Why Did My Chickens Stop Laying Eggs? 8 Common Reasons
A sudden drop in eggs is almost always one of a handful of causes. Most are normal and fixable. Here are the eight to check, roughly in order of how often they are the culprit.
1. Short daylight hours
Hens lay in response to light. As days shorten in fall and winter, laying slows or stops. This is the most common reason for a seasonal drop. See keeping chickens laying in winter for how supplemental light helps.
2. Molting
Once a year, usually in fall, hens drop and regrow feathers. Making feathers takes protein and energy, so laying pauses for several weeks. A molting hen looks ragged and patchy. Higher-protein feed helps her through it.
3. Age
Hens lay best in their first two to three years, then production naturally declines. An older hen laying less is simply aging, not sick.
4. Broodiness
A broody hen wants to hatch eggs and stops laying while she sits. She will puff up and stay in the nest. Some breeds go broody often.
5. Stress
Predator scares, a move, new flock members, extreme heat, or loud disturbances can all halt laying for days. Calm, stable conditions bring it back.
6. Poor nutrition
Laying needs steady protein and calcium. Too many treats or scratch grains dilute the diet. Keep treats under about 10 percent and feed a complete layer ration. If cost is a worry, the feed calculator shows what a proper ration runs.
7. Illness or parasites
Mites, lice, worms, or disease drain a hen and stop laying. Check under wings and around the vent for parasites, and look for other symptoms like lethargy or pale combs.
8. Hidden nests
Sometimes the hens never stopped, they just moved. Free-ranging hens often start laying in a hidden spot. Do a hunt around the yard before assuming production dropped.
Getting back on track
Fix the cause and most hens resume within days to a few weeks. To sanity-check what your flock should be producing once healthy, use the egg laying calculator for a breed-and-season estimate. Laying declines with age and short days are documented by University of Minnesota Extension and Mississippi State Extension.