Top 5 Reasons Your Hens Stop Laying, Explained by Gail Damerow

Once your hens start laying eggs, it’s easy to get used to gathering fresh eggs every morning. Then gradually, or suddenly, the eggs stop coming. What happened? Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her to discuss the top five reasons why your hens stop laying eggs.

What’s the main reason hens stop laying eggs?

“Assuming the hens are getting proper nutrition for layers, the first time they stop laying is usually as autumn approaches,” Damerow explains.

“That’s when hens go through their annual molt — they shed their old feathers and grow a fresh set to better keep them warm during winter.

“All hens lay fewer eggs during their annual molt. Some stop laying completely. The reason the molt affects laying is that nutrients needed to produce eggs are instead channeled into producing plumage.”

So after the fall molt, you can expect your hens to start laying again?

“Maybe. The approach of winter also means day lengths are decreasing. When the number of daylight hours falls below 14, hens may stop laying until spring. Some chicken keepers let their hens take the winter off,” she says.

“But those of us who want to continue gathering eggs during winter augment the short daylight hours with electric light. That’s easy to do using one 40-watt light bulb or the equivalent per 100 square feet of coop space.

“Some flock owners feel that by adding light in the evening, the coop will get dark before the hens go to roost, causing them to sleep on the floor. I haven’t found that to be true,” Damerow advises.

“I actually use a short period of evening light year around. It encourages dawdlers to enter the coop at dusk, before the automatic door closes for the night.

“But I do provide most of the extra winter light in the early morning hours, so the hens awaken naturally. Given augmented light, hens continue laying throughout winter until spring.”

Even if you don’t augment light, will hens start laying again in the spring?

“Yes. But they may lay for a few weeks, and then stop again. Depending on the breed, one or more hens may decide to brood, meaning they feel the inclination to hatch their eggs into chicks.

“When a hen starts to brood, hormonal changes cause her to stop laying. A broody hen, therefore, is not much use for egg production,” Damerow explains.

“You can either wait until the chicks are 5 to 6 weeks old, when the mama hen will start laying again. Or, you can try to discourage broodiness by gathering eggs often so they don’t accumulate in the nest.

“If a hen insists on brooding anyway, repeatedly remove her from the nest. If she keeps returning, move her for a few days to separate housing, furnished with feed and water during her time out,” she advises.