Chickens are generous enough to provide us with a nice supply of eggs anywhere from 2–6 times a week. Unfortunately, many chicken owners find that there are times when their hens stop laying and often ask:
🐓 Why Do Chickens Stop Laying Eggs?
Chickens may stop laying if they are not exposed to enough daylight, are under stress, going through a molt, eating an improper diet, are broody, or are simply older hens.
To increase egg production, you can:
✔️ Add artificial lighting
✔️ Improve her diet
✔️ Remove stressors
✔️ Break her from broodiness
✔️ Add specific herbs to their diet
🌿 The Good News? Nature Has a Solution!
Our Nesting Box Herbs blend contains 9 powerful herbs that can help support your flock through these challenges:
- ✔ Lavender & Peppermint reduce stress and encourage laying
- ✔ Marigold & Chamomile support immunity during molting
- ✔ Rosemary & Marjoram help regulate hormones and boost egg production
- ✔ Dandelion & Fennel Seed provide essential nutrients for healthy hens
By sprinkling these herbs in your nesting boxes and feed, you create a healthier, more productive coop—naturally! 🐓
Nesting Box Herbs
- Increases egg laying naturally.
- Improves chicken health.
- Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas & flies as well as mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and more!
- On SALE!
- SHOP Nesting Box Herbs
❄️ Cooling Herbs Help in Hot Weather
Overheated hens often stop laying. Our Cooling Herbs are specially blended to keep your flock cool, calm, and hydrated during warm months.
✨ Benefits of Cooling Herbs:
- ✔ Naturally lowers body temperature
- ✔ Promotes hydration and stress relief
- ✔ Supports overall wellness in hot, stressful conditions
- ✔ Helps prevent heat-related egg-laying slowdowns
🌸 A calm, healthy hen is a productive hen. Adding herbs to your chickens’ daily routine may be just what they need to start laying again.
☀️ Not Enough Daylight
If your hen is not laying like she used to, it could be due to a decrease in light or simply that she is not exposed to enough daylight.
Hens need at least 12 hours of daylight to produce eggs. They perform best with 14–16 hours of sunlight daily.
Inside a chicken’s brain is a pineal gland that is stimulated by light. This gland plays a vital role in your hen’s reproductive cycle.
Nesting Box Herbs
- Increases egg laying naturally.
- Improves chicken health.
- Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas & flies as well as mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and more!
- On SALE!
- SHOP Nesting Box Herbs
🌙 Light, Hormones & Egg Production
When a hen is exposed to light, her pineal gland releases hormones, serotonin, and melatonin. These chemicals guide your hens’ circadian rhythm and play a vital role in egg production.
During Spring and Summer, the daylight hours are longer. This is why hens naturally produce more eggs in these seasons.
It isn’t unusual for hens to completely stop laying in the Fall and Winter, when the hours of daylight are much shorter.
🌡️ Extreme Temperatures
If the weather changes suddenly — to either extreme heat or cold — your hen may stop laying. Hens are most productive when temperatures are between 52–79°F.
Extreme heat can cause chickens to suffer from heat stress, especially heavier breeds. Once exposed to more tolerable temperatures, a hen will usually resume egg production within a week or two.
In cold weather, it isn’t uncommon for hens to decrease or stop egg production altogether. Her energy goes into keeping warm instead of producing eggs.
She uses this time to rest her body. She will begin laying again in the Spring or when temperatures are more tolerable.
🥚 Protein & Calcium Needs for Chickens by Age
Egg laying requires an increase of protein in your hens’ diet. Laying hens need 15–18% protein to support egg production. Calcium is also critical, especially once hens reach the point of lay.
| Age | % Protein | Calcium Supplement |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 Weeks | 20–22% | No |
| 7 Weeks – Point of Lay (POL) | 14–16% | No |
| Young Laying Pullets (to 1 year) | 15–18% | 2.75 g |
| Adult Laying Hens (1+ year) | 15–18% | 4–5 g |
Recommended protein and calcium intake for chickens by age.
Young chicks (0–6 weeks) require the highest protein, since they’re rapidly developing bones and feathers.
7 weeks to point of lay: chicks grow more slowly, so protein can be lowered.
Once hens start laying, their protein must be raised again to 15–18% to sustain egg production. This is typically provided by layer pellets, crumbles, or mash.
Calcium becomes critical at the point of lay: young pullets need about 2.75 g, while adult hens need 4–5 g daily.
⚠️ Do not make the mistake of feeding your hens scratch or cracked corn as their main diet. These are only treats and contain just 8–9% protein — far below what’s needed for healthy laying hens.
🐥 They Are Broody
When a hen goes broody, she will stop laying — usually until she hatches a clutch of eggs or she is broken of her broodiness.
A broody hen is easy to spot. She will sit in her nest box, whether or not there are eggs to hatch. Her hormones are peaking and telling her it’s time to brood.
A broody hen will seldom leave her nest box. Typically, she only leaves once a day to poop, eat, and drink — then promptly returns to her box.
This can go on for weeks on end, which can be frustrating if you keep hens primarily for egg production.
😟 They Are Stressed
If a chicken is subjected to stress, she may stop laying eggs. Stress interferes with the natural reproductive cycle and reduces egg production.
There are many potential stressors that can cause hens to stop laying. According to the article 11 Secrets that Will Get Your Chickens Laying More Eggs , some common triggers include:
- ✔ Predator threats or frequent disturbances
- ✔ Overcrowded coop or run
- ✔ Poor ventilation or dirty conditions
- ✔ Changes in diet or water availability
- ✔ Excessive handling or relocation
According to this article, 11 Secrets that Will Get Your Chickens Laying More Eggs, there are several stressors that can cause your hen to stop laying:
Top Stressors that Stop Your Hen From Laying
They are Molting
Hens can stop egg laying if they are going through a molt. Molting is when a chicken loses its feathers and grows in new one’s. As a flock owner, when your chickens are going through a molt, your coop can look like one of your chickens was murdered. Feathers EVERYWHERE!!
Molting usually occurs when the days begin to get shorter, around the Fall. It is your chickens natural instinct to lose their old, dull feathers and replace them with new, full feathers to better insulate them during the cold weather.
Nesting Box Herbs
- Increases egg laying naturally.
- Improves chicken health.
- Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas & flies as well as mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and more!
- On SALE!
- SHOP Nesting Box Herbs
How long do chickens molt and not lay eggs?
Chickens molt usually one time a year, beginning about 16-18 months of age. A molt can take anywhere from 3 – 16 weeks. During this time, most chickens take a break from laying eggs.
Some chickens only lose feathers around their neck, others go through a full molt. They look pathetic, but it’s only temporary. Once they grow in their new shiny, fluffy feathers, they look gorgeous again!
When your chicken is going through a molt, it is important to increase their protein intake. Growing in new feathers requires increased protein.
Old Age
Hens begin laying at around 18 weeks, some sooner and some later, depending upon the breed. The first year is their most productive year of laying and it slowly declines from there. Most hens, around 6 years of age begin to lay sporadically or stop laying completely.
| AGE/YEAR | LAYING CAPACITY % | # EGGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1st YEAR | 100% | 300 (5-6 eggs/wk) |
| 2nd YEAR | 80% | 240 (4-5 eggs/wk) |
| 3rd YEAR | 70% | 210 (4 eggs/wk) |
| 4th YEAR | 60% | 180 (3-4 eggs/wk) |
| 5th YEAR | 50% | 150 (3 eggs/wk) |
| 6th YEAR | 40% | 120 (2 eggs/wk) |
How Can I Encourage My Chickens to Lay Eggs? 5 Tips
1. Break your Broody Hens
A broody hen will not lay eggs for you. It’s ok to have a broody hen, if what you want is for her to hatch a clutch of eggs. But if you are wanting eggs, you need to break her from her broodiness.
You can try removing her from her nest box every time you see her in there. This would mean you have to spend extra time in the coop area observing her behavior.
If this doesn’t work, you may have to put her in a “time out pen” or “chicken jail” for 24-48 hours. A dog cage works great for this.
I like to first try 24 hours and give her a chance to “snap out of it.” If that doesn’t work, I put her in for another 24 hours. Do this every day until she stops returning to the nest box.
The important thing is to not allow her to “nest” in the cage. Set the cage up on two, 2″ x 4″‘s on either side. The only thing that should be available in her cage is food and water. The idea is to not let her nest and to allow her underside to feel a draft.
2. Provide Desirable Nesting Boxes
Add either fresh or dried herbs to the nesting boxes! This will give your hens a reason to want to use them. Use herbs that will encourage egg laying or you can get my Special 9 Herb Nesting Box Blend that includes all of the best natural herbs to encourage egg laying.
✔ Lavender & Peppermint reduce stress and encourage laying
✔ Marigold & Chamomile support immunity during molting
✔ Rosemary & Marjoram help regulate hormones and boost egg production
✔ Dandelion & Fennel Seed provide essential nutrients for healthy hens
Nesting Box Herbs
- Increases egg laying naturally.
- Improves chicken health.
- Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas & flies as well as mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and more!
- On SALE!
- SHOP Nesting Box Herbs
Hens prefer to lay in a quiet, dark location. Make sure that they are the proper size, height and location for the type of breed you have. They should be free from mites, lice and fleas and cleaned regularly. For more information on this, read my article, “Simple Guide to Setting Up the Best Hen Nesting Boxes.”
3. Add a Light to Your Chicken Coop
Come Fall, the days begin to shorten. This means that the amount of daylight that your hens are exposed to is decreasing. When this happens, egg production declines or stops completely.
By adding a light to your chicken coop during the Fall and Winter months you can “trick” your hens into laying through the shortened days.
Chickens need time without the lights on in the coop as well. It’s best to have your light on a timer that will go on in the early morning hours (when it is still dark outside), but have it turn off when the sun comes up.
Hens are the most productive with 14-16 hours of sunlight. So set your light timer so they receive no more than a total of 16 hours of light with both the natural sunlight and coop light combined.
Too much light can actually cause your chickens to produce less eggs! So make sure you adjust your coop timer as the days begin to get longer.
4. Remove Stressors
I always find that spending time in with my chickens gives me a great opportunity to see how they are doing and recognize any problems that they may be encountering.
Fix that hole in the chicken coop that rats or other animals can get through. You may be having predators getting in the coop at night.
Fix that automatic chicken door that you thought was closing every night.
Don’t let your neighbors kids chase your chickens. It’s not cute!
Check their nest boxes for lice and scatter some diatomaceous earth in it. This will help kill mites that may be getting at your chickens.
In spending some time with them, you may notice that one of them has bumblefoot, a foot infection, that needs treated. Or maybe one of the hens is being picked on by others in the flock that you need to attend to.
Make sure that all of your chickens have a shaded area to retreat to in the hot weather and fresh, cool water available at all times.
During the cold weather, chickens need an area to retreat to that protects them from the cold wind.
5. Change Their Diet
Hens need to be fed a layers pellet, crumble or mash with 15-18% protein. If she is not receiving enough protein, she will stop laying.
Also, offer oyster shell alongside her feed to help strengthen her egg shells. Hens are smart and will only eat as much as they need.
You can also save their egg shells, dry them, crush them and serve it back to them. Egg shells are a great source of calcium for your hens.
Manna Pro Oyster Shell Poultry Treat, 50 lb., 1000209 [More]
Let Your Hen Take a Break
Hens naturally stop laying for a reason. Laying eggs is very taxing on a their body and they need a break. Personally, I think it’s good to allow your hens to take a break from laying. It will make them an even stronger and more efficient layer when they restart.
As a flock owner, it is up to you if you want to force them through the year without taking a break.
CONCLUSION: Why do Chickens Stop Laying Eggs? 5 Important Tips
| WHY DO CHICKENS STOP LAYING EGGS | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
| NOT ENOUGH DAYLIGHT | INCREASE LIGHTING |
| EXTREME TEMPERATURES | PROVIDE SHADE, SHELTER FROM ELEMENTS |
| BROODY HEN | BREAK BROODY HENS |
| INSUFFICIENT DIET | CHANGE DIET |
| STRESSED | REMOVE STESSORS |
| MOLTING | INCREASE PROTEIN |
Hens will stop laying for various reasons, but for most things it is a correctable problem. Most hens will naturally take a break from laying during a molt. During this time, they need to put their energy into growing new feathers and keeping warm during the cold winter months.
Spend time with your flock and watch how they interact with each other. Attend to their needs promptly and you will be rewarded with a basket full of eggs!
Nesting Box Herbs
- Increases egg laying naturally.
- Improves chicken health.
- Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas & flies as well as mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and more!
- On SALE!
- SHOP Nesting Box Herbs
