Why Hens Stop Laying Eggs: 10 Real Causes and Exactly How to Fix Them

The most common question in every backyard chicken group is some version of the same thing: my hens stopped laying, what did I do wrong?

The answer is almost never that you did something wrong. Egg production in backyard flocks responds to a wide range of normal biological and environmental signals. Understanding which signal is affecting your flock is the diagnostic work that gets you back to a full nest box.

Here are the ten reasons hens stop laying, ranked roughly by how often they occur, with exactly how to identify each one and what actually fixes it.

1. Seasonal Daylight Reduction

This is the most common reason hens stop or significantly reduce laying, and it catches new flock keepers by surprise every fall.

Hens require 14 to 16 hours of light per day to maintain consistent egg production. As days shorten after the summer solstice, production drops noticeably in most breeds by October and November. Some hens stop completely by December.

How to identify it: Production drops gradually starting in September or October. The hens appear healthy, are eating and drinking normally, and have no other symptoms.

How to fix it: Supplement with artificial light to maintain 14 to 16 total hours per day. A single 40 to 60-watt equivalent LED bulb on a timer, programmed to turn on in the early morning before natural sunrise, extends the photoperiod without disrupting nighttime rest. Add light in the morning rather than the evening.

What to consider before fixing it: Hens that lay through winter on supplemental light do not go through a full molt, which can shorten their productive life. Many experienced keepers accept reduced winter production and allow a natural annual molt cycle.

2. Molting

Molting is the annual feather replacement cycle that occurs in most hens after their first 12 to 18 months of laying. During molt, the hen redirects energy from egg production to feather replacement.

How to identify it: Hens are losing feathers, sometimes dramatically. You find feathers throughout the coop and run. Production drops significantly or stops. Molting hens often look rough and patchy.

How to fix it: Molt cannot and should not be prevented in a normal flock. Support your hens through it by increasing dietary protein to 18 to 20 percent. Mealworms, sunflower seeds, and higher-protein flock raiser feed blended with layer feed all help.

Timeline: Fast-molting hens complete molt in 8 to 12 weeks. Slow-molting heritage breeds can take 16 weeks or longer.

3. Age

Hens reach peak production in their first laying year. After that, production declines each year. A hen that laid 280 eggs in year one typically lays 230 in year two, 190 in year three.

How to identify it: Older hens are healthy but consistently laying less over multiple seasons.

How to fix it: Adding younger birds to the flock maintains overall production. Most homesteaders introduce new pullets every two to three years to keep the flock age-balanced.

4. Stress

Chickens are creatures of habit and respond to disruption with reduced laying. Causes include: introducing new birds, moving the flock, predator attacks or scares, changes in feed, extreme weather events.

How to identify it: Production drops suddenly after a specific identifiable event. Hens do not show other health symptoms. Production typically returns within two to four weeks after the stressor resolves.

How to fix it: Minimize unnecessary disruptions. When changes are necessary, manage them gradually where possible. After a predator scare, reinforce coop security and give the flock time to settle.

5. Nutritional Deficiency or Imbalance

Egg production requires specific nutrients in adequate amounts. Calcium is the most critical: a laying hen needs 4 grams of calcium per day for shell formation.

How to identify it: Shells are thin, soft, or have surface irregularities. Hens may be consuming layer feed but supplementing heavily with treats or scratch grains that dilute nutrient density.

How to fix it: Confirm hens are receiving complete layer feed as at least 90 percent of their diet. Offer oyster shell free-choice. Reduce anything that crowds out complete feed.

6. Broody Behavior

A broody hen has decided to sit on eggs and hatch them. Once triggered, she stops laying and sits on her nest for 21 days or indefinitely.

How to identify it: One or more hens are sitting on the nest for extended periods, puffed up, growling when disturbed.

How to fix it: If you want to hatch eggs, let her do her work. If you want to return her to laying, remove her from the nest repeatedly, block access to nest boxes temporarily, and if needed, place her in a wire-bottom cage with food and water but no bedding for several days.

7. Heat Stress

Temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit cause laying hens to reduce production. Above 95 degrees, production often stops.

How to identify it: Production drops during hot weather. Hens are panting, holding wings away from body, spending time in shade.

How to fix it: Provide shade and adequate ventilation. Ensure unlimited access to fresh, cool water. Frozen treats help lower body temperature. In very hot climates, a misting system provides meaningful cooling.

8. Illness or Parasite Load

Respiratory infections, high external parasite loads (mites, lice), and internal parasites all reduce egg production.

How to identify it: Production drops alongside other symptoms: lethargy, respiratory sounds, changes in droppings, pale combs, visible parasites.

How to fix it: Identify the specific issue before treating. External parasites can be checked by examining feathers near the vent, under wings, and around the neck. Contact your county cooperative extension office or a poultry veterinarian for illness diagnosis.

9. Inadequate Water Access

Water restriction of even a few hours during hot weather can reduce egg production for several days.

How to identify it: Production drops without other clear cause. Check water availability, cleanliness, and temperature. In winter, confirm waterers are not freezing.

How to fix it: Maintain unlimited access to fresh, clean water at all times. In winter, a heated waterer prevents freezing.

Heated chicken waterer for winter

10. Hidden Nest

If eggs seem to have dropped but your hens appear healthy, they may be laying in a hidden location outside the coop. Free-range hens develop the habit of laying in garden edges, under shrubs, or in any covered location.

How to identify it: Production appears to have dropped but hens show no health or stress symptoms. Free-range access has expanded recently. You occasionally hear the egg song from outside the coop.

How to fix it: Search methodically under every shrub, in every corner of your yard, under outbuildings. Confining hens to the coop for several days resets the laying habit to the nest boxes.

For more on managing your flock through seasonal changes, see our chicken molting guide and backyard chickens for beginners.

— Last updated: June 2026. Based on direct flock management experience across multiple laying seasons.