Under ideal conditions, chickens will lay an egg once every 24 to 26 hours. Hens might take a short vacation from laying eggs and the reasons range from life stage to when the sun rises and sets.
Some of these reasons are natural while others can be fixed with
simple changes. It’s up to us as flock raisers to solve the mystery of why farm
fresh eggs might be missing from the nesting box.
First, confirm your hen isn’t hiding her eggs and creating a nest
outside the coop. Then, before you go looking for an egg thief, here are five
factors to consider that can affect egg production:
1. Daylight
The first and most common cause of decreased egg production is light
hours. Hens need a minimum of 16 hours of daylight to sustain strong
production. Without supplemental light, they may naturally stop laying eggs due
to a hormonal response as the days get shorter.
Hens lay best when provided at least 16 hours of day light, whether
natural, artificial or a combination of the two. Some flock raisers use winter
as a period of rest for their hens without supplemental light.
If you’re looking for consistent egg production through the winter
months, provide additional light to encourage your birds to keep laying.
We recommend using one incandescent 25-watt or LED 3-to9-watt bulb
per 100 square feet of coop space. If supplementing with artificial daylight,
keep your flock’s exposure and sleeping schedule consistent by putting lights
on timers.
2. Coop environment
If birds are stressed, egg production may suffer. Stress comes in
many forms – predators, over-crowding, aggressive hens, loud noises, too much
heat or cold, poor nutrition and illness. Check the environment to be sure
there aren’t stressors in the area.
Use these tips for keeping the chicken coop stress-free:
- Predator proof your coop with galvanized wire and add metal screens on doors and windows.
- Provide at least 4 square feet of indoor space and 5 to 10 square feet of outdoor space per bird.
- Offer one nesting box per four hens with clean, dry bedding.
Keep temperatures comfortable in the coop, but not drastically
different than outdoors. Chickens, especially cold-tolerant breeds, can
withstand winter temperatures without supplemental heat.
If you feel providing a source of heat is necessary, only raise the
temperature a few degrees. Hens will adjust to the cold temperature, but if it
is 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the coop and zero degrees in the run, they won’t be
able to regulate their body temperature.
3. Chicken nutrition
Another reason for decreased egg production is over-treating and
over-supplementing hens. Added treats and scraps can dilute the nutrients in a
complete layer feed so the hen is less able to produce eggs consistently.
Laying hens need 38 nutrients for consistent health and performance.
Calcium is the most critical for laying hens; she must consume four grams of
calcium each day. Complete layer feeds are formulated to provide everything
hens need in the correct amounts, but if we provide too many treats, then those
nutrients become diluted.
A general rule to follow is the 90/10 rule. This means the hen’s diet
should be made of at least 90% complete feed. Molt around 18 months of age and
annually after, chickens go through molt, which is defined as a period of
feather loss and regrowth. Molt usually occurs in autumn and is associated with
a decrease in egg production.
4. Molting
Chickens redirect their energy from laying eggs to growing feathers.
This results in a brief break from egg production. Molt typically lasts 8 to 16
weeks, depending on the bird. Once she has a new set of feathers, egg
production should return to normal.
To help hens through molt and return to laying eggs, switch to a
high protein feed during molt. Once egg laying resumes, transition back to a
layer feed higher in calcium, or organic layer pellets or crumbles.
5. Hen age
Chickens begin laying eggs between 18 to 20 weeks of age and can lay
eggs as long as her productive lifetime allows.
People often ask us, ‘How long do chickens live?’ This is a great
connection to egg production. While the average lifespan of a chicken is 8 to 10
years, we’ve also seen well cared-for hens live beyond that. Just like people,
as birds age they tend to slow down.
Over the course of a hen’s lifetime, egg production will peak at
about 250 to 280 eggs during their first year laying eggs. After that, the
number of eggs produced each year declines until she retires.
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