Why Did My Chicken Stop Laying? Causes and Solutions

Egg laying is a hormonally driven process that stops whenever the hen's body perceives conditions as unsuitable for reproduction. There are 9 distinct causes, and most are fixable.

• Insufficient daylight (most common): Hens require 14-16 hours of light to sustain the hypothalamic light detection that triggers the laying hormone cascade. As days shorten after the summer solstice, production declines and many hens stop entirely by November.
• Annual molt: Most hens stop laying for 2-4 months during their annual molt. The body prioritizes growing new feathers over egg production. Molt typically begins in late summer or fall, often triggered by decreasing day length.
• Age: Peak production occurs at 1-2 years. Hens typically slow 10-15% per year after peak. By age 4-5, many hens produce very few eggs and may take long breaks between laying cycles.
• Stress: A predator visit, new flock members, coop rearrangement, transport, loud disturbances, extreme heat, or sudden cold can interrupt the hormonal cycle and halt laying for 1-3 weeks.
• Broodiness: A broody hen stops laying entirely and sits on eggs (or an empty nest) waiting to hatch. Silkies, Cochins, and Orpingtons are highly prone. Broodiness can last 3-8 weeks if not broken.
• Nutritional deficiency: Inadequate protein (under 15%), calcium, vitamin D3, or general caloric deficit suppresses laying. Hens fed primarily scratch grain or kitchen scraps often produce poorly or stop.
• Disease: Infectious Bronchitis, Newcastle Disease, Marek's Disease, Mycoplasma, and reproductive tract infections can stop laying either through direct oviduct damage or systemic immune response.
• Hidden nest: Hens that free-range sometimes establish a hidden nest away from the coop. The keeper may not find eggs for weeks while the hen continues to lay normally.
• Egg binding or internal laying: A hen with an egg stuck in the oviduct or that has begun laying internally will stop producing normal eggs. These conditions are medical emergencies requiring urgent attention.

Walk through this checklist before assuming disease:

• Count daylight hours: Is it autumn or winter? Are days shorter than 14 hours? If yes, install a timer light to reach 15-16 hours total before doing anything else.
• Check for molt: Gently part the feathers. Loose feathers falling easily, bare patches, and visible pin feathers indicate active molt. Laying will resume 4-8 weeks after feather regrowth is complete.
• Assess for broodiness: Is the hen puffed up, sitting in the nest box, growling when approached, and refusing to leave? This is broodiness, not illness.
• Check for a hidden nest: Search the yard perimeter, under bushes, and in corners for a secret clutch. Free-range hens frequently establish hidden nests.
• Review diet: Is the hen eating a complete layer pellet? Has the diet changed recently? Protein or calcium shortfalls are common causes that resolve quickly with diet correction.
• Look for stress events: Was there a predator attack, new bird introduction, or management change in the past 1-3 weeks? Stress-related laying cessation typically resolves within 2-3 weeks of stabilization.

Light therapy: Install a 40-60W incandescent or LED bulb on a timer to provide 15-16 hours of combined natural and artificial light per day. Most hens resume laying within 2-4 weeks.

Break broodiness: Place the broody hen in a wire-floored cage with good airflow (no nesting material) for 3-5 days. This drops the brooding body temperature and hormone levels, breaking the cycle. Isolating her away from the flock is often sufficient.

Nutritional correction: Switch to or confirm a complete layer pellet with 16-18% protein. Offer free-choice oyster shell. Reduce scratch to under 10% of total diet.

Disease workup: If no management cause is found and multiple hens have stopped, submit samples to a state diagnostic lab for IBV and NDV PCR testing.

• Install coop lighting on a timer before the autumn equinox (late September). Maintaining artificial light ensures consistent production through winter without waiting for natural daylength to increase.
• Feed a quality layer pellet year-round and keep scratch under 10% of diet. Nutritional consistency prevents deficiency-related laying gaps.
• Manage broodiness proactively in breeds prone to it. Break broodiness within the first few days to minimize the total non-laying period.
• Minimize flock disruptions during peak laying (spring and summer). Plan introductions, coop changes, and vet visits for the natural non-laying period (mid-molt).