Backyard chicken keeping is a rewarding hobby that provides fresh, nutritious eggs for your family. However, it can be frustrating when you aren’t receiving the eggs that you expect. Your hens may suddenly stop laying or slow down their egg laying. Many of our customers ask us, “How often do chickens lay eggs?” because of these reasons.
This post is based on one of our live, on-farm presentations which took place pre-COVID times on Sunday the 10th of June 2018 (here’s the Video). We continue to provide on-farm presentations on a range of topics relevant to keeping backyard chickens. This post will talk about the most common reasons why hens stop laying eggs and give you tips on how to get them back on track.
Before bringing home your backyard chickens, consider your goals. Do you want a steady supply of eggs all year or are you okay with a break during the holidays? This will help you decide what breed of hen to get because some are more likely to stop laying than others.
Chickens are incredible egg-laying machines. A healthy hen can produce an egg nearly every day. But sometimes chickens stop laying eggs for extended periods of time, leaving chicken owners perplexed.
So how long can chickens go without laying eggs? The answer depends on several factors
Typical Laying Habits
On average, chickens lay eggs daily or every other day. Most hens reach peak production at 1-2 years old, laying eggs regularly. As they age, egg production slowly declines.
The time of day, hormones, and genetics all affect how often a chicken lays eggs. Some breeds, like Leghorns, lay a lot of eggs, while others, like Orpingtons, do it less often.
Reasons Chickens Stop Laying
There are several reasons chickens stop laying eggs:
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Molting – Molting is the natural shedding and regrowing of feathers. This process diverts a chicken’s energy and resources away from egg laying. Molts typically last 2-4 months.
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Winter – Decreased daylight triggers a chicken’s reproductive system to rest in winter. Some chickens stop laying completely while others lay less.
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Broodiness – Broody hens have a strong maternal instinct to incubate eggs and raise chicks. Broodiness causes chickens to stop laying, often for several months.
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Age – Older chickens lay less as their reproductive systems decline with age.
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Stress—Chickens can stop laying eggs when their environment changes, they are attacked by predators, they are crowded, or they get new flock members.
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Health Issues – Sickness, parasites, poor nutrition, and other health problems lead to decreased egg laying.
How Long Do Chickens Go Without Laying?
Healthy chickens may stop laying for 2-6 months annually during normal situations like molting, winter, or broodiness. Here are some examples:
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Molting usually causes 2-4 months of decreased or no egg laying.
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Some hens stop laying completely in winter while others only lay fewer eggs.
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Broody hens often stop laying for at least 1-2 months. Some broody spells last up to 6 months.
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Chickens may take longer breaks from laying eggs as they get older. An old hen might lay eggs every day for a month or two and then stop for a few months.
Prolonged lapses in egg production over 6-8 weeks warrant a closer look to identify underlying issues.
What To Do If Your Chicken Stops Laying
If your hen stops laying eggs for an extended period of time, review these possible reasons:
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Look for dropped feathers and bare spots to see if the bird is molting. This is normal during molting seasons.
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Supplement light to maintain at least 14 hours per day. This mimics longer spring/summer days.
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Look for signs of broodiness like feather fluffing, growling, and sitting in one spot. Gently break the broody spell.
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Consider age-related decline for older hens. Accept that older girls lay less regularly.
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Rule out stressors like predators, overcrowding, or illness. Address sources of stress.
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Evaluate diet. Increase protein, calories, and calcium for optimal egg production.
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Monitor for illness and treat any health problems promptly. Common issues like parasites and respiratory diseases lead to decreased laying.
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Watch for signs of internal laying and egg binding. Swollen vent, weakness, and poor appetite indicate an egg stuck inside. This requires veterinary treatment.
Be patient for normal causes like molting and broodiness. For other issues, remedy the underlying problem to get your chickens laying again. Call a veterinarian if you suspect illness or internal laying. With good care, hens will return to laying within a few weeks or months.
Age of Hen
Hens older than 18 months of age tend to lay eggs less frequently and with lower quality. As hens age, their ability to produce calcium for egg shells doesn’t keep pace with the increase in egg size resulting in thinner more easily broken shells.
Every year or so, add young hens that are about 18 to 22 weeks old and ready to lay eggs to your flock. This will make sure that you always have a variety of egg sizes. There will be a new hierarchy to set up, but if everything goes smoothly, things should settle down in a week or two.
Give older hens extra calcium through peck blocks like our Harden-Up, vitamin D, or coarse shell grit in a separate feeder. By managing your flocks age and providing the necessary nutrients, you can maintain a more consistent flow of high-quality eggs from your chicken coop.
Understanding “How Often Do Chickens Lay Eggs?”
On average, a healthy, young hen will lay an egg every 24 to 36 hours during her prime laying years which is normally her first laying season. However, this frequency can vary depending on a number of different factors, including breed, age, season, diet, environment and overall health.
Chickens Not Laying Eggs For Months! The Causes
FAQ
Why hasn’t my chicken laid an egg in months?
Chickens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. Hens may lay fewer eggs due to light, stress, poor nutrition, molt or age. Some of these reasons are natural, and others can be fixed with easy changes. Then the birds will lay eggs normally again.
What is the 90/10 rule for chickens?
When it comes to chicken treats, these are common questions. Luckily, we have answers! Our best piece of advice is to follow the 90% rule for laying hens: give them 90% complete layer feed and 10% chicken treats to help them get a balanced diet.
How long is too long for a chicken to lay eggs?
Hens may live in backyard flocks for 6-8 years, and most flocks will produce eggs for 3-4 years.
How long can a hen hold an egg before laying?
An egg-bound chicken can usually last no longer than 24 hours without treatment. If a hen cannot pass the egg on her own within 24 hours she is in risk of going into shock.
How long can a chicken go without laying eggs?
That said, she may go longer without laying eggs because she is broody – up to 21 days, in most cases – or for other reasons. There’s no biological or medical need for a chicken to lay eggs, so she could theoretically go her entire life without laying eggs and suffer no health consequences at all.
Why does my chicken never lay a single egg?
There are some chickens who, despite being great egg layer breeds and having all the conditions perfectly aligned, will never lay a single egg. Often, this is due to a genetic defect. Occasionally, health problems like these can be worsened or brought on by issues like a poor diet.
Do chickens lay eggs?
There is no breed of chicken that never lays eggs, but keep in mind that roosters and young pullets (young hens) won’t. As long as a chicken is a sexually mature female, it should lay some eggs. That said, there are some breeds that lay very few eggs – just one or two a week, if that. How Do I Get My Chickens to Lay Eggs Again?.
When do hens stop laying eggs?
They might stop laying eggs entirely (or lay fewer eggs) when they get older or when the daylight patterns shift as a result of the hanging of the seasons. Most healthy hens will lay reliably within their first two to three years, producing an egg once every two to three days if they are sexually mature.
How often do hens lay eggs?
Under the right conditions, a chicken will lay an egg about once every 24 to 26 hours. It’s not perfect clockwork, and this variation is why you might have a different number of eggs in your nesting boxes when you go out to collect each morning. In addition to that, hens can sometimes take breaks.
Why do chickens stop laying eggs?
Chickens will stop laying eggs for many different reasons. Hens can lay fewer eggs due to stress, light conditions, bad nutrition, and many other factors. Although some of these are natural responses that can be hard to control, there are certain steps you can take to address or prevent them. 1. Daylight