Reasons why chickens do not lay and what to do for better egg production
Chicken is not only a source of meat. The bird keeping is explained by the high egg production. Professional poultry farmers and hobbyists create all conditions for laying hens to produce eggs. But there are cases when keeping birds, that people never get eggs. Then the question arises, why does the productivity of chickens decrease and they do not rush?
Reasons for a decrease in egg production in chickens
It depends not only on human actions. External stimuli have a negative effect on birds. Failure to comply with containment conditions is the root cause.
Lighting
Violation of the light regime often leads to the fact that the chickens stop laying. The body of poultry is designed in such a way that they wake up at sunrise and fall asleep at sunset. Typically, daylight hours are 12 hours.
Daylight hours are reduced in the middle of summer. Along with other phenomena, it leads to the fact that the chickens stop laying eggs. The solution to the problem is to use an artificial light source.
Temperature
High or too low air temperatures in the hen house also negatively affect egg production. Optimum indicators should not go beyond 23-25 degrees. A thermometer will help to control the indicator.
In spring and summer, the chicken coop is necessarily ventilated and the more often the better. With the onset of cold weather, the house is insulated, and heaters are installed if necessary. This question is very important when keeping layers, as their body reacts sensitively to heat and cold.
Stress
If a hen is overwhelmed, it stops laying completely or egg production decreases. The following factors provoke stress in chickens:
- sudden cold snap or warming;
- the appearance of new birds in the hen house;
- screams and noise;
- change of feed;
- transfer to a new location.
Experienced farmers provide ascorbic acid or vitamin E with their meals to prevent stress in the chicken and to keep the eggs from laying.
Air humidity
In this matter, it is also necessary to adhere to the "golden mean". If the chickens have stopped laying eggs, pay attention to the moisture in the hen house. Various kinds of dermatitis develop against a background of too dry or humid air.
Nutrition
With a lack of nutrients in the chicken, egg production remains, but the eggs carried by the bird are devoid of shells. To avoid this phenomenon, people feed the birds with balanced food. For this, a diet is developed in advance.
The main food for adult birds is grain, fresh herbs or vegetable tops.
The latter is most often used if you are not walking in the courtyard. The problem with eggs without shells is corrected by adding bone meal, shells or chalk to the feed.
Seasonal changes
Egg production directly depends on the season.
Fall
If the laying hens do not produce eggs in the fall, people start sounding the alarm, looking for problems in the nutrition or conditions of the chicken coop. Together with the lack of eggs, chickens lose their plumage. This indicates that the molting process has started. At this time, the bird's body rests, and with the onset of warmth, egg production returns.
Winter
The autumn molt, which began in September, continues and drags on until winter. At the end of the coldest time of the year, chickens begin to lay eggs, but there are not many of them. The complete absence indicates that the problem lies in the wrong conditions of detention.
Spring
The weather in spring is very changeable and dangerous. Poultry farmers open the coop too early, letting in cold air. There should be no drafts in the room where chickens are kept.
Summer
The reasons for stopping carrying eggs are lack of calcium in the body, diseases and the presence of rats. You should not panic in such cases. After reviewing the mistakes, the person will do everything possible so that this does not happen again next year.
Age changes
In 4-5 months after the birth of chicks, they begin to rush. The appearance of the comb indicates whether the hen is ready to lay eggs. It turns red and looks developed.
There is another way to determine readiness for laying in pullets. It is turned over on its back and carried along the sternum to the lower abdomen. If the finger deepens completely between the pubic bones, after a month the chicken will be carried.
Laying hens continue to lay for 2 years. In order to always have eggs on the farm, it is recommended to replenish the herd with young animals. For this purpose, a periodic audit is made.
Breed
Chickens are birds of many breeds. Some species lay eggs daily, while others do not. Breeds of chickens exclusively of egg production yield about 300 eggs per year.
If a person wants the chickens to rush and at the same time the meat could be eaten, pay attention to the universal options - meat-bearing species.
Laying hens bring 200 pieces per year. Moreover, their meat has good taste.
Incubation instinct
In spring and summer, the behavior of chickens changes. As a rule, this is accompanied by the fact that the laying hen has stopped producing eggs and leaves the nest in rare cases. If a bird steals eggs from other birds, it has an instinct to incubate.
The presence of external or internal parasites
The delivery of eggs depends on the state of the hen's organism. Egg production decreases or disappears completely if some kind of disease develops sharply in the bird. The bad condition can be caused by internal or external parasites. A similar issue is solved by hygienic actions in the chicken coop and taking medicines.
Predators
Rats, ferrets, martens and even foxes live near the chicken coop. They often choose for themselves such farms in which the birds produce a lot of eggs. The coop must be protected from predators. For this, all holes and loopholes are closed.
Other chickens can also act as predators. They steal eggs and then eat them. Poultry farmers often find shells from eggs in the nests.
Obesity
Chickens, which spend almost all their time in a closed chicken coop, become overgrown with fat. The limited space does not allow them to move freely. As a result, the fat that has developed builds up around the oviduct and the chicken cannot lay down. In rare cases, such situations end with the bird dying. Therefore, it is recommended to treat this issue with great responsibility.
There must be a walking yard around the coop. This allows chickens to be kept in conditions close to natural, which in turn increases their productivity.
Chickens will not get fat if they walk among the green grass, clean their plumage in ash or sand. Even if the space is limited, it is already good that there is a yard for walking.
Chickens are curious birds that will find something to do in the open air. Even if the birds are kept in a farm environment, it is still recommended to release them outdoors every day. Stay in the fresh air can last 15-20 minutes, which is good.
How to improve egg production?
There are several ways to get hens to produce eggs. You don't need to invent something supernatural for this. One has only to provide the birds with proper conditions of detention:
- Laying hens' nutrition should be complete. Diversity is welcome. The diet should contain grains, vegetables, herbs. Do not forget about additional elements such as chalk, seashells. To saturate the diet with calcium, use a little trick. The shells from the used eggs are dried and crushed. The resulting powder is added to food in the morning and evening.
- There must be water in the walking area. For convenience, drinkers are installed that adults cannot turn over.
- Layers are given time to get used to the new birds in the house. This may take 3 to 7 days.
- The place where birds are kept must be protected from external irritants. Birds do well in a quiet and calm environment.
- Regardless of the season, favorable conditions are created in the chicken coop. If the birds feel comfortable in the room, it means that the person is doing everything right. The three main rules to be followed are temperature conditions, adequate lighting and humidity.
- The herd is regularly replenished with new individuals. Thus, a person is constantly provided with eggs, without experiencing a lack of them.
Boxes intended for laying hens should also be in a protected area. If this is a chicken coop, it is located in a secluded place. A layer of straw or hay is placed on the bottom. The box is raised from the ground to avoid exposure to cold air.
If the hens are sitting in boxes in two, then they do not have enough space. As a rule, there is one box for 4 chickens. This is a very important point that poultry farmers must take into account.
Do I need a rooster for egg production?
The rooster is one of the members of the herd who is responsible for order. Chickens always listen to him. He is responsible for ensuring that all of his charges are fed and that there is enough space for everyone in the nests. There should not be many roosters in the hen house. In this case, daily fights are guaranteed.
One rooster is responsible for 10 layers. The frequency of carrying eggs does not depend on the number of males. During the growth of the young, the herd is regularly revised.
The rooster does not affect the increase in egg production. The chicken's body is designed in such a way that it will lay eggs anyway. The need for a rooster arises if a person plans to get offspring. The fact is that chicks hatch only from fertilized eggs.
When is a rooster removed from the flock?
It often happens that the rooster does not help, but only interferes. He becomes aggressive towards the owners and rushes at them when they try to feed the herd. The larger the cock, the more serious the attacks from him.
The aggressiveness of the rooster affects the egg production of chickens. His anxiety is transmitted to them, and in stressful situations, the hens stop rushing.
Roosters are removed from the herd as soon as possible. Another is taken in his place, since the chickens need his presence.
Conclusion
Most often, poultry farmers are faced with the problem of lack of egg production in chickens if they are kept in unsuitable conditions.By nature, birds have received a very sensitive organism, therefore they need care. Many people take steps to remedy the situation without understanding why it has arisen. This is wrong and only makes the problem worse.
