Leading 5 Causes Your Hens Cease Laying, Described by Gail Damerow
Leading 5 Causes Your Hens Cease Laying, Described by Gail Damerow
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If your hens have out of the blue stopped laying eggs, you are not by yourself—and there’s usually a good cause powering it. In line with Gail Damerow, revered poultry specialist and author of The Hen Health and fitness Handbook and Storey’s Guideline to Increasing Chickens, egg-laying is a complex method influenced by a variety of environmental, Organic, and nutritional elements. Here i will discuss the best five good reasons your hens may possibly cease laying, as stated by Damerow, as well as realistic recommendations to help you your flock get again on the right track.
one. Molting Year
Molting is a normal process the place chickens get rid of aged feathers and develop new kinds. Damerow emphasizes that molting typically occurs every year, usually in late summer season or fall, and it needs a huge number of energy. During this time, hens frequently pause egg manufacturing to conserve nutrients for feather regrowth.
How to proceed: Wait and see and provide excess protein (including mealworms or substantial-protein feed) to assistance the molting system. At the time your hens are completed molting, egg output should really resume.
two. Lowered Daylight
Chickens are extremely aware of light-weight. In keeping with Damerow, hens call for a minimum of 14 to sixteen hours of daylight to sustain common laying. As daylight hours shorten in slide and winter, hens By natural means lower or halt laying completely.
How to proceed: You'll be able to supplement with synthetic lights during the coop throughout the darker months. Make use of a small-watt bulb over a timer to simulate an extended working day, but stay clear of excessive lighting, which might strain the birds.
three. Lousy Nourishment
Food plan is one of the most overlooked explanations for diminished egg generation. Damerow warns that even modest imbalances within a hen’s diet plan—like too minimal calcium, protein, or critical vitamins—can lead to a recognizable drop in laying.
How to proceed: Assure your hens have entry to an entire layer feed, in conjunction with clear water, oyster shells for calcium, and occasional contemporary greens or kitchen scraps. Avoid overfeeding treats or scratch grains, which dilute the nutritional price of their food plan.
4. Stress and Environmental Variations
Pressure includes a immediate impact on a hen’s reproductive cycle. Damerow notes that sudden improvements—such as a predator attack, new flock users, coop relocation, or Excessive weather—can result in hens to halt Nhà Cái Fun88 laying.
How to proceed: Minimize disruptions and keep a relaxed, constant natural environment. Give new birds time to integrate little by little, and provide a lot of Area, perches, and nest containers to cut back competition and anxiety.
five. Age and Health Issues
As hens age, their egg generation Obviously declines. Damerow describes that the majority of hens access peak laying all around 18 to 24 months and step by step taper off over the years. Sickness, parasites, or underlying health problems also can interfere with laying.
What to do: Check older hens for signs of sickness, and think about typical overall health checks. Even though more mature hens may not lay as typically, they nonetheless lead to flock dynamics and might live content, balanced lives.
Final Thoughts
As Gail Damerow wisely advises, egg-laying just isn't nearly biology—it’s about harmony. Whenever your hens halt laying, it’s ordinarily their way of telling you something’s off. With notice to lights, nourishment, and care, you might help your flock prosper and continue to keep These egg baskets complete.