Top 5 Factors Your Hens Quit Laying, Defined by Gail Damerow
Top 5 Factors Your Hens Quit Laying, Defined by Gail Damerow
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In the event your hens have quickly stopped laying eggs, you are not by itself—and there’s usually an excellent cause driving it. As outlined by Gail Damerow, revered poultry skilled and creator of your Hen Health and fitness Handbook and Storey’s Guideline to Increasing Chickens, egg-laying is a fancy method influenced by several different environmental, Organic, and nutritional variables. Allow me to share the very best 5 good reasons your hens may possibly cease laying, as defined by Damerow, along with simple guidelines to aid your flock get again on target.
1. Molting Year
Molting is actually a natural course of action exactly where chickens lose previous feathers and mature new types. Damerow emphasizes that molting ordinarily happens every year, generally in late summertime or fall, and it calls for a tremendous volume of energy. For the duration of this time, hens frequently pause egg creation to preserve nutrients for feather regrowth.
What to do: Be patient and provide more protein (like mealworms or significant-protein feed) to help the molting approach. After your hens are completed molting, egg production should resume.
two. Diminished Daylight
Chickens are hugely responsive to light-weight. In accordance with Damerow, hens need at the very least fourteen to 16 several hours of daylight to maintain standard laying. As daylight hours shorten in drop and Wintertime, hens The natural way lessen or prevent laying altogether.
What to do: You may dietary supplement with synthetic lighting within the coop throughout the darker months. Use a reduced-watt bulb with a timer to simulate an extended working day, but steer clear of too much lights, which often can stress the birds.
3. Bad Nutrition
Diet plan is Probably the most ignored explanations for diminished egg creation. Damerow warns that even tiny imbalances in the hen’s diet regime—like much too minimal calcium, protein, or vital natural vitamins—can lead to a noticeable fall in Nhà Cái Fun88 laying.
What to do: Ensure your hens have usage of an entire layer feed, together with clean up drinking water, oyster shells for calcium, and occasional fresh greens or kitchen area scraps. Stay away from overfeeding treats or scratch grains, which dilute the nutritional value of their diet plan.
4. Stress and Environmental Changes
Tension provides a direct effect on a hen’s reproductive cycle. Damerow notes that unexpected improvements—such as a predator attack, new flock associates, coop relocation, or Extraordinary weather conditions—can cause hens to stop laying.
What to do: Lower disruptions and preserve a peaceful, consistent setting. Give new birds the perfect time to integrate bit by bit, and supply plenty of space, perches, and nest containers to lessen Level of competition and stress and anxiety.
5. Age and Health Issues
As hens age, their egg production naturally declines. Damerow clarifies that many hens achieve peak laying about eighteen to 24 months and slowly taper off over the years. Ailment, parasites, or underlying health problems may also interfere with laying.
What to do: Watch older hens for signs of illness, and think about typical overall health checks. Even though older hens may not lay as frequently, they even now add to flock dynamics and can Reside delighted, healthy lives.
Last Ideas
As Gail Damerow correctly advises, egg-laying will not be pretty much biology—it’s about balance. When your hens quit laying, it’s normally their strategy for telling you something’s off. With attention to lights, diet, and treatment, you may also help your flock thrive and maintain those egg baskets comprehensive.