My Quaker Tom discovered the joys of rearing volaille as a child . Like me , he had grandparents who kept laying hens for refreshing bollock . Our grandmothers would tax us with collecting the girlfriend ’ day-to-day effort any clock time we visited . I ’m quite positive those venerable ladies had a few honest laughs at our disbursal , especially whenever we run from the hencoop with an agitated biddy clucking angrily in pursuit .
Tom and I lately reconnected via societal medium , and I was delighted to hear that he keep his family tradition alive with his own backyard microflock of Delaware hens . One is even list for his beloved old grandmother ( I ’ve named hens for my grandmothers , and for other class members , too . ) Tom speaks quite frequently of his young woman , and I wonder at fourth dimension whether he drive his friend who do n’t keep chickens bonkers with his favorite topic of conversation . Luckily for him , I ’m always happy to discover his latest henhouse happening . I therefore was very surprised last week when I receive a panicked message from Tom regarding his hens and laying . “ What ’s wrong with my young woman ? ” he asked . “ They have n’t laid in more than a calendar week ! Are they pale ? Will they be OK ? They are n’t going to die , are they ? ”
Poor Tom . After I necessitate him a few specific interrogation — and after I calm him down — I regulate the reason his nests were empty of testis . If your hens are not producing eggs , there ’s a good chance that one of these six reasons are afflict your passel and its laying process .
1. Molting
pornographic hen ( age 1 year and old ) turn a loss their feather every year , usually between September and November . This passing of plumage — called molting — can range from a mild loss and regrowth to a drastic scurf that forget a bird look like it digest a hazard bump with a plucking machine . During a molting , all of achicken ’s imagination and energy go into the innovation of new featherswhich will provide heat during the winter months . Once her plumage has regrown , a hen will take up egg laying as long as she has sufficient daylight for yield .
2. Change In Daylight
The chicken reproductive system sport one of nature ’s most ingenious designs . To increase the rate of offspring survival , ahen ’s procreative arrangement give-up the ghost dormantduring the winter month . This mode , newly hatch dame are not born into bitterly cold conditions . This repose full point also allows a hen to recuperate from the rigors of eggs production , which is taxing on a chicken ’s body . Once spring arrives and daylight increases — a lower limit of 14 hours of light are required to stimulate a chicken ’s generative bike — henhouse laying will resume .
3. Advanced Age
As with most females , there comes a percentage point in a hen ’s life when she reaches the stage where she no longer develop eggs with the same oftenness as she did in her untried day . alternatively of laying four to five eggs per week , she might lay one egg per month . Eachchicken ’s decrease in productiondiffers . Typically , by the time a biddy reaches three years of age , she is consider past her egg - lay prime .
4. Improper Nutrition
No creature thrives if it does n’t receive right nutriment . A malnourished hen will not produce orchis when her own body is starving for the nutrient necessary for proper health . Producing an ballock requires calcium , atomic number 11 , vitamin D and protein ; check your layer rations ’ ingredient to make certain your hens are get under one’s skin the nourishment they postulate in decree to lie in . Do n’t drop clear , fresh water ; water is a fundamental component in the output of eggs , and neglecting to freshen your coop font even for one day can cause a drop-off in egg production .
5. Stress
Stress adversely affects pose hen , causing them to cease egg product and develop lethargic . It also makes hen susceptible to illness , pecking - guild incursions and flock estrangement . Stress has a diverseness of causes , include sudden changes in atmospheric condition and temperature , overcrowding , the debut of novel flock members , dehydration , an hyperactive rooster and predation . Providing your flock with a roomie , predator - proof henhouse , funny blank space to rest and hatful of water will go a long room to keep your layers comfortable and relieve tenseness they might be experiencing . A slow , aristocratic introduction of Modern flock members — and separate caparison for extra - thoughtful roosters — can also excuse your girls ’ tension .
6. Egg Predation
If you find your nestbox continually devoid of ovoids despite your hens being untested , well nourished and exposed to plenty of light , your take might lie with a predator rather than with yield . Eggs are the favorite barnyard treat of snakes , which will swallow their fair game whole and leave no trace that an egg was ever laid . Skunks also love egg , occasionally removing them from the nest but normally run through them in place . Raccoons will remove eggs from nestboxes , but they incline to choose springy prey and will opt for a hen rather than her testis . Opossum , rats and squirrels will also junket on the fruits of your plenty ’s labor . Keep predator out by covering all ventilation openings and windows with poop - inch mesh . Caulk any gaps in the body structure of your cage as well , and check your cage floor for jam that allow predator access . An unfold one - after part in astray is all a Snake River involve to squeeze into your hencoop .
Fortunately for Tom , his hens were not suffer from depredation , focus or malnutrition . He had buy them as sex chick last spring from a Delaware stock breeder , and this was their first downslope as adults . I ask whether he ’d seen an increase in feathers around his curtilage , and he seemed surprised that I ’d know about that . Tom thought that perhaps his fille were campaign amongst themselves , and the feathers flying around represented the aftermath of scuffles . A few days after we speak , Tom contacted me again , the tint of relief tangible in his content . The mess in the yard was incredible , with discarded feather cover the grass , the walk and even the landscaping . His girls — and he — were experiencing their first ecdysis . character close .
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