When you decide to take some laying hens, it is done above all for the prospect of enjoying fresh self-produced eggs. For this reason, when the eggs are scarce, if there are less of them in the nests or worse, they are not found at all, it is easy to get demoralized. And when this situation persists and does not seem to improve, panicking and assaulting a thousand questions is almost inevitable. How come the hens they stop producing eggs?
Has the hen really stopped laying eggs?
Before despairing it is good to make sure that the hens have actually stopped producing, and have not instead decided to abandon the eggs in another part of the garden. This can happen if their nest is perceived as too exposed, not protected enough or generally unsuitable. Indeed, hens need precise conditions for the spawning: they need a secluded place, which does not make them vulnerable and which protects them from the clamor of the day, from the confusion of the garden. Furthermore, the place must be comfortable and mild, to facilitate a long stop and therefore favor the stay of the animals inside. In this sense it is essential to have a domestic chicken coop suitable, which has well protected nests, quiet and comfortable.
If your nests are large enough and you have taken care of all these aspects, it is very likely that your eggs are not in some corner of the yard. They probably weren't actually deposed. There are several reasons why this happens: for example, if the hen is too young or too old, it will hardly lay eggs. A young hen, ie under six months, does not yet have a fully developed reproductive system and is therefore rarely able to produce eggs so early. On the contrary, an elderly hen, about four or five years old, will no longer be biologically predisposed to production or in any case will see it greatly reduced. In these cases it is not possible to intervene with specific solutions, if not respecting the natural life cycle of the animals. However, taking care of their diet remains a good practice to follow, to ensure the welfare of the hens.
Why don't hens lay eggs anymore?
Another reason hens stop egg production may be there move. In the period in which these animals change their plumage, they employ a large amount of energy which is therefore subtracted from the hen production. The period of suspension of the production changes according to the variety of the hens and the man has little room for action, to facilitate the laying in this period. It is necessary to wait for the end of this phase and provide the animals with a considerable protein intake, which balances the great physical effort due to the moult: it is sufficient to dissolve the proteins in the water with which the hens are fed.
Altra the cause of the lack of production may be the winter season, which with a few hours of light alters the biological cycle of the animals and does not favor deposition. Some breeders compensate for this totally natural fact by subjecting animals to artificial light. In doing so, however, they commit a forcing, which does not respect the normal vital progression of the animals. This happens especially in intensive industrial farms, where production is the only reason for life of the hens and is therefore supported with every harvest, to the detriment of the animals' serenity. However, precisely these narrow and promiscuous environments they stress the hens a lot, who need to be outdoors and above all to frequent spacious and large places. Being very delicate animals, adverse psychological conditions negatively affect the psychophysical balance of the hens which can therefore stop producing eggs.
To avoid such an epilogue and respect these delicate animals, it is sufficient to support their biological cycle and provide them with a place to live and lay that is quiet, clean and spacious. After a day outdoors if the hens return to a modern chicken coop equipped with every comfort, they will live peacefully and this will decrease the likelihood of losing their fantastic eggs.
