Seven (7) reasons why your hens are not laying eggs properly:
You might have observed one of the following scenario in your hens.
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- Hen refused to lay after 16 to 25 weeks or more.
- Sudden drop in egg production.
- Laying too small eggs, low quality eggs.
If you have observed such in your hens, here are the 7 possible reasons your chickens are not laying or stop Laying.
1. Low quality Feed:
The importance of quality feed, rich in essential feed ingredients in the right proportion can't be considered.
Poor quality feed will give you poor egg production. In some cases your hens might not lay at all.
Just make sure you get your feed from a reputable feed mill, or better still formulate your own feed.
Chicken feed is where your major expenses goes to, so you don't have to joke with it.
Negligence of quality feed can be very disastrous especially if you are into commercial egg production.
2. Molting Hen don't lay eggs:
Molting is a period of rest and rejuvenation for your hens.
During this period, they will experience a pattern of feather loss along with a cease in egg production.
It can occur at anytime, and it generally last about two months.
So don't panic if your hens don't lay during this period ok.
3. Parasites:
Hen infested with external parasites (mite and lice) or internal parasites (worms) will stop laying.
Mite feed on blood and can cause anemia, while worms will cause a decline in nutrients absorption.
Ensure you follow your medication schedule to deworm regularly, and also use mite powder or spray when mites invade your hens.
Keep away potential parasites carriers like rodents, local Chickens, dogs, etc.
4. Weather Condition:
Extremely hot or cold weather can throw your hens off their laying schedule.
Try to adjust the temperature of your pen and chickens whenever the temperature goes extreme.
During hot whether, increase ventilation, give fresh cool water. You can add some ice cubes, serve them some fruit like water melon, pawpaw, etc.
During cold weather you can warm up your pen and increase light intensity.
5. A Broody Hen doesn't lay eggs:
When a hen goes broody she starts sitting on eggs to hatch them, but she stop laying more eggs.
This can also happen with hybrids like Isa brown, Bovans brown or Golden Comet in a litter system.
Although, if you remove the eggs they will stop Brooding because they are not created to hatch eggs.
They are poor sitters. They are suitable for commercial egg production.
This normally happens when you don't pick their eggs in the nest boxes.
But for good sitters like our backyard hens or local hens, once they go broody it will be difficult to break or stop them. They will stop laying entirely.
6. Not following your vaccination or Medications schedule:
Please vaccinate your chickens against major infections like Newcastle, Gumboro, Fowl pox, Marek, Coryza, etc. Failure to do this will affect your egg production and may lead to death.
7.Other reasons why your hen is not laying may include, old age, illness, trauma, seasonal laying, etc.