How To Keep Your Chickens Laying Eggs

For many people who keep just two or three chickens at home for fresh eggs, it can be very frustrating if your hens go off the lay. It can happen at any time although usually they slow down egg production in the winter months.

Firstly I will say that no one should just keep one chicken as that will end up unhappy and probably not lay much at all. Chickens (like all poultry) are very communal and the minimum anyone should have is two.

There can be various factors that stop your chickens laying eggs, if you find that just one hen has stopped lying then it may be nothing to worry about and be just a short term blip. If all your hens have stopped then you need to address the situation urgently before they start getting issues.

Hens do not produce eggs throughout their lives, when they get old they slow up, when they are young they don’t product many. The biggest factor that governs egg laying is how much sunlight they get and how much water they get.

Chickens MUST have fresh water daily and lots of it. A dehydrated chicken will not lay eggs and will potentially get ill. When keeping chickens and poultry, there are some key things to check if your birds are off the lay:

1)Can they get at fresh water in sufficient quantity (or are they having to fight for it)

2)Are they getting access to plenty of light or are they in the shade? More light means more eggs hence a slow down in the winter.

3)Do they have a red mite problem? If their red combs are small and not red � they could have a mite problem as this shows there is very little blood in their body and this will affect egg laying. Treat with Red Mite powder

4)Are they egg bound? It is unlikely more than one will be, if one has stopped laying and looks unhappy, not very active you may need to get the vet to check if she is egg bound. It can be serious so don’t delay if they look egg bound

5)Are they getting enough grit? All poultry needs some grit, normally crushed up scallop shells and small stones) in their diet. You can get grit from most poultry suppliers and most petshops.

6)Are they getting access to enough feed? Obvious I know. Try changing their diet and give them more worms or maggots (from a fishing shop) as a treat once or twice a week. The protein is very good for them

These factors will solve most issues if checked.