Why did my chickens stop laying?

Updated October 14, 2026 · Backyard flocks

An empty nest box is rarely a sick hen. Nine things make a hen stop laying, and the first three cover most cases. Go down the list in order, and most of the time the answer is "wait".

The quick diagnosis

What you see	Most likely	What to do
Whole flock slows in October or November	Daylight, molt	Nothing. Rest month.
Feathers everywhere, hens look scruffy	Molt	Extra protein, wait 6 to 12 weeks
Heat wave, hens panting	Heat	Shade, cool water, wait for the break
One hen won’t leave the box, growls	Broody	Break it or let her sit; no eggs either way
Hen is 3 years or older, slow decline	Age	Expected; she is retired, not broken
Sudden stop after a dog, a move, a new bird	Stress	Remove the stressor, wait a week or two
Lots of scratch and scraps, fewer eggs	Feed	Back to layer feed, treats under 10 percent
Pale combs, restless at night, dirty vents	Parasites	Check at night with a flashlight; treat
Free-rangers, boxes empty, hens look fine	Hidden nest	Confine until noon; fake egg in the box

1. Daylight

A hen needs about 14 hours of light to lay at full rate. Below 12 most pause or stop. In the northern US that is November to February; in Puerto Rico the dip is small and short. Adding a light on a timer in the coop restores laying, at the cost of the hen’s rest and some of her later years. Most backyard keepers choose the rest.

2. Molt

Once a year, usually in autumn, a hen drops her feathers and grows new ones. Feathers are mostly protein, and she cannot build those and eggs at the same time, so laying stops for six to twelve weeks. Bump protein (a 20 percent feed, or layer feed with a few mealworms) and leave her alone. It looks dramatic and it is completely normal.

3. Age

Year one is the peak. Year two is 10 to 20 percent lower, and every year after drops again. A production hybrid may be nearly done by three; a heritage hen still gives two or three eggs a week at five. If the flock is all the same age, the whole count declines together, which can look like a problem when it is simply a birthday.

4. Heat

Above about 90 °F (32 °C) hens eat less, which means less to make eggs from. Shade over the run, cool water in several places, a shallow pan to stand in, and frozen fruit. Eggs return when the weather does.

5. Broodiness

A broody hen sits on the nest all day, puffs up and growls when you reach in, and lays nothing. Some breeds (Silkies, Orpingtons, Cochins) do this constantly. Either let her hatch something, or break the broodiness: a wire-bottomed crate in the shade for three or four days usually does it.

6. Feed

Layer feed is 16 percent protein with the calcium shells need. Every handful of scratch, bread or scraps dilutes that. Keep treats under 10 percent of the diet, offer oyster shell on the side, and if egg shells have gone thin or soft, calcium is the first suspect.

7. Stress

A predator at night, a new coop, a new flock member, a dog that visits the fence. Hens can stop for a week or two after a scare. Find the cause, fix what you can, and wait.

8. Parasites and illness

Mites and lice feed at night and leave hens anemic and restless; check under the wings and around the vent with a flashlight after dark. Worms show as weight loss and dirty vents. Treat the flock, clean the coop, and note the egg withdrawal time of whatever you use, which is in our withdrawal table.

9. Hidden nests

If the hens free-range and look perfectly healthy, they are laying somewhere you are not looking. Keep them in until midday for a few days, put a ceramic egg in the box, and go looking under the porch.

The thing to remember

Most of these fix themselves. The hard part is not panicking in week three of a molt. A tracker that shows the slow weeks next to last year’s helps, and it is why ChikiPay has no streaks and no red days: a pause is normal, and the app treats it that way.

Common questions

Why did my chickens stop laying all of a sudden?

A sudden stop across the whole flock is almost always one of three things: the start of molt (look for feathers everywhere), a predator scare or new stress (a dog, a move, a new bird), or the first short days of autumn. A single hen stopping is more often broodiness, age, or hidden eggs.

Why did my chickens stop laying in summer?

Heat. Above about 90 °F (32 °C) hens eat less and lay less, and a heat wave can stop them for a week. Shade, cool water, and frozen treats help; the eggs come back when the weather breaks. August also starts the molt in some flocks.

Why did my chickens stop laying in winter?

Daylight. Laying is driven by light, and below about 12 hours most hens slow sharply or pause. It is not a problem to fix; it is a rest. Supplemental light brings eggs back but shortens a hen’s productive years.

Why did my chickens stop laying in their nesting box?

They found somewhere they like better: under a shrub, behind the shed, in the hay. Keep them in the run until midday for a few days and put a fake egg in the box. The count is fine; the eggs are hiding.

How long will my chickens not lay during molt?

Six to twelve weeks, usually in autumn, once a year after their first. Hard molters drop everything at once and come back faster; soft molters drag it out. Extra protein (a 20 percent feed or some mealworms) helps them regrow.