If conditions are right, chickens will regularly and happily lay eggs. Fortunately, the following reasons are manageable and can be remedied. Chickens that are unhealthy, either because they are malnourished or they have developed a sickness or disease, will often stop laying eggs. Their bodies lack the needed supplements to keep egg production going. Moving chickens to a new farm or new location on a farm can sometimes be so stressful to a chicken that they stop laying eggs all the sudden.
It may take a couple weeks for them to get back on their regular egg laying schedule. Chickens need lots of daylight to keep egg production at the highest rate. There are few important steps you can take to help your chickens lay more eggs or start back laying if they have suddenly stopped. Chickens need to get adequate nutrition from their food to help facilitate the egg production process.
Chicken layer feed, found at most farm supply stores, helps to encourage egg laying. Certain supplements in layer feeds, such as calcium, are vital in egg production.
You may check your coop one day and notice that there are no eggs when there should be some. One possible reason is a predator has either stolen the eggs or the chickens have stopped laying due to the stress of an intruder.
If you notice that your chickens have stopped laying eggs for no apparent reason, check for signs of a sneaky predator. Snakes, possums, raccoons, foxes and rats are notorious for stealing chicken eggs. Chickens lay more eggs when daylight lasts longer. To create artificial daylight, install a light inside your coop to trick your chickens into thinking it is daytime. Leave it on for at least 17 hours a day to keep egg production high.
Chickens enjoy a nice nesting box to lay their eggs in because it makes them feel safe and secure. Sometimes, without a safe place to lay eggs, chickens will either lay eggs in random places or they may stop laying altogether. Consider adding a few nesting boxes to your coop to encourage egg laying.
I am far happier not having hens that have their backs all torn up by a rooster's spurs when he mates with them. I'm okay with buying hatching eggs when I decide it's time to add to our flock, and enjoy not hearing a rooster crowing all day long. I admit there's nothing that says country more than a crowing rooster, and I do find myself enjoying our little guys attempting to crow when they first start to find their voices Fortunately, by concentrating on fairly rare breeds, I've had no trouble placing any roosters I end up with in good homes.
Having at least hens per rooster can help to reduce the feather damage or injury to any one hen. Choosing a docile breed of rooster or a bantam rooster can reduce aggression towards humans as well as damage to your hens. Some more docile breeds include buff Orpingtons, Australorps, Faverolles or even a Silkie or bantam breed. Raising the rooster from a day old chick and handling him frequently seems to result in a less aggressive rooster.
As for the incessant crowing Articles may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. While roosters historically have played a critical role in a chicken flock, they have largely become obsolete in the modern backyard flock. You'll need to anticipate that your hens' backs will get torn up by the rooster's claws while he's mounting them to mate with them. Putting chicken saddles on them is one solution. The saddle will protect their backs, prevent feather breakage and allow new feathers to grow in.
Be aware though, the saddles restrict the chickens from fluffing their feathers to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also provide a nice dark, warm breeding ground for mites and lice Newer post. Older Post. Be social! Fresh Eggs Daily, Inc. Roosters will crow throughout the day and people will often complain, particularly about early morning crowing. However, these collars should not be used since they prevent normal behaviours and may also cause distress or breathing difficulties.
Where it is considered necessary to use a rooster collar, the collar must be correctly fitted and removed immediately if there are any signs of distress. Roosters who have such collars fitted must be monitored closely for signs of distress or breathing difficulty. The collar must be removed immediately if the rooster is not adjusting to or coping with the collar. The RSPCA opposes these practices which prevent roosters from crowing because they prevent naturally motivated behaviours leading to negative animal welfare outcomes.
Keeping a rooster in a neighbourhood where you may have to use methods that prevent or discourage them from expressing natural behaviours like crowing will result in poor welfare for that rooster. Roosters are best kept in areas where the risk of neighbourhood complaints due to excessive noise is negligible and they are free to perform all their natural behaviours. If you do choose to have a rooster, then it is important that they are provided with comfortable, clean and suitable housing that protects them from the weather and predators.
They should also be provided with an enriching environment that includes perches and forms of enrichment that provide opportunities for and encourage natural behaviours, like dust bathing and foraging.
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