The other day my friend was cleaning her chicken coop. She came out of the coop a little disappointed so naturally I had to ask what was wrong. She replied that a couple of her chickens have never laid an egg. If you’re keeping chickens solely for the purpose of having fresh eggs, it can be frustrating when you have to ask – why has my chicken never laid an egg?
Chickens do not lay eggs for several reasons. These include the age of the hen, the amount of sunlight she is getting, and the amount of stress your hen is suffering. Illness can also be a factor. You also might be surprised to find that your hen can be hiding her eggs!
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Age Matters
Just like in all animals, there comes a point in a chicken’s life when she reaches maturity. In hens, this means she will start laying eggs.
So if your hen is still very young, you shouldn’t be expecting to get any eggs for a while.
Most hens begin to lay eggs at around 5 months. But the exact age can vary.
Penelope, one of my hens started laying at only 4 months old! But most of mine started between 5-7 months.
And this goes for hens who have stopped laying as well.
Over time, hens lay less eggs per week and after about 2 years you will notice a steady difference in the number of eggs you are getting.
Unfortunately, there is little you can do to make your chickens lay eggs if they simply have not reached maturity.
So be patient and when they are at egg-laying age, add these ceramic eggs to their nesting boxes to give them some extra encouragement – it really does work!
And for now check out all the ways you can use your extra eggs once your hens do start laying!
Do You Have a Rooster?
If your chicken is over 6-7 months of age and you are still not getting any eggs – take a moment to ask yourself if you possibly have a rooster.
For experienced chicken keepers it may be easy to tell the difference, but if you’re new to the chicken keeping game then you might not be able to tell at first glance.
Signs you have a rooster include:
- Crowing
- Dominance or aggression
- Trying to mount the other hens
If you find out that you do have a rooster, then you certainly will not get any eggs from him. So if your main goal is to keep chickens for eggs, aim to get only female chicks, or pullets!
Sunlight
To give a constant supply of eggs your chickens require a minimum of 14-16 hours of daylight each day.
If they don’t get enough sunlight then egg production decreases immensely. This is because of a change in their hormonal response.
Daylight hours in the US can drop to less than 9 hours in the winter due to shorter days, so increasing the amount of artificial light during winter months might be a good idea. Use these solar chicken coop lights to add extra light and jump start your flock’s egg production!
You have a Broody Hen
You might feel a sudden urge to give up on the girls as nothing you do is working.
They are well-fed and they are getting just enough light. You are doing everything right but they still won’t lay.
Don’t give up just yet!
Your girls might have their maternity mode on.
If this is the case, your hen will not lay any eggs no matter the amount of sunshine or artificial light you give her.
Nothing you feed her will make her change her mind.
When chickens get broody all they want is their baby chicks. They begin sitting on their eggs rather than leaving them alone for a full three weeks until they hatch.
That means no eggs for 21 days. That is usually 15-21 or more eggs we are talking about.
That is no good!
Here are a few signs to look for if you think your have a broody hen:
- She refuses to leave her spot in the coop for long periods of time
- She will not let anyone near her nest or her eggs
- She will begin plucking her feathers near the breast area to keep the eggs warm
And even if you don’t see any eggs in the nesting box, check around the coop and the run for a nest that she might have made herself.
I have found hidden eggs on more than one occasion!
Oh and we recently had a broody hen who hatched out her own chicks! You can watch the video here!
Sickness
Now what?
Your chickens are well fed, they get enough sunlight, no broody hens or hidden eggs in sight.
Plus your flock is between 7 months to 2 years old.
But somehow you still aren’t getting any eggs.
Nothing is more frustrating than that!
But there is a possibility that they might be ill. Chickens suffering from illness in the form of stress, moulting, or parasites will likely not produce eggs.
Stress
When we are stressed we cannot get anything done! We lose our focus and cannot concentrate on the tasks at hand.
This is pretty similar when it comes to chickens.
The only difference is that if your girls are stressed then they might stop laying eggs altogether.
Some causes of stress can be the weather or change in temperature, if you have introduced new chickens to the flock, overcrowding, dehydration, predation, or even an overactive rooster.
If you think your hens might be stressed, here are some signs to look for:
- Evidence of predators near the coop – broken wire, pawprints, scratches on the hens
- Bald patches lacking in feathers
- Lack of drinking water or food
- Aggression towards a new member of the flock
All of these signs can signal that your flock is stressed.
And stressed chickens tend to not produce any eggs!
So always make sure that your coop is predator-proof, you give your flock plenty of food and fresh, clean water, you have a good hen to rooster ratio, and you carefully introduce new chickens to the flock!
Molting
One day I walked into the chicken coop and noticed a bunch of loose feathers laying around.
After briefly panicking, a quick Google search revealed that my chickens were just going through their annual moult.
Chickens who are one year and above often begin to lose their feathers during the autumn months.
This is known as moulting.
It usually looks like the chicken has undergone some serious plucking and it can last anywhere from six to twelve weeks.
During the moulting period, chickens utilise most of their energy to produce new feathers and often stop laying eggs all together.
Once her plumage is back to its former state then she will begin laying eggs again – as long as all conditions are ideal for egg production.
Cold or Parasites
If your chicken has slimy nostrils or is walking with its beak open then it might have a cold.
These signs show that the chicken is having difficulty breathing.
In this case you should isolate the chicken that you believe has a cold so that it doesn’t spread to the remaining flock.
Another sign that a chicken is sick is the chickens’ comb going pale.
This is usually a sign that the bird has worms, mites or lice.
You will also notice they will scratch themselves constantly.
Spray the chicken and the chicken coop with a poultry cleaner to rid yourself of this infestation.
How can I encourage my chicken to lay eggs?
Here are a few ways to encourage your hens to lay healthy organic eggs. Make the nest spaces appealing and avoid overcrowding so that the nests remain appealing to them. Make sure to collect the eggs regularly and try adding fake ceramic eggs to the coop to show them where to lay. And if you are aiming for a certain number of eggs per week, check out how many hens you need for a dozen eggs per week!
What is the best thing to include in a chicken’s diet so that they lay more eggs?
Diet has a big impact on your hens eggs. A few treats that can help in increasing the egg production rate and also keep your girls happy and well-fed are a good brand of pellets specifically for egg-layers, organic green vegetables from the garden such as pak choi, spinach, kale, millet or silverbeet, and snacks such as pumpkin seeds, oats and mealworms which are high in protein and aid in increasing egg production.
What breeds do not lay eggs?
Some chicken breeds won’t lay many eggs per year – which may leave you wondering why has my chicken never laid an egg. Stir away from chickens with low egg rates if you intend to invest in chickens for egg production. Some breeds that lay less than 100 eggs a year are Ameraucana and Silkies. Some chickens with high egg production rates are Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons.
So why has my chicken never laid an egg? We have looked at all the reasons why this may have happened. Your girls might be underfed, not getting enough sunlight, might be suffering from illness, molting or maybe they’re just not old enough. Make sure to keep all the predators and uninvited roosters away to avoid giving the chicken unwanted stress, and have some patience!
Use this guide to help determine “why has my chicken never laid an egg?” and what to do about it! Before you know it you will have dozens of freshly laid eggs!
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