My girls were laying great and then just about stopped over the last couple of weeks. Nothing obvious has changed. Is this just a seasonal thing, or should I be worried something’s wrong?
Oh, that’s one of those frustrating moments — everything seems fine and then the nest boxes go quiet. The good news is there are a bunch of pretty common, fixable reasons this happens.
First, the seasonal stuff. If your days are getting shorter, that’s almost certainly part of it. Hens need around 14–16 hours of light to keep laying steadily. As daylight drops in fall, their bodies get the signal to take a break. It’s completely natural, even if the timing feels sudden.
But a few other things are worth checking too:
- Molt. If you’re seeing extra feathers around the coop, they may have started their annual molt. Laying drops way off during molt — that’s normal and usually lasts 6–12 weeks.
- Stress. A predator scare, a change in flock dynamics, a new bird, even a shift in their routine can put hens off laying for a week or two.
- Feed changes. Did the bag of feed change, even slightly? Protein level matters a lot for laying.
- Water. Hot weather or freezing temps can reduce how much they drink, and that hits production fast.
- Hidden nest. Occasionally a hen finds a sneaky spot and the eggs just aren’t where you’re looking.
When to call the vet. If any birds seem lethargic, off their feed, or you notice anything physically wrong — that’s worth a call to your vet rather than a wait-and-see.
What time of year are you in, and how old are your hens? That’ll help narrow it down a good bit.