production. It is
best to use an inexpensive timer to control the light schedule.

Molt
Molting is a natural process that allows the hen to replace old, worn feathers and
rejuvenates her oviduct, the organ that makes eggs. With the molt, the hen puts the bulk
of her energy into feather growth, leaving little for egg production.
Natural molting is a seasonal process related to changes in day length. It usually occurs in
the fall after chicks fledge, but in domestic birds it can occur at any time, especially if the
hen is exposed to some stress. Rapid feather loss by the entire flock usually is the result of a
serious stressful event such as lack of water and/or feed or lighting problems.
Even with a lighting program, hens eventually molt. When molting during long-day
periods, the molt often is not complete, and hens may never be restored to full production.
It is a good idea to allow hens to molt during their second winter. By turning off the lights
for about 6 weeks during the winter, the birds will molt more completely and then can be
placed on long days again to resume egg production.
NOTE: Molt does not result in localized feather loss or bare spots. When bare spots appear,
they are almost always the result of picking.

Broodiness
Broodiness is the natural tendency for a hen to sit on her eggs to hatch chicks. Most hens
eventually go broody, some breeds more often than others, although some breeds rarely, if
ever, go broody. (Cochins and Silkies are champions at going broody; broodiness is rare in
Leghorns.) When a hen becomes broody, hormonal changes result in the cessation of lay.
The stimulus for broodiness normally is a nest full of eggs; however, some hens will go
broody without this stimulus. To reduce broodiness, collect eggs daily from nests and

hiding places. If a hen shows a desire to stay on the nest for extended periods, remove her
from access to the nest for several days. After a period of time, the broody behavior will
cease and she will return to egg production.

Flock health
Disease problems occur from time to time in all flocks. In many cases, a drop in egg
production is the first sign of trouble. Other signs include lethargy, inactivity, lameness,
coughing, dull appearance, and death. Some mortality is normal, but if several birds show
similar symptoms, seek professional help.

Age
Eventually, all hens cease egg production. Normally, chickens produce well until they are 2
to 3 years old, and then egg production declines. Molts become more frequent and
prolonged, and physical problems with the ovary or oviduct may occur. After all, when a
high-producing hen has laid for 3 years, she may have produced more than 30 times her
body weight in eggs.
In some instances, the oviduct becomes less able to expel eggs, and one or more become
trapped in the oviduct, a condition called egg bound. In other cases, hens ovulate egg
yolks that are not collected by the oviduct and hence remain in the body cavity. This is
normal for a low percentage of yolks, and the hen simply reabsorbs them. When this
mistake is an everyday occurrence, the hen is considered an internal layer.
Sometimes older hens attempt to pass an extremely large egg or a double-yolk egg. In this
case, the oviduct, which normally externalizes when eggs are laid, may not return to its
normal position inside the hens body. The oviduct remains external, a condition known as
prolapse, and becomes a very tempting article for other hens in the flock to pick. Remove
such a hen from the flock immediately.
In each of these cases, egg production ceases, and the health of the hen is in jeopardy. There
is little that can be done for these hens but to remove them from the flock.

Poor nutrition
Diet is very important to maintaining maximum egg production. Chickens require a
balanced diet, and any supplementation of scratch, table scraps, garden waste, etc. serves to
unbalance the diet.
For maximum egg production, feed a layer ration free choice, provide free-choice oyster
shell in a separate feeder, and supplement only what hens will clean up in 15 minutes or
none at all. NOTE: Do not feed starter or grower diets to layers. Nutrient levels of these
rations are different, which will reduce egg production, and medications in starter diets
may leave residues in eggs.

Stress
Egg production is a hens reproductive activity. It is not a requirement for hens to thrive.
When a hen experiences stress, even so minimal as to go unnoticed, she may respond by
ceasing egg production.
Moving, handling, overheating, fright, and lack of food or water are stresses that can be
detrimental to egg production. Protection from the elements and predators, clean and wellmaintained facilities, adequate ventilation in closed houses, constant availability of feed
and water, etc. will reduce stress and help maintain high egg production. Maintaining a
healthy, well-managed flock will result in high-producing hens and many high-quality eggs
for the family or for sale.