It can be very frustrating when your hens aren’t laying, so here are a couple of reasons why they might have stopped.
-1 It is winter
This is one of the main reasons why your hens aren’t laying. They naturally will take winter off because there is less daylight. To read more about why I don’t make my hens lay through the winter click here.
-2 They are molting
If your hens are molting it takes a lot of protein to make the new feathers. So they might stop laying for a couple of weeks. You can try adding extra protein to their food to help speed up the process.
-3 They are getting old
Chickens will naturally start laying less eggs the older that they get. If your flock is getting older it might be time to buy some more chicks!
-4 Not enough nutrition
If your flock is lacking in protein or calcium they might stop laying or won’t lay as frequently. It is super important that you provide your flock a source of calcium such as eggshells or oyster shells.
-5 The temperature
If it is extremely hot or cold your hens might take a short break from laying. This happens because your hens are trying to keep themselves either cool or warm which is using a lot of their energy.
-6 A hen is broody
If one of hens went broody she will stop laying eggs once she builds her nest. Which if you aren’t wanting her to hatch any eggs you will need to break her so that she will start laying again. If you want to learn how to break a broody hen read here.
They are hiding their eggs
If you suddenly realize that you aren’t getting the right amount of eggs and nothing else seems wrong it might be because they are laying somewhere else. That means it is time to go searching around especially in bushy areas.
The 1912 Homestead 