Why is my hen not laying eggs?

This is a question as common as “is this a Hen or a Rooster?”.

This is going to be a long post so pack your sack lunch and get cozy on the couch!

* First and foremost you aren’t doing anything wrong if your hens aren’t laying, until... there is “something” wrong (I’ll get into what could be wrong during my closing ceremony).

* Now, I do hope potential Chicken Tenders and seasoned Hen House Handlers did pay attention in middle school when they taught us all about the birds and bees.

Listened intently to the fact that no male or female will mature at the EXACT same time.

* I could use humans as a comparison or as a metaphor in this discussion, but due to striving to be politically correct I will not.

* Every fish, invertebrates, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal will mature when they are physically mature.

* What does maturity mean?

Maturity does have numerous definitions, but in this “power point” I’m discussing sexual maturity.

There is not one human, scientist or theorist that could ever assure or predict when a certain species will become sexually mature.

And yet this is what is asked of and expected of a hen.... that she “should” become sexually mature at the exact time one would like to collect her eggs.

* Do your research and take note of the different breeds and purposes of chickens.

* Production breeds reach maturity quickly and therefore stop their production (laying eggs) quickly. Heritage breeds take much longer to reach maturity (to lay eggs), but are productive for much longer.

* Let’s forget about chicken breeds all together for just a moment.

Each chicken (Hen or Cock Bird) is a unique individual. Which means, you can not predict when each individual chicken will reach sexual maturity.

And for the love of all things left up to Mother Nature.... please take into consideration the numerous reasons why you may not have eggs, or fertilized eggs.

* So what could be wrong and why are your hens not laying?

Even when you know for certain they have reached sexual maturity e.g., you have gathered eggs or you have witnessed a cock bird mounting a hen.

*Light- It takes 14-16 hours of daylight to stimulate ovulation (aka egg, in case you missed the birds and bees class). It also takes 24-26 hours for an egg to fully be formed and ejected for your basket filling pleasures. The 24-26 hours for an egg to be formed does calculate to a hen in her most productive state, not laying an egg at least one or two days per week.

With this knowledge, we know that as the length of daylight lessens during fall and winter and gains during spring and summer. The shortest daylight day of the year falls on Winter Solstice. December 21 only has 10 hours of daylight. This means that a hen needs an additional 4-6 hours of daylight to ovulate and produce an egg.

The longest day of the year is Summer Solstice. June 21 gives us a blessed 16 hours of daylight.

Everything in between those two dates is diminishing or gaining. Even though I’m no good at math, it does help to calculate to understand what we lose and gain with the seasons.

You have two options when it comes to light.

Your first option is to add supplemental light to your coop. The light does not need to be a heat lamp, it only needs to be a light bulb bright enough that you could read a newspaper for the additional hours needed for ovulation.

Your second option is to allow your hens reproductive system to do what it was naturally designed to do and rest during this time.

*Temperature- This is a factor that can be mitigated through nutrition and husbandry.

Take note of extreme temperatures and NO, chickens do not need heat in the winter, but they could definitely use a fan in the summer.

As long as chickens are dry and are protected from blustery and wicked cold winds, they’ll be comfortable. However, during extreme cold a hen will spend her precious energy to stay warm.

However, during the dog days of summer a hen will use her resources to stay cool.

It would be at this time to make sure your chickens have a nice breeze and a shady spot to chill.

*Nutrition- To reiterate again, each chicken and breed is individual. To assume there is a “one size fits all” is actually pretty crazy.

Each and every human requires a different nutrient base to perform optimally.

However, you can cover your bases with simply feeding a bag of commercial feed and calling it good. But please note, different breeds, different climates, different practices of husbandry do require different nutrition.

For example- Molting chickens require a higher amount of protein added to their diet to aid in feather growth. Chickens going through a sub zero winter needs more fat in their diet to keep warm. Some chickens can lay soft shell eggs, which means the amount of calcium that they are consuming is not enough.

It is up to you as their care giver to assess what could be missing in their nutrition and adjust what you are feeding them accordingly.

*Parasites- These nasty nibblers can suck the life right out of a chicken. Mites and Poultry Lice make a chicken absolutely miserable. Make certain to closely check the vents of your chickens on a regular basis for any signs of parasites.

*Husbandry- This one may in fact be the most important! How is the harmony in your coop? Do you have chickens scuffling with each other? How is your hen to cock ratio? Do you have enough room for your chickens to move, scratch, peck, preen and thrive? Do you have an egg eater or a hen that is hiding eggs?

Pay attention to the harmony!

If your chickens are lethargic, ornery, combative, etc.... something is WRONG!

*At the end of the day there are a lot of variables that can lead to a chicken not being productive and laying eggs for you.

*If you have concluded that all is as it should be and your hen is living a beautiful and luxurious life and she still is not giving up the goods; you very well may have an “individual”that is not like the rest or she may have entered menopause (insert birds and bees knowledge here).

*I do wish for everyone to have full baskets and cartons 24/7 and 12 months a year, but that is simply wishful thinking.

~Cheers from me!

The crazy chicken lady that refuses to disclose her 3 digit number of chickens and is only (at best) getting 3 eggs per day 😭