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How Do I Make My Chicken Lay An Egg?

chicken laying egg

Most backyard chicken owners will agree that the single best part of keeping chickens is walking down to the coop each morning to collect eggs. How do you get chickens to lay eggs?

I normally have anywhere from 8-10 fresh warm eggs waiting for me every morning, and the family loves eating them for breakfast!

But what do you do if your chickens aren’t laying eggs? How can you get your chickens to lay eggs?

Unfortunately, there is no way to ‘force’ your chickens to lay eggs. However, there are lots of things you can do to encourage and get chickens to lay eggs.

Whether your chickens haven’t even started laying yet, or have gone off the lay, follow the steps below to get them laying eggs sooner rather than later!

Chicken Lay An Egg

The Importance of Nutrition is Key To Get Chickens to Lay Eggs

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If your chicken’s dietary requirements aren’t being met, then they won’t be laying any eggs for you.

Your chicken needs around 20 grams of protein to lay an egg. In addition to protein, chickens need calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, fat, and water.

Chicken Eating out of Feeder

In fact, water is the single most important nutrition they require, and even a few hours without water can cause them to stop laying eggs for weeks. On average, chickens will drink around three times as much water by weight as they will eat.

If anyone of these nutritional requirements isn’t being met, then chances are your chickens won’t be laying any eggs.

Whilst it can appear overwhelming and daunting, providing your chickens with the correct nutrition is relatively straightforward.

All you need to do is feed your chickens an approved commercial feed.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, your chickens are of ‘egg-laying age, so you should be feeding them layers pellets.

Layer pellets are specifically formulated to provide your chickens with the correct amount of protein and calcium so that they will lay lots of eggs with thick, strong shells.

Feeding Chickens Commercial Grain
Feeding Chickens Grain

Note: If your chickens haven’t started laying yet, you should be feeding them either grower or developer feed. Start feeding them layers’ pellets at 20 weeks old or when they lay their first egg if this occurs before 20 weeks.

Backyard chicken’s that most commonly don’t get the required nutrition aren’t fed commercial feed.

Whilst some people think feeding chickens commercial feed takes the fun out of it, I prefer to feed them commercial feed to make sure they get their key nutrition, and then I feed them scraps and snacks for a bit of variety.

Have you seen my chickens’ top 9 favorite snacks?

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Unfortunately, if your chickens aren’t the right age, you can feed them as much protein as you like, but they still aren’t going to lay any eggs for you.

Either your chickens are too old or too young; they won’t be laying any eggs for you in both cases.

Young hens or ‘pullets’ typically start laying eggs at 18-20 weeks old, and their first season of laying will be their best. Trying to encourage a pullet to lay before they are 18 weeks old is futile because their bodies haven’t developed enough to lay eggs yet.

Once a hen gets to around 4 years old, the amount of eggs that it lay starts to slow down considerably, and you will find they don’t lay that many eggs anymore.

Chickens Egg Laying Reducing Over Time
Chickens Egg Laying Reducing Over Time

If your hens aren’t between that magic time frame of 20 weeks to 3 years old, then, unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do except let nature take its course and provide them with love and affection!

Chicken Lay An Egg

Issues with Nesting Boxes Does Not Help Chickens to Lay Eggs Easily

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So you have checked your nesting boxes, and there are no eggs inside, so you assume that your hens haven’t laid any eggs.

This assumption is correct most of the time; however, sometimes, you might have an issue with your nesting boxes, and your hens are lying elsewhere (either in the coop or outside in the run).

The main issue you will run into is simply not having enough nesting boxes for your chickens.

To make sure your nesting boxes are adequate, here is a quick checklist:

  • One nesting box for every four chickens.
  • Nesting boxes need to be at least 18 inches above the floor.
  • They should also be at least 12 inches wide to provide your hens with enough room to lay down in there.

Another common issue with nesting boxes is parasites.

If you don’t replace the bedding inside the nesting boxes often enough, you will attract parasites.

These parasites will bite and nip your chickens while laying their eggs, and it can be extremely unpleasant for your hens. If this is happening, your chickens will normally find somewhere else to lay their eggs instead.

I change the straw in my nesting boxes once a week during the summer and often twice a week during the winter when the straw gets wet and mucky.

To Get Chickens To Lay Eggs, Ask The Question: Are They Getting Enough Daylight?

Making sure your chickens are getting enough daylight is crucial if you want them to lay eggs.

To lay eggs, your chickens need plenty of natural daylight- at least 14 hours a day and 16 hours are even better. This is why battery hens are exposed to more than 17 hours of artificial light every day.

However, I would never use artificial lighting to force my girls to lay eggs.

As a result of this daylight paradigm, it means that your chickens will naturally lay fewer eggs during the winter.

When Do Chickens Lay Eggs Best?

Chickens lay more eggs in the spring and summer because their offspring will have a greater chance of survival.

As chicks would struggle to survive during the cold winter weather, hens naturally tend to lay fewer eggs during the winter.

I tend to store lots of my eggs during the summer when they are laying well, so I have a supply to last through the winter.

However, if you can’t or didn’t do this and still want your hens to lay eggs, your only choice is to fit an artificial light in their coop to give them enough daylight.

You Can Not Get Chickens to Lay Eggs When They Are Molting

If your chicken is molting, they definitely won’t be laying eggs.

A molt is when a chicken loses their feathers and grows back new feathers for those who don’t know. They will lose feathers around their neck and back first; this will then spread to their tail feathers and breast bone.

A chicken will normally molt towards the end of the season, in the fall.

It is also normally linked to daylight hours, so you can expect your chickens to start molting when the amount of daylight starts to reduce in the fall.

On average, a molt will last around 8 weeks. If you have a young, healthy chicken, this molt will be shorter- around 6 weeks.

Whereas if you have an older chicken, the molt can last up to 12 weeks.

The reason chickens don’t lay during a molt is that they don’t have enough protein.

A chicken requires around 20 grams of protein to lay an egg. However, a chicken also needs a lot of protein to grow feathers; feathers are approximately 80% protein.

So your chicken only has enough protein to either lay eggs or molt. It doesn’t have enough protein to do them both at once.

Chicken Lay An Egg

High-Stress Levels Will Affect Chickens Laying Eggs

Any chicken which has high-stress levels will not lay eggs. Four key things can significantly raise chickens’ stress levels: predators, molting, a change in flock dynamics, and, finally, being crowded.

Predators

Many things can raise a chicken’s stress level, but the worst is predators attacking your chickens.

If you followed our advice on how to stop predators from attacking your chickens, your chickens would be safe, but just the experience of an attempted attack is more than enough to stop your chickens from laying eggs.

Fox Stalking Chickens
Fox Stalking Chickens

After an attack, your chickens should start laying again within several days.

Molting

High-stress levels can also cause your chickens to molt. And as we discussed above, whilst a chicken is molting, it will not lay eggs. This is because they need the protein in their body to grow feathers instead of making eggs.

As soon as your chicken has finished their molt, they will start laying eggs again.

New Flock Dynamics

Adding or removing birds from your flock will alter the flock dynamics and cause the chickens a great deal of stress and anxiety for several weeks.

Even if you introduce new chickens to your existing flock properly, chances are your girls will still be disrupted by the new chickens and will go off lay for a few days.

Once you have introduced the new chickens, your girls should be lying again after a few days.

Size of Coop

If you have a coop that is too small for your chickens, this can disrupt their egg-laying.

It isn’t so much the crowdedness that causes the chicken stress, but the crowdedness increases unwanted behavior such as foot pecking and bullying.

All of these behaviors, in turn, raise the chicken’s stress levels which then stops them from laying eggs.

Are your chickens eating their eggs?

If your chickens used to lay a ton of eggs, and suddenly, the nesting boxes are empty, they may have begun eating their own eggs.

Rule out other reasons first, but if you are wracking your brains for a reason behind the eggs disappearing, it may be because they are eating them before you can retrieve them.

Suppose that’s the case, up to their calcium intake to prevent shell breakage, and get yourself a dummy egg for the nesting boxes.

These are usually ceramic or porcelain, and once pecked a few times, hens become frustrated and stop trying altogether.

Hens usually start eating their eggs if they’ve accidentally cracked one. Curiosity gets the best of them, and they test out the taste of their own eggs.

Usually, they come back for more next time they lay…which may be why your eggs have disappeared suddenly.

These dummy eggs can also help encourage hens to start laying eggs if they haven’t yet. Enlisting a fake egg can spark a hen’s instinct to lay eggs.

Plus, placing the egg, you want your hens to lay can help them learn the ins and outs of a good nesting box.

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Conclusion

So there you have it: unfortunately, you can’t force your chickens to lay eggs.

However, if you follow the steps in this article, you can create an environment where your chickens will be very likely to lay lots of eggs for you!

The key takeaway is that when chickens stop laying eggs, this is their way of telling you something isn’t quite right.

It could be their diet, an infection, parasites, or not having enough daylight. It’s your job as a backyard chicken keeper to investigate and make them happy again!

Let us know below what you do when your chickens stop laying eggs…

READ NEXT: 10 Breeds of Chicken That Will Lay Lots of Eggs for You

Chicken Lay An Egg

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84 thoughts on “How Do I Make My Chicken Lay An Egg?

  1. False: Nests need to be 18″ off floor. Nests do NOT need to be any measure above the floor of coop. I’ve built 2 coops with nests designed on floor, beneath poop board and roosts with no problem to laying eggs.

    1. Hi Ricky,
      Whilst hens will still lay eggs on the floor, an elevated nesting area will almost always improve their rate of laying 🙂
      Claire

      1. Very new to chicken keeping here! My coop/run configuration still evolving. I recently had nest boxes hung 24” above the floor for my girls They love them! An unexpected bonus was the creation of storage space underneath the boxes

        1. I have a hen that for some reason will not lay. She is old enough by far and I have tried everything I can think of. I have 49 hens and 3 roosters all Buff’s and just picked up 12 turkeys along with 3 cows and 3 pigs things are starting to that form just nicely

      2. I have 8 ladies laying eggs which are about 7 months old. All of a sudden one started laying soft eggs and I hand fed her some scratch grains with an abundance of oyster shell and she started right back up with three good eggs. But now she hasn’t laid anything in 8 days. She is a happy AndHealthy girl with little stress So what else should I try before giving up on her laying more eggs. She still goes and sits on the nest for an hour or so every day which gives me some hope.

    2. Good to know. Thank you Ricky. I got my coop just finished and then read this article and had a brief panic attack. So thank you. I will be leaving it as floor design as well.

  2. Hi I have 2 Rhode Island Reds who are just about 16 months old. My hens didn’t lay anything for a while and I stopped giving them mixed corn and then got some eggs but only one was laying. The other one broke the eggs and laid nothing. Since then the layer has laid approx 3 eggs a week and the other nothing. Recently I give them some mixed corn just as a treat on a couple of occasions and now I have no eggs at all for over a week. They free range out of their coop for over 12 hours a day, have lovely grass area in a portion of a field and have fresh water and clean house. I can’t work it out. They have layers pellets, access to grit (which they don’t seem to like) and dandelions etc. I don’t give them any treats now. What might be wrong?
    Thanks

    1. Hi Fiona,
      What is their water supply like- fresh clean water is a must!
      Also, as they free range all day is there a chance they could be laying eggs elsewhere and not in the nesting box?
      Claire

  3. What kind of light can I use to give artificial light to my girls? They are Rhode island reds and are 18 weeks old and I haven’t seen any eggs yet. I am feeding patina eggs layer feed and change water every day and they are out of the coup from sun up to sun down.?

  4. I have a coop, and the nesting area is elevated with a ramp. But as far as I know, they refuse to go up. I’ve placed feed there in the attempt to tempt them up the ramp, but it has not worked.
    Now I believe that the ramp is too steep for them, could that be the reason, or should they still be able to some what “flap” their way up?
    Another quick question. Lately, my chickens have been “whining”. And I am concerned. Do you have any idea what the problem could be?
    I’m a beginner…and I’m hoping you could help me.

    1. Hi James,
      It’s unlikely that the ramp is too steep- the general rule of 30-40 degrees. Also, you will find they can and will just hop straight up into the coop and skip the ramp all together…
      Claire

    2. Not sure if the problem is petsisting. I had the same issue with my new hens for a couple weeks. The problem went away when I did two things. Not sure which was the solution. Firstly I put some extra thin strips of wood across the ramp giving them more grip. (So it ended up being a 5mm high and 1 cm strip of wood across the ramp spaced at about 6 cm spacing. The chickens started going up the ramp almost immediately but then stopped and refused to go in trough the entrance to the coop. So I widened the opening to 30cm x 30cm. Even my two silkie hens which were bought from a breeder, where they had never had a ramp in their coop, quickly started going up and downthe ramp. The silkies even sat side by side blocking the entrance until the much larger hens reckoned enough was enough and pushed past or over them. Now the two large hens (Langshans) jump from ground to top of the ramp andvife versa while the silkies still walk up and down.

    3. We found that we had to “train” them to learn to use the coop. We locked them in the coop for a week and they now know that as home.When they’re done for the day, they go up.
      We did do this early on, when they were pretty young.

  5. Hi, I have 5 hens. All are 17 months old and all lay almost daily except the Black Cuckoo Marans, who has never laid an egg. (I have a mixed flock.) She is second in the pecking order, so is not stressed. She broods in one of the 4 elevated nesting boxes. I have 3 water troughs that are changed daily. I feed a commercial laying feed and supplement with oyster shell, baked, crushed egg shells and meal worms. The hens free-range 3-5 hours a day and I can see all areas where a hen might try to lay an egg, but they all return to the coop to do that. The coop/run is large. They do not have mites and I use an organic spray (vinegar and orange oil) weekly when I totally clean out the coop and run. I sprinkle DE around on every surface.
    She does squat down when I go to pick her up and she has a bright red crest and wattles. No parasites. She is not thin. Any ideas? I hate to think she is the 1 in 10,000 hens that is sterile!

    1. Hi Pamela,
      If she is the only hen not laying and she has never laid an egg it sounds to me like unfortunately she just isn’t going to ‘bloom’.
      It’s rare but occasionally it does happen 🙁
      Claire

        1. I don’t have any stats on this, but in my experience I’ve only come across a handful in my lifetime 🙂
          Claire

    2. I have a silver pencil laced rock that I have the same problem with so apparently we are the unlucky ones!

      1. I have a French Rousse hen, bought as a point of lay in July and she has never laid an egg. She lives with a young Vorwerk cockerel and hen, but did get stressed 4 months ago by a fox which took my other 3 Rousse hens in early August, but she survived intact. I am just crossing my fingers that when the Vorwerk hen starts laying she might want to join in 🙂

  6. Another issue. I have a hen that died unexpectedly. She had no signs of distress and was clean and free of lice/mites. I checked her vent which looked normal and clean. Her comb was healthy looking. She had been very healthy and laying good eggs until yesterday when I noticed that she was acting very sluggish. She refused to eat and I tried to hydrate her with a syringe. I also placed her in a shallow pool to try to get her to drink. She took a couple of drinks in there. After holding her and trying to help her, I placed her in the nesting box (where she wanted to be) for the night. She was dead in the morning. I’m thinking that she went brody a couple of days ago because she started laying in the nesting boxes all the time. I heard that it is possible that she could have dehydrated herself by staying in the nesting boxes and then just became too weak. I feel a huge sense of guilt because I just did not know that she was becoming dehydrated or weak. Have you heard of this happening before? Any other suggestions as to what may have caused her death/symptoms.

    1. Hi Ann,
      I’m sorry to hear about your loss.
      I have heard about this before and know that some chickens have died due to starvation/dehydration because they don’t want to leave their eggs…
      With that being said it’s hard to say for sure why she died without seeing her.
      Please don’t feel guilty- it sounds like you did all you could by helping her out of the coop and trying to get her to eat and drink. She could have been suffering with a hidden illness before she went broody.
      Claire

    2. I recently was givin 3 hens and 3 roosters, I have a big coop- an old pop up camper that was converted into a coop.. 4 nesting areas about 24” off the floor and nest are about 15”x15” in one of the pop out areas which is all wood now. a 12’ x12’ fence up around the pen.. I feed and water 2 times a day fresh water, and crumbling feed, (the guy I got them from said they won’t eat pellets) they are banche? And other bigger breads as well all cross breeds though. I’ve had them a week and a half now and have got 5 eggs, and it’s always 1 small white and 1 brown, which I was told they could take weeks to start laying again, happy it’s not long. I was thinking about free range after 2 weeks but my gf has 3 cockapoos that like to try to get to the chickens.. chicken don’t seem to mind since the guy I got them from had big dogs.. so should I try to introduce the dogs 1 by one into the 12 x 12 area holding them or what?? And maybe start trying the pellet feed as well?? The guy I got the chickens from had a crowded coup and just wanted to thin his out and was getting 15 eggs a week..? To new and really want to make a go at this. I love eggs and raising these chicken and hope for more in the future.. any and all help appreciated.. I read all kinds of stuff on line but need real advice!! Lawrence

  7. I have 6 hens . By calculations they should have started laying , but not have. Because of our location, they are kept in a structured coop. Should I let them run free, just scared they will be taken off by predators…

    1. Hi Tina,
      Your hens don’t have to free range to lay eggs. Just make sure they are fed high protein layers pellets and have some space outside to roam around in 🙂
      Claire

  8. I have 3 American gamefowl hens. They’re all 25 weeks old. They’re free range and eat corn and rice. They haven’t started laying eggs and they have mated before.

    1. Hi Jane,
      I would swap their corn out for layers pellets.
      They need protein in their feed in order to lay eggs.
      Claire

  9. I have 14 3 year old chickens . They are fed layer pellets and free range with plenty of fresh water . Every summer their egg production slows down . I am only getting 3-5 eggs a day sometimes less why does their production lessen in the summer ?

    1. Hi Jean,
      It’s likely the very hot weather is slowing them down. Perfectly normal during heat waves and I have the same problem which my hens!
      Claire

  10. Hello this is my first time having chickens and I keep getting different info on when they should lay, I have a mixed crew that consists of black and golden sexlinks, brown and white Leghorns, and some red rangers. They we 10 days old when I got them the first week of may. I also just put them on layer pellets and always clean and refill the water. Any help would be great.

    1. Hi Josie,
      Thank you for getting in touch.
      Hens start to lay eggs at around 18-20 weeks old. However, there are always exceptions to this rule and some can be earlier or later than this…
      Claire

  11. Ok, am going through the steps to try to get my chickens laying again. I changed their feed to see if that works. Don’t think they liked Purina. How long after I change.feed should I wait until I change again. I cannot find any other reason for them to stop laying. Other than they used to have a rooster and now do not. Could that do it?

    1. Hi Linda,
      A rooster will not stop the hens laying so I wouldn’t worry about that.
      I would give them a couple of weeks to settle down with their new feed.

  12. We have 5 Road Island Reds. But only 4 of the 5 are laying regularly. One, “Elby”, quit laying at the end of June. Not sure why or what to do to get her back on track.
    Also, with winter coming, we realize the lighting situation, but what about the temperature? what is too cold for them? Or what should their coup temperature be regulated at?

  13. Hi!
    My chickens are almost 26 wks old and I still see no eggs. Why? We have everything you stated in the article.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Ava,
      Some breeds don’t start laying as early, so they might need a few more weeks!
      Claire
      P.s- have you checked that they aren’t laying in a ‘secret’ nest 🙂

  14. My chickens have not been laying eggs for two to three years. We noticed that after our first chicken died, the egg production drastically decreased. They are very happy chickens, with a sunny coop, fresh food and water, food scraps ( we make sure we are careful with what we give them) and are free range. What may the problem be?

    1. Hi Francesca,
      It sounds to me like your hens are getting pretty old- most of my older girls have stopped laying now as well.
      This is just nature’s way, when they get old their body stops producing eggs and there isn’t anything you can do to stop this unfortunately.
      Claire

  15. Hi there
    We have 4 chickens. 2 austalorps and 2 isa browns. They are about 24 weeks old and one has been laying for 10 days now, the others however haven’t started yet.
    We got them all together. I have noticed the 3 that arent laying seem to be dropping feathers alot. Could this be the reason? Even though they’re only 24 weeks?

    1. Hi Beth,
      If its only the occasional feather I wouldn’t worry. I’d expect they all start to lay in the next week or so 🙂
      Claire

  16. we have 13 free range chickens, and only 3 have been laying eggs for the past 2 months. It was suggested that we pen them in, which we have for the past 3 weeks, still only 3 eggs.
    We have 4 nesting boxes, plenty of laying mash with cracked corn, fresh water is pumped into their troth daily, and a large area within their penned area. Is it possible that we need to be feeding them laying pellets instead of laying mash? Your help is greatly appreciated.

    1. Hi Gillian,
      Try increasing the amount of bedding in the nest box- that should do the trick 🙂
      Claire

  17. My lovely 4 hens have stopped laying since the earthquake in Italy struck.. I live about 2 hours from the epicentre… we really felt the effects on the day.. they weren’t great layers before the earthquake on August 24th, but now nothing… they are fed commercial feed, have enough space in their coop, have fresh water daily, etc etc… 1 hen is a 18 months old and the rest are about 6 months old, and replaced three who were carried off by eagles in March. These three laid 3-4 eggs daily.. I was overrun with eggs… so first a feast and now a famine.. they free range for 12 hours a day… any suggestions?

    1. Hi Maria,
      I’m so sorry to hear about the earthquake and the effect it’s had on you.
      Unfortunately I don’t have any suggestions, after a traumatic event there is no telling when hens will start to lay again.
      Continue to feed them with high protein feed, keep them free from illness and make sure they have access to fresh water- this is all you can do.
      Claire

  18. Hi Claire,
    My parents recently gave me two of their laying hens – I’m not sure what kind they are. They have been at my house for a week now and have quit laying eggs. They were laying before.
    I know I might be being a bit premature. However, I wanted to ask – the coop at my parents was extremely large, the coop at my house is much smaller but still an adequate size for the two of them. Would adjusting to a new coop size effect the laying?
    Thanks in advance,
    Madison

    1. Hi Madison,
      It’s probably more the change in environment rather than the coop. Give them a few weeks to settle in and they should be laying again.
      Claire

  19. Kudos! My 168 hens are now 8 months old and not any sign. Kinda funny, but now from your advice let me try feeds high in protein. Thanks.

  20. I just picked up 11 rhode island reds. Sunday. Monday had 1 egg Tuesday n Wednesday 2 eggs. I know it’s going to take a while for all of them to lay. I know the need to get used to the coop so they know it their new home. How long should I keep them cooped up before the go out to the pin. Also coop has no windows( should I put Windows in)

    1. Hi Jeff,
      I normally keep them in the coop for 24 hours until I let them out into the pen 🙂
      Yes, if possible add a window but make sure it’s predator proof!
      Best of luck,
      Claire

  21. I have 5 Leg horn hens that are 2 years old. None of the 5 have ever laid an egg. At this point I have tried higher protein food, they have plenty of water, should I just give up and face they probably will never lay?

    1. Hi Kevin,
      Some hens are later bloomers but 2 years!? Some hens never lay an egg but to have 5 at once that have never laid is unheard of…
      The important thing is not just high protein but that also their other dietary needs are being met. This is why a complete layers pellet is the best way to go.
      I would go this route and see how you get on,
      Claire

  22. My silkies are almost a year old and haven’t started laying yet I’m feeding them scratch feed

  23. I have a hen that keeps missing the nesting box. She has been laying for about two weeks, but over the last week, she has missed the nesting box three or 4 times. Meaning that when she lays it it falls to the ground and breaks. I have 4 chickens, three are laying currently and one box. Any suggestions?

  24. I have just started keeping chickens. I purchased 2 Pekin bantams and 2 brown lowmans 2 weeks ago from a well known chicken farm. I Feed them layers pellets, grit, plenty of fresh water and clean bedding. The bantams are laying but the lowmans aren’t. What am I doing wrong?

    1. Hi Emma,
      It might not be anything you’re doing wrong. Sometimes hens take a few weeks to adjust before they start laying again.
      How old are they?
      Claire

  25. I have around 30 hens and none of them are laying. Some are 3 years old and some are 1 year old. I clean their water every day feed them cracked corn, and laying pellets, and occasionally grit with some scraps. Last month we had a bear and bobcat problem but shouldn’t they be laying again? What am I doing wrong with them?

  26. I have a Lace Winged Wyandotte, not sure of her age, she was a gift. She produced well, stopped for 4 months while she molted and started laying 2 weeks ago, this past week end we had extremely cold temperatures and she has not layed an egg since the day before the cold snap(6 days ago). She acts perfectly normal in all ways. Could the extreme cold cause her to slow down or stop laying?

  27. Hi i live the info you provide very helpful. I have 6 hens and a rooster. Started with just the couple and she was doing very well laying a jumbo egg everyday. We intriduced 5 young hens and all seemed good, all of a sudden my original hen has turned just plain ole mean with all the new ones, she will not let them in the nesting boxes (she sits in all of the boxes btw) and so two days of no chickens laying…. they eat well, have a run and lots of water but they all seem angry….the rooster has started molting could this be the cause?

  28. we have 3 hens that were originally broilers but we decided to make them layers at around 20 something weeks. they`ve been on layers mash for a month now and there`s still nothing. they are free-range and we give them treats at times. will they ever lay eggs?

  29. Hey my hens are 2yr old and we had 4 to an 10 x 20 coop with an 5×8 laying hut but since one of my hens died by an cat they have not been laying it has been 2 months since the last egg and I’m getting worried about their health thr feed i use gives all the article says they need but nothing and I calt the cat that killed the hen and got ride of it via the animal control so what could I be missing

  30. Hi just wondering almost all of these issues (flock dynamic, space, nutrition etc) are all thing I would imagine battery hens would struggle with, so how is it that they continue to lay? Thanks

    1. Many factors, including automated lighting, feed calculated to perfection for egg production, and egg laying breeds specific for mass production. But I would not assume that they all lay 🙂
      Claire

  31. I have three chickens 26 weeks old and no eggs. i have done all you suggested and they are relaxed in the coop. They occasionally free range in the back yard. When should i expect them to begin laying? I gave them a healthy meal of protein laced dog biscuits with beef stock and still no eggs?
    Am I to impatient? How can I tell if they are eating the eggs? I check daily and find no moist spots in the coop.

  32. Hi I’m very Worried about my chickens as they are only laying 1-2 eggs a day (I have 6) Before this all of them were laying one per day, I am in need of desperate advice and help.
    all thanks Harry

  33. I discovered that my hens love meat. So for protein I give them a small can of cat food (for 7 hens) and it’s gone in minutes.
    Especially when they are growing new feathers when moulting in the fall. Is cat food OK? I They like all flavors but salmon seems to be the favorite.
    Leftover bones are another favorite. And every afternoon I give them watermelon for a treat. As I’m California we get watermelons all year long. I have very happy chickens and plenty of eggs.

  34. I have a lovely Wyandotte mixed with something (she looks a bit like a Dorking) who is nearly 8 months old. She has yet to lay an egg (she may have laid one about a month ago but I can’t be sure it was hers). She sits in the nesting area and makes a lovely nest but there’s never an egg. Her 2 friends regularly lay in the nesting area but never beautiful Betty. Any advice? Thanks.

  35. My hens are old enough to lay got 7 hens in which just one day they all payed eggs and now no more eggs. They have 20 percent protein water everyday and plenty of snacks but still no eggs has this happened before ?

  36. My chickens are 20 weeks old. Not yet laying.
    My question is,
    We are going into winter, in Texas, if they haven’t started laying and the days are getting shorter, is it possible they won’t lay until spring?
    Or should I expect eggs any day now.

  37. I have 4- 6 month old Jungle fowl that have yet to lay an egg. They were stressed in a coop with a lot of other hens, then in small coop but now have a very large coop. I know they would rather free range but it’s not possible where I live. They have been in the big coop for 3 weeks, do they just need more time? They have 6 nesting boxes, high perches, huge yard.

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