My Chicken Doesn't Lay Eggs: What Is Wrong?

A healthy, young laying hen can lay up to one egg per day. But not all chickens are prolific egg producers, and laying few or no eggs might be normal for your particular hen. Several factors influence egg laying rates. Breed, age, amount of light exposure, nutrition, health and environmental factors all play a role in egg production.

  1. Breed

    • The Rhode Island Red is a dual-purpose chicken -- bred for eggs and meat.

      Chickens are bred for four purposes: Laying eggs, producing meat, fighting or showing. If your chicken is not a laying variety, its egg production rate may be low. This may be normal for that particular breed. If you need help identifying your chicken's breed, BackyardChickens.com has a handy chicken identification chart of many common breeds.

    Age

    • Egg production peaks in young hens during the first year.

      Chickens can live 20 years, but the average backyard chicken lives five to 12 years. Chickens begin laying eggs between four and five months of age. Egg production peaks during the first year and drops off every subsequent year. Some hens will continue to lay a couple eggs a month well into their teens, and others will stop laying altogether after four or five years.

    Light Exposure

    • Ensuring your hens get enough light is crucial for egg production.

      Light exposure, or photoperiod, is a zeitgeber for a hen's reproductive cycle. A zeitgeber is an environmental cue that regulates a physiological process. As the photoperiod length decreases, egg production drops off. Hens require a minimum of 14 hours of light per day to continue laying eggs. When photoperiod drops below 12 hours per day, egg production frequently stops.

      Provide your hens with 14 to 18 hours of light every day by installing lighting in your hen house. One 40-watt bulb per 100 square feet of space is adequate. Hens are most responsive to the yellow-orange light spectrum, so use incandescent or yellow-orange halogen bulbs. Increase the photoperiod with artificial lighting in the early morning hours and allow the hens to experience normal sunset, which is the natural cue for them to roost.

    Nutrition

    • Provide your hens with balanced chicken feed and access to pasture.

      An imbalanced diet can cause egg production to drop off. An inadequate supply of fresh water, protein, calcium or calories can slow or stop egg laying. Feed a complete and balanced chicken feed along with giving your chickens access to pasture to provide a source of insects, worms and plant material.

    Environmental Factors

    • Stress decreases egg production.

      The following environmental stressors can decrease egg production or cause egg loss:

      A cold, damp, drafty hen house

      Excessive handling

      Moving the flock or adding new hens

      Parasite infestation

      Predators stressing the birds or eating the eggs

    Molting

    • Chickens molt annually, when most of the feathers are shed and new feathers are grown. Molting usually occurs in the fall. It is a physiologically demanding process, and egg production will usually cease during molting.