Why chickens can stop laying
A chicken is a bird with which many farmers begin their activity in breeding birds, because to grow and maintain this laying hen you do not need expensive equipment and a lot of time and at the beginning of the journey there is no question of why the chickens stopped laying. Mostly chickens are raised for the purpose of obtaining eggs and subsequent profit. To ensure good egg production in laying hens, it is necessary to provide it in autumn and summer with appropriate care and keeping conditions, which farmers often forget.
Why did the chickens stop laying
As a consequence, the question arises as to why the chickens stopped laying, if there are no obvious signs indicating a problem. The reasons why pies may stop laying eggs are varied and special, therefore, to find out, you will need to pay attention to reading the article.
How to feed your hens correctly?
Before looking for an answer to the question of why the hens stopped laying, one should consider a fairly common case when the laying hen simply changes the place for laying. This is especially common on small farms and can be caused by a change in flock position or any other change that interferes with the birds. It happens that birds in the spring rush even in places that are not at all distinguished by comfort and coziness, therefore it is advisable to check the bushes or flooring of logs and firewood.
Speaking about the specific reasons for the lack of eggs, it is worth noting that often the problem of deterioration egg production lies in the wrong and unbalanced diet. The value of the feed is so great that if the diet lacks at least one necessary vitamin, the number of eggs produced will drastically decrease. In order for hens not to need any trace element or product, it is necessary that the breeder follows a number of recommendations.
- The main diet of pets should be copious amounts of whole grains, barley, greens, millet and oats. In autumn and winter, chickens can be fed vegetables, but this must be done rationally so that the layers do not get fat and do not get digestive problems.
- To provide the bird with calcium, it is important to add food rich in minerals and vitamins to the daily menu, this can be shells and chalk, eggshells and bone flour... the latter are considered the main sources of phosphorus and calcium.
- You can increase the appetite of the laying hen with table salt, which is a storehouse of chloride.
- In order for the processing of food in the body to pass according to all norms, it is necessary to feed the chickens with gravel, which can cover the passage of feed in the digestive tract.
- In addition to food, it is especially important to provide adults and young adults with the proper amount of fluid. This should be monitored, in particular, in summer (June-July) and in dry hot weather.
Improper nutrition is one of the main reasons why chickens have stopped laying eggs. If you are confident in feeding your hens, there are other possible triggers to consider.
Providing hens with adequate lighting
The reasons for the deterioration of egg production can be hidden in unsatisfactory lighting arrangements for the chicken. Birds have a well-developed natural instinct, thanks to which they rise at sunrise and fall asleep at sunset. Daylight hours for chickens should last about 13-17 hours. If it is not possible to comply with the necessary conditions, then it is extremely important to provide artificial light time for the chicken coop.
At the same time, it is necessary to provide poultry with a comfortable living temperature that does not go beyond 15 ° C. A lower temperature will waste all the energy needed by hens to lay, while a higher temperature will consume more water, which will result in fewer eggs produced. To prevent the birds from freezing in winter, the house should be insulated and heated whenever possible. In summer, the birds should be allowed to walk in the shade and drink plenty of fluids.
Effects of stress on hens
Chickens are considered to be the birds that react to stress as quickly as possible. It is stress that often causes birds to stop laying eggs. It is possible to find out which particular detail led to a decrease in the number of eggs only After analyzing the daily life of the layers. So, chickens fly worse if:
- they have not yet matured after moving or the appearance of new birds in the house: it is enough to wait a week for the birds to get used to the new conditions, during this period you can feed them with greens;
- they starved for a long time or did not finish eating;
- dramatically change their diet and introduce new, previously unknown feed;
- move them to a small chicken coop with limited space for movement;
- they are affected by loud ambient sounds;
- at the moment, she is taking antibiotics and medications.
The listed reasons can be found almost immediately, so you should not postpone their search until later. It is also important to monitor the behavior and appearance of the hens. If the birds are lethargic, aggressive, loss of energy and activity, then it makes sense to show them to the veterinarian in order to identify serious illness.
Age value
It is no secret that young chickens are more productive and productive than older birds. Best of all, hens fly at the age of about 1.5-2 years, taking into account the presence of a rooster of the same age in the poultry house. To check for the presence or absence of this reason, you need to place a couple of new layers in the room. In the event that young layers begin to lay the required number of eggs, we can talk about the old chickens reaching old age. If the problem is not in the age of the hen, then the culprit for unsatisfactory egg production is an aged rooster, unable to cope with responsibilities.
What to do in this case? Old layers should be felled and replaced with young ones, and it is better to give preference to mass slaughter, so as not to confuse the birds. As a compromise option, you can use the purchase of a new herd of a different breed in order to track the "obsolete" individuals.
Ways to increase egg production
Having found out why the chickens stopped laying eggs, it is necessary to move on to considering the question of how to return them to their previous productive state and what needs to be done for this. So, chickens rush only if:
- provide them with a correct and balanced diet, rich in a variety of greens and vitamin components;
- provide them with the proper time to adapt to new living conditions, new inhabitants of the poultry house - it will not take more than a week;
- create a suitable temperature regime for pets, which will be accompanied by warm air and the correct daylight hours;
- annually replenish the flock with other birds of other breeds, in order to prevent a decrease in egg production after 9-10 months;
- provide hens with a calm environment protected from noisy influences and environmental irritants.
You will also need to carry out several elementary manipulations.
- Prepare the barn for the winter frosts, which is better to start doing in October or November. Whitewash the room with lime in advance and treat the window cracks with foam. For filling through holes, it is better to use a putty or clay solution. It is also important to cover the holes with Styrofoam and line the brick with dry corn stalks.
- In the spring, the hens have enough vegetation in the walking areas, otherwise there is a risk of a spring strike. In order for the spring to be successful, even if it is not possible to graze, it is necessary to give the hens a little chopped grass throughout the day. For these purposes, in April and May, you can use a large amount of different greens: nettle, beetroot, milkweed, etc. After receiving the necessary supply of vitamins, the chickens rush on schedule.
- You should make sure that your pets are not affected by obesity of internal organs or lack of vitamins. In the case when the chicken lacks movement, while its food is oversaturated with protein, obesity can occur. In order to remedy the situation, it is necessary to completely change the bird's diet and consult a veterinarian and a feeding specialist. You may have to switch to a special compound feed developed for laying hens and additional feeding.
When the farmer cannot figure out what exactly has led to a deterioration in the condition of the layers, you should contact your veterinarian for help as soon as possible. Sometimes serious diseases can develop inside the bird, the manifestations of which are difficult or impossible to notice.
As it turned out, the reasons for poor egg production can be hidden both in the diet and in the age of the birds. In order for the bird to be able to lay quality eggs, it is important to take care of its maintenance and a balanced diet. Only after that, the birds will again begin to delight with a large number of products.