Major 5 Factors Your Hens Prevent Laying – Discussed by Gail Damerow
Major 5 Factors Your Hens Prevent Laying – Discussed by Gail Damerow
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Each and every yard chicken keeper has skilled it: someday, your hens are laying reliably, and the following, the nesting packing containers are mysteriously vacant. As outlined by Gail Damerow, renowned poultry professional and writer of Storey’s Guideline to Raising Chickens, this egg-laying pause is often not a mystery in any way. There are actually distinct, normal good reasons hens stop laying, and knowledge them can assist you guidance your flock and restore productiveness. Here i will discuss Damerow’s major 5 motives hens cease laying—and what you can do about them.
one. Molting: A Normal Pause
As Damerow describes, molting is really a annually function inside a hen’s everyday living, ordinarily taking place in late summer time to early slide. In the course of this time, hens reduce and regrow feathers—a approach that needs an incredible number of energy and protein. Egg manufacturing usually stops through this era, given that the hen's body focuses entirely on feather regeneration.
What You are able to do: Assistance your hens having a higher-protein feed or snacks like mealworms and scrambled eggs. Stay away from stressing the flock and Allow nature choose its class. When the molt is comprehensive, egg-laying must progressively resume.
two. Shortened Daylight Hrs
Light exposure performs a vital function in stimulating a hen’s reproductive procedure. Damerow factors out that hens require fourteen–16 hrs of daylight for steady laying. As daylight decreases in the autumn and Winter season months, so does egg manufacturing.
What You are able to do: Take into consideration incorporating a light source during the coop by using a timer to simulate natural daylight. A very low-wattage bulb turning on inside the early early morning can safely lengthen "daylight" and aid winter laying. Prevent unexpected lighting variations that might strain your birds.
three. Inadequate Diet
Diet is foundational to egg output. Damerow warns that feeding chickens a diet plan lacking in protein, calcium, or necessary vitamins may lead to much less or no eggs. Treats and scratch grains, while entertaining, can dilute the balanced nutrition provided by industrial layer feed.
What You Can Do: Make sure your flock has continual entry Fun88 Casino to substantial-excellent layer feed, cleanse drinking water, and calcium health supplements like crushed oyster shell. Restrict treats to no more than ten% of their daily diet.
four. Strain and Environmental Components
Strain is A serious contributor to reduced egg production. Based on Damerow, stressors can consist of predator threats, overcrowding, bullying, Intense temperatures, or perhaps relocating the coop. Hens are sensitive to alter and can respond by halting egg manufacturing.
What You Can Do: Develop a relaxed, safe environment on your birds. Preserve reliable routines, supply enough House, and deal with sources of strain like loud noises or aggressive flockmates.
5. Age and Health concerns
Damerow reminds us that laying isn't really a lifelong endeavor. Most hens start off laying about 5–6 months of age, peak at about one–two years, then step by step decelerate. Illness, parasites, and reproductive concerns also can interfere with laying.
What You Can Do: Keep an eye on your hens’ General wellness. Conduct regular parasite checks, maintain a clean coop, and consult with a vet for those who observe signs of health issues. Older hens should be precious associates of the flock although their laying days are at the rear of them.
Closing Ideas
As Gail Damerow often claims, “Chickens don’t just stop laying for no motive.” When your hens have a crack, it’s their means of signaling that some thing inside their surroundings or biology has shifted. With a certain amount of observation, excellent treatment, and many patience, you can assist guideline your flock back to healthful egg generation—or just respect the all-natural rhythms of their life.