Top 5 Reasons Your Hens Stop Laying, Explained by Gail Damerow
Top 5 Reasons Your Hens Stop Laying, Explained by Gail Damerow
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Should your hens have all of a sudden stopped laying eggs, you're not on your own—and there’s commonly a very good rationale at the rear of it. Based on Gail Damerow, respected poultry expert and writer in the Chicken Well being Handbook and Storey’s Manual to Raising Chickens, egg-laying is a posh approach influenced by a number of environmental, Organic, and nutritional components. Here i will discuss the highest five reasons your hens may perhaps halt laying, as discussed by Damerow, in addition to practical strategies that can help your flock get back heading in the right direction.
1. Molting Time
Molting can be a all-natural system the place chickens shed outdated feathers and grow new types. Damerow emphasizes that molting usually happens once a year, normally in late summer or drop, and it requires an incredible number of Vitality. All through this time, hens usually pause egg generation to preserve nutrients for feather regrowth.
What to do: Be patient and supply excess protein (including mealworms or significant-protein feed) to assistance the molting approach. At the time your hens are finished molting, egg manufacturing really should resume.
two. Decreased Daylight
Chickens are very aware of light-weight. According to Damerow, hens demand no less than fourteen to sixteen several hours of daylight to maintain frequent laying. As daylight several hours shorten in tumble and Wintertime, hens Normally minimize or cease laying entirely.
What to do: It is possible to health supplement with synthetic lighting while in the coop in the course of the darker months. Make use of a lower-watt bulb on the timer to simulate a longer day, but avoid excessive lights, that may strain the birds.
three. Very poor Nutrition
Diet plan is Just about the most ignored factors for decreased egg output. Damerow warns that even smaller imbalances in the hen’s diet program—like as well little calcium, protein, or vital nutritional vitamins—can result in a recognizable fall in laying.
What to do: Assure your hens have entry to an entire layer feed, in conjunction with clear h2o, oyster shells for calcium, and occasional contemporary greens or kitchen scraps. Stay clear of overfeeding treats or scratch grains, which dilute the nutritional worth in their diet program.
four. Anxiety and Environmental Changes
Pressure features a immediate impact on a hen’s reproductive cycle. Damerow notes that sudden variations—like a predator assault, new flock members, coop relocation, or Excessive temperature—can result in hens to halt laying.
What to Nhà Cái Fun88 do: Lessen disruptions and manage a calm, reliable atmosphere. Give new birds time and energy to combine gradually, and provide an abundance of space, perches, and nest containers to lessen competition and nervousness.
five. Age and Health concerns
As hens age, their egg output Normally declines. Damerow describes that a lot of hens arrive at peak laying about 18 to 24 months and progressively taper off through the years. Disease, parasites, or underlying health problems could also interfere with laying.
How to proceed: Keep an eye on more mature hens for signs of disease, and take into account standard wellbeing checks. When more mature hens might not lay as usually, they nevertheless lead to flock dynamics and can live happy, healthy life.
Closing Feelings
As Gail Damerow properly advises, egg-laying isn't just about biology—it’s about equilibrium. Whenever your hens end laying, it’s typically their method of telling you something’s off. With attention to lights, nutrition, and treatment, you may help your flock thrive and keep Those people egg baskets whole.