How do you know if you’re chickens have stopped laying eggs?
That was the same question we had this week as we noticed our egg production had slowed down over the past several weeks.
With chickens in and out of the coop throughout the day, it was near impossible for us to tell which was layin’ and which was free loadin’.
So, we took to the trusty internet for answers, and now we’re going to show you how it’s done.
Reasons Chickens Stop Laying Eggs
Many times your chickens are still laying, they are just laying very infrequently, like once every couple weeks. At this point, you’ll have to decide if feeding them is still worth the cost or if it’s time to cull.
- Too old – When chickens hit 4 years their production starts to decline. At first it’s just every few days, but then the time between each eggs gets longer as they get older.
- Less than 14 hours of sunlight – A chicken’s hormones rely on cues from the sun, so when the days get shorter, it’s very likely your chickens will drop down in production.
- Molting – At about the 18 month mark, a chicken will go through its first molting season, which means she’s getting rid of old feathers and growing new ones. This can take up so much energy, that they typically stop laying during this period.
- Too cold outside – The winter season is a common time for your chickens to take a break. Maintaining their heat takes up a lot of energy, so they spend less of it towards egg production. However, there are a few tricks to help your ladies continue to lay despite the winter.
4 ways to know if a Chicken has stopped Laying Eggs
This is the best way for you to know if your chickens have stopped laying eggs. Chickens that display all of these will be definite non-egg layers. If your chickens just show a couple of these indications, you might have a once a weeker or an every 10 dayser 😉
- Comb Color – The comb should be a nice, rich red color. If it’s pale or light-colored, you might have an non-egg laying chicken.
- Vent Moisture – The vent should be moist and in a chicken that isn’t laying, she’ll have a very dry almost dusty-looking vent.
- Keel to Vent Distance – The keel is the where the breastbone ends, at the back of the chicken. Normally the distance between the end of the keel & the vent should be about 2 fingers. If it’s 4 or more, you’ve probably got a retired hen.
- Abdomen – The abdomen should feel soft and supple, but in a retired hen, it will be tight and hard.
Watch our video instruction on checking for these signs:
What to do with retired hens
As tough as it sounds, many owners decide to cull their hens that aren’t laying anymore. This is a great way to utilize resources and provide your family with a good source of meat & broth.
Before you decide to cull your hens, make sure they go towards a good purpose. There’s no point in culling a hen and throwing it away. Older hens tend to be tough, so I’d advise using it towards making lots of broth. You can make a batch, then make another and another with the same whole chicken until it’s completely cooked away. One hen can provide your family with as much as 4 gallons of nourishing broth.
Another option is to use it for dog food, or give it to somebody who has a dog. Dogs do very well on a raw food diet, and it’s a great way to utilize your hen. Be sure to cure your whole, butchered chicken well, which means you’ll wrap it in a plastic bag and let it sit in the fridge for up to 10 days. This allows the meat to tenderize fully.
If you’d like to try to cook an old hen, there are some great tips to make sure the meat is tender. You can brine or roast the old hen to make sure it’s edible. Nobody likes tough chicken meat, trust me.
If you’re ready to start butchering, watch my video below on the best way to butcher a chicken!
Hi y’all!
My wife and son, and myself, also live one a 1 acre property in the suburbs, and are doing a lot of the stuff you guys are 😁
I’m going to try and “follow” y’all on Facebook and Instagram, but I’m not very good at technology.
Im getting the whole chicken thing down pat. I’ve finally got my outdoor dogs to stop killing them, and I just prcoessed fun first “extra” cockerel.
Im thinking about getting a few goats. Mostly as pets, but also considering them as a good source. Do you have any links to articles or videos that could help me to decide if I should try raising goats or not?
Thanks!
Chris
I enjoyed your farm and family very much. I just got 7 chickens this spring and all but 3 have started laying! That is until today. I went out to gather eggs and found none! I usually have 4 a day but not this day First time this has happened. I had just introduced a new feeder and am in first week of training . Im in zArizona so not really loosing too much light and they are not molting yet Are the ladies on strike?
Hi Andrea-
If they have been consistently laying everyday and then suddenly stop, you may check to make sure something isn’t eating your eggs. It’s rare for all of your chickens to stop laying at the exact same time.
If it’s not something eating the eggs, then you need to see if the chickens are being stressed, are over crowded, or are not getting enough protein.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thanks. Today they started with two eggs! I think it might be the stress of the new feeder…fingers crossed…ive seen no obvious evidence of predators. It is cooler these days so perhaps weather change? We’ll see what tomorrow brings Again, thank you for your input Im still a novice and rely on Google a lot.
Hi DaNelle, lately my hens have been laying eggs on the ground instead of in their nest boxes. The nest has clean, fresh pine shavings. What could be the cause? What can I do to prevent this?
Hi Danielle-
You may need to install more boxes and make sure they are not too out in the open with too much light.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have 4 hens and 3 nest boxes. I heard that one nest box is enough for 3-4 hens. Inside their coop is pretty dark with only a small window with screening above the nest boxes. Is that too bright for them?
Hi Danielle-
That should be ok. Try leaving a fake egg in the nest boxes and hopefully the chickens get the idea.
Thanks -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
hi DaNelle i have a question what chicken breed do u favor for laying eggs? and also for baby chicks do you started from the very beginning giving them apple cider vinger in there water or wait until there 2 weekd older i was reading this on your blog. but i wasnt sure if this is from the very start.
Hi Kathyann-
For an all around good layer, Rhode Island Reds are a good chicken and can be used for dual purpose as a meat chicken. Other good layers are White Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks, and Laced Wyandottes.
You can give ACV to the chicks right from the beginning if you want.
I hope that helps!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I might also recommend the Delaware breed. They are both meat and egg birds. I’ve found them to be very good at foraging and quite well mannered. The roosters are especially good…real gentlemen (I’ve had 2 roosters). They have never attacked anyone and are always making sure the hens eat first. I actually saw one pick up a worm and drop it in front of a hen for her to eat. And the 2 roosters got along fine until I moved the coop…then one became territorial.
Hi DaNelle, I have a golden sex link hen that stopped laying eggs last year. She is 3 years old now. At first I thought she needed a break because she laid some eggs through the winter but when spring and summer came she didn’t start laying eggs, and well it’s been a year now. The other 2 chickens are laying eggs so I don’t think she is sick because the other ones would stop laying too? Is 2 years too young to stop laying eggs? They are not free ranged that often. Any insights help, thanks
Hi Giovanna-
It is odd your chicken has stopped laying eggs. While age does decrease egg production, this usually isn’t seen at age 2 or 3.
There are several things (beyond age) that can negatively affect egg production.
These include improper nutrition, mainly not getting enough protein, especially if they are not free range. Layers need no less that a 15% protein feed and feed should be closer to 20%. Be sure to bump up her protein and also make sure she is actually eating it.
Lack of adequate sunlight hours will do this too. If she isn’t getting outside this can interrupt her egg cycle. You can add artificial light in the coop. There are even lights that have built in timers and can help regulate the light cycle.
Stress will also cause your chickens to quit laying. Look for things that may be stressing her such as new flock additions, other hens (or roosters) that may be “bullying” her, change in housing, predators, or anything else that may have changed in her environment.
Also, check for parasites on your chickens, as this can make your hens deficient in certain nutrients and can have an impact on their health.
I hope these suggestions help. Good luck with your hen and your whole flock. Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have a Rhode Island red Chicken. I haven’t had her long. She did lay a couple eggs for me. When she was let out of the coop she went into the coop at dusk she did Lay for me a few times. However my neighbors next door they like to feed all the Stray Cats this Stray Cats started coming into my yard. I had to go out there and chase them away. She stopped coming into the coop. I don’t know where she goes at night. But she comes back in the morning and hangs out in the yard and again is gone at night she’s not laying eggs I don’t know why she’s gone at night and won’t go back into the coop can you tell me thank you
Hi Debbie-
Chickens will often not roost in a coop if they are not comfortable there. Things than can make a chicken uncomfortable are predators, other chickens bothering them too much (bullying them), the coop is dirty, or the coop has pests (mites,etc.). Examine your coop and the cat situation and try to see if that is what is bothering her. She may also be laying eggs somewhere else planning to hatch them. To find her at night, you can look in nearby trees, because sometimes they will roost in trees, and look in other places that may look like a comfortable hiding and laying place for her. She obviously isn’t going too far if she comes back each morning.
I hope that helps. Best of luck with your hen!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi I got like 28 chickens and I brought them when they were adults some I’m not sure what age they are do I have to do something different to tell if they aren’t layin’ or is it the same?
-Thanks
Hi Meadow-
No matter the chickens age, the 4 signs DaNelle provided in the article are what to look for to see if your hen is a non-egg layer. These indicators can be both a sign of age and health, both of which affect egg laying. Thanks for reading and posting! Best of luck with your chickens! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
would you be able to e-mail me how to make the broth, mine are only 1year but would love to know how to when time comes
Hi Donna. Here is my recipe for Easy Chicken Broth. https://www.weedemandreap.com/easy-chicken-broth/
DaNelle
I wonder if you can help us we bought for Chickens recently 2 are laying for sure for not sure which two other 2 and playing the boy I bought them off told me that I need to put lead in there for them we live in Ireland if I was to send you pictures make you be able to tell how old they are ???
We bought 4 Chickens recently I suspect two of them are older than the other two I know for sure that 2 are laying . I guess the other two are not laying we have four seasons in this country so they may not as much as they normally do I’m a bit suspicious and need help from someone that can tell me who they are can I post pictures to your email and you may be able to give me an idea really loving the videos I also am in an urban situation but a smaller situation than you
Sure! Send me a picture to [email protected]
I have been raising chickens for 7 years and I have never heard of this! So I’m going to Check it out! Question does this work on Bantams and Nankin chickens? Thx
Yep!
Great instructional video, the first one I have seen that makes the process look doable for us, after keeping chickens for two years this is a next step we would like to learn how to do and you make it look easy. Thank you.
….or you could let it just live a full life, afterall, this little girl already gave a LOT to your family. <3
I get that comment… As a vegetarian & chicken lover, we keep ours for the full range of life too. I couldn’t imagine feeding my dog my other pets either. But that’s just it. Our chickens are pets and only half of our family likes to eggs in the first place.
(Please note: I’m not criticizing anyone who does cull their chickens. I get it. Self-sufficiency and all that. It’s just not for me at all.)
Great videos, very helpful. We will be going through the culling process on our free range hens. Thank You!
DaNelle,
Thank you for making it look so doable for the rest of us.
Laurel
Wow, Danelle,
this is the first instructional on butchering -anything- that made me believe I could do this. Thanks!
Awesome, I’m so glad!