Why don't chickens lay eggs in winter: what to do?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Recently, people are increasingly appreciating natural food. That is why they are engaged in vegetable gardens, where they grow vegetables that are not "fed" with harmful chemicals. They build gardens where fruits and berries ripen solely due to care, care, timely watering and sunlight. Also, many people keep their own household: geese, ducks, chickens, and the most daring even pigs or cows.

As a result, they always have fresh, harmless and tasty products on the table. Anytime milk, meat or eggs. And most importantly, that everything is yours!

However, in winter, some people face a serious problem that overshadows the joy of owning their own household. They can no longer, for example, eat an omelette every morning. Because their chickens don't lay. Why is this happening? And how to deal with adversity? And is it possible?

All these questions have clear and complete answers. And our readers will know them all if they read this article!

What do we know about chickens?

Before you can find a solution to the problem, you need to understand that,actually, we know about domestic chickens. Maybe they shouldn't lay at all in winter?

After all, since childhood, every child knows for sure that before winter, most birds fly south. Therefore, in autumn, if you throw your head back at the right moment, you can see in the sky, for example, even wedges of cranes heading to warmer climes. Where they will spend several months until good, warm weather returns to their usual habitat. When the first sun appears in the spring, the birds will return. To build nests and have chicks.

But chickens are also birds… What if it is natural for them to rush only in warm weather?

Should chickens lay eggs in winter?

The most important question, without an answer to which further study and discussion of the problem is impossible, is formed in the heading of the current paragraph. Therefore, before you figure out why laying hens do not lay and what to do, you should figure out if they should even lay in winter.

So, actually, hens should be laying at any time of the year. However, for a number of reasons, perfectly he althy and young individuals may suddenly stop laying eggs. And it does not matter at all what the weather will be like outside.

However, in winter, in conditions of high humidity, low temperatures, lack of sunlight and shortening of the day, this situation is most likely. But it can be prevented. If you look into the factors that affect the egg production of chickens.

Why do chickens stop laying eggs in winter?

We have already indicatedearlier that in winter even the best laying hens, due to changes in the environment, stop laying eggs. However, in addition to these factors beyond human control, there are others. Which is also very important to be aware of in order to avoid the problem explored in this article.

Why chickens stopped laying eggs in winter, reasons:

• wrong breed of individual;
• fatigue;
• stress;
• wrong arrangement of nests;
• lack of vitamins;
• oversaturation;
• changing feathers;
• cold water consumed by an individual;
• illness.

Also, the already listed weather conditions affect egg production. Having identified them all, you should proceed to a thorough and detailed analysis of these factors.

What does "wrong breed" mean?

Very often, farmers are tormented by the question "why the chickens do not lay." They rebuild chicken coops, completely change the diet, buy a young rooster (because it is believed that with him egg production is significantly increased), they provide electricity to the birds to provide them with light, and regularly heat the room in which the layers are located. It just doesn't make any sense at all. How much effort, time and money do not invest, chickens do not rush! And it seems like nothing can be done about it.

However, often the problem lies in the fact that farmers (most often beginners face this situation) have chosen the wrong breed of an individual. That is, they bought meat and egg chicken, which is bred and fattened exclusively for meat in the future. And he needed an egg. After all, it is she:

• begins to rush much earlier;
• survive better;
• gives the maximum number of eggs.

Why can chickens get tired?

The next reason why chickens don't lay is because they're tired. Let us explain: a chicken begins to lay at the age of six months, over the next two years, its body gradually weakens, the individual grows old and at first gives a small number of eggs, and then stops laying altogether.

This is why experienced farmers strongly recommend regularly rotating chickens. What is meant by this? Quite a life process. The use of old chickens for food and the acquisition of new individuals in their place. This will allow you to always have both eggs and chicken meat.

What is stress for chickens?

Many people believe that chicken is just food, it has no feelings or emotions. Therefore, when trying to find an answer to the question of why laying hens do not rush, some novice farmers do not even consider the possibility that the animal may be stressed. But in fact, a chicken is the same living creature as other animals and like ourselves. Which is very susceptible to negative environmental factors.

For this reason, to increase egg production, you should check for factors such as:

• presence of strangers in or near the chicken coop;
• presence of nearby animals;
• too loud sounds, noises, music;
• Insufficient area of chicken habitat - chicken coop(for example, to accommodate forty chickens, a chicken coop of at least ten meters is required).

All of these seemingly frivolous reasons can have a negative impact on chickens. They will no longer feel safe, so they will be afraid to have offspring (eggs are future chickens).

How to build a chicken nest?

Very often, why chickens do not lay can be explained with one simple phrase - improper arrangement of nests intended for laying eggs. However, if it clarifies a lot to experienced farmers, then it will cause bewilderment and a lot of questions for beginners. Therefore, below we will explain how to equip chicken nests correctly.

It should not be assumed that each individual in the hen house should have its own nest. In fact, hens do not lay eggs all day, so they can change each other. Thus, one nest is enough for four to five layers. You need to place it in a darker area of the chicken coop, most importantly, not on the floor. Also, the chicken nest should be covered with straw, periodically replacing it with a dry one.

What vitamins do chickens need to increase egg production?

The internal structure of chickens is significantly different from the human. For example, their food is not stored in the stomach, but in the goiter, which is located just above the chest under the throat. So that it does not clog, the chicken needs to peck sand, small pebbles, ash, a special shell and a regular one along with food.coarse s alt.

Besides, despite the fact that a chicken is a domestic bird, it is still not necessary to create too ideal conditions for it. That is, if it is not possible to enclose the chicken coop with a net, thereby constructing a corral where individuals can move arbitrarily, they need to allocate a special container into which to pour the above mixtures. This will allow the chicken to row with its paws and peck at the vitamins it needs. Thereby improving digestion and increasing egg production. Well, this will help the farmer solve the main problem and get an answer to the question of why the chickens stopped laying.

Is it right to overfeed chickens?

Many farmers believe that if chickens are given too much food, they will lay many more eggs. However, this judgment is erroneous. Because overfeeding chickens, on the contrary, leads to the fact that they swim in fat and stop laying.

Thus, if there are problems with laying hens, the farmer should pay attention and think about whether his pets get a lot of food. Perhaps it is this factor that is the cause and answer to the questions why chickens do not rush in winter. What to do in such a situation is obvious.

How is the seasonal change of chicken feathers and egg production related?

Chickens are birds just like any other. The only difference is that they are kept at home. Nevertheless, the peculiarity of the biological cycle, which is characteristic of all other creatures, is reflected in them. How? For example, in the form of a seasonal change of feathers.

But how doesthis process on egg production of chickens? At first glance, there is no connection. Although in fact it is. After all, when the seasons change during the year, chickens do not always get enough vitamins and minerals. Therefore, they very often do not even have the strength to rush.

How does the temperature of the water a chicken drinks affect egg production?

When analyzing the problem of “why chickens do not lay eggs in winter”, it is very important to consider the option that the water they use may be cold. And this is very dangerous for the individual. And not only because the chicken can get sick. But also for another reason. To understand it more clearly, it is necessary to study when, in fact, the chicken needs liquid.

So, each hen drinks water before bed at night and after she lays her egg. If the water in the drinker is very cold, the individual will refuse it. Consequently, she will not have enough of an important liquid, and she will stop laying eggs. The same thing will happen if in another season you forget to add water to the drinker when it is empty.

"Winter" diseases of chickens and their causes

It's no secret that it's very cold outside in winter. That is why the most common diseases of chickens, such as frostbite, disease of the bronchi and trachea, occur due to hypothermia. It is their presence that explains why chickens do not lay eggs in winter.

However, securing individuals is quite simple. It is enough to carefully monitor the full diet of laying hens and provide warmth and light in the chicken coop.

What tipscan experienced farmers give to beginners?

In almost all cases, a beginner needs good advice from an experienced knowledgeable person. For this reason, at the end of this article, we provide recommendations to help beginner farmers understand why chickens do not lay eggs in winter.

Solutions:

1. To give the chicken the opportunity to drink water at an acceptable temperature at any time, a special system should be organized in the chicken coop that will supply water to the drinker as needed.
2. To insulate the chicken coop, it is enough to cover the floor with any warm bedding - cardboard or straw, and for the walls they usually use plastic wrap and foam. It is also important to check the room for drafts.
3. In order for chickens to rush, you should maintain a favorable temperature in the chicken coop. It should not fall below ten degrees. And also provide individuals with constant light during the daytime. At night, it is recommended to let them rest in the dark.
4. In addition, if you ask experienced farmers why chickens do not lay eggs and what to do to correct the situation, many of them will answer: add a large amount of nettle to the diet of laying hens. It doesn't matter if it's fresh or dry. The effect will be in any case! Because it contains special tannins, vitamins and proteins. Which laying hens need, especially in winter.