Over the past few months, I’ve learned a happy hen is a laying hen. I have 9 New Hampshires and have found them to be a little nervous after moving into their new coop. They are now settling in but for a few days after being moved their eating and laying habits dropped off a lot. If your hen’s egg production has dropped off, or if they have stopped laying all together, making them feel safe can help fix that problem.
Here is a list of suggestions that can keep your hens happy and laying their best.
1. Stress
Stress is one of the main reasons a hen may stop laying. So, what causes them to have stress? Allowing them to feel unsafe. After moving them into a new coop their stress levels were high and then I noticed a young hawk that had moved into the area and found my birds. Each day he’d stop by their coop, and while he couldn’t get to them they found it very upsetting. So I had to use wood to block their view. He still comes by from time to time, but it worked. They don’t seem to be frightened by what they can’t see.
2. Lighting
Make sure they get as much daylight as possible. Hens need at least 14 hours of light per day to produce good egg-laying. During the winter months egg production may slow down but if their coop is where they get the most sun you should still receive a good number of eggs. If you choose to you can add additional lighting to the coop using solar lights.
3. Feed
Just as with us, a healthy diet make all the difference. Your hens are the same way, they need a balanced diet of protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates. So purchase a good quality layer feed to ensure their health and egg production.
4. Water
Chickens should always have access to clean water. On hot days make sure to place extra in the coop and/or run and change it out during the day to keep it cool. In winter, make sure it doesn’t freeze.
5. Temperature
Hens lay best when it’s not too cold or too hot. If possible, keep the temperature in their coop above 55° F in the winter. You can use traps to help keep the cold air out and good clean bedding to keep the warmth in. During the summer, provide plenty of shade and cool water. Changing out the water throughout the day can keep the sun from heating up the water too much. I live in zone 9 and during the hottest days of summer, the water in the coop can become undrinkable.
6. Molting
During molting, chickens will slow their egg production. Molting occurs about once a year and will last from two to six months. There isn’t much you can do here, but they don’t molt at the same time usually so if you have enough hen’s to supply your family you should be ok.
7. Predators
Predators will eat your eggs and chickens if they can get to them. Prevent this by improving the coop so that predators can’t get in. Also gathering the eggs daily prevents them from having a tempting food source.
These are just some of the ways I’ve worked at keeping my hen’s as happy as possible. I also inspect the coop and chickens daily to make sure they are free of stress and danger as much as I can. Each day brings it’s own issues, so a daily check keeps problems away.
However, age plays its part. By the time your birds are 3-5 years old, they will only be laying half of what they once did. Raising a new flock every few years is the best way to have an ongoing supply of backyard eggs.