The main reasons why chickens do not lay eggs and how to solve this problem

Each farmer has chicken coops with a large number of chickens in his property. The main task of laying hens in farming is the production of eggs. But it also happens that they do not cope with their task. This article will allow you to find out why the chickens stopped laying and what to do in this case.

Bird feeding

When breeding chickens and other birds, a large attention should be paid to feeding. The bird can be underfed, and then exhaustion is possible. But you can also overfeed, which will cause obesity. The result is the absence of eggs or a decrease in their number.

What food should be included in the diet:

• The composition of the food should include proteins, without them the chicken may simply not survive. This is the main product for growth. Proteins include fish, dairy products, and legumes.
• It is worth paying attention to carbohydrate foods. It includes cereals and root crops.
• Mineral feeds contain calcium, which forms the egg shell, and sodium, which prevents the occurrence of diseases, as well as many other necessary elements.
• Food must be healthy and contain a large amount of vitamins, otherwise it is likely that the chickens will stop laying.

The main food for birds are cereal plants. Each of them has a different content of nutrients. Therefore, in order not to ask later the question of why the chickens do not lay well, it is better to mix the feed. Now types of compound feed with different percentages of cereals are actively used: wheat should be about 50%, oats no more than 15%, barley should be 25%, you can add a little rye, millet and corn (about 5%).

Feed can be given to chickens either dry or wet. It can also be whole or crushed. During the day, it is better to prefer crushed food, and leave whole food at night. It will take longer to digest and the birds will not feel hungry.

The amount of feed per hen should be about 150 gram. Most of it should be carbohydrates, and the rest proteins. Salt should be added, about 0,4 g per chicken, and limestone about six grams. Access to water should be free so that the chickens do not feel thirsty. It should be warm and always clean.

Feeding regime

The bird has a special structure of the digestive system, and food goes through all stages of digestion very quickly. Therefore, in order for the chickens to rush well, you need fill feeders more than three times a day.

You can feed chickens with wet mash. There is nothing difficult in their preparation. This is a common mixture, which includes various types of feed in crushed form and in small quantities. All this is mixed and wetted with water. It is important that the mixture is well mixed and does not contain lumps, otherwise the chickens can be harmed. Mixers spoil very quickly, so you need to give food in such a period of time that the birds ate it in half an hour. After the chickens eat food, you need to thoroughly clean the feeder, otherwise mold may appear.

Feed preparation steps

• The first stage is grinding. In this state, the food will be better absorbed by the chickens.
• Next comes the mixing of feed.
• The next step is yeasting. This is done in order to fill the food with useful substances and increase the digestibility of the feed.
• This is followed by boiling.
• Sprouting is a good way to make feed. It is necessary to soak the grain for a day in warm water, then drain the water and decompose the grains. During soaking, you need to mix the feed several times so that the sprouts germinate. They can be very small, or you can achieve the appearance of green sprouts. In this way, the grain is saturated with nutrients, as a result of which it becomes easier to digest.

If you want to add a little root crops, then you need to boil them first. This should not be done with carrots, because it can lose its beneficial properties during the cooking process.

You have to be very careful to don’t overfeed the bird. Overfeeding can cause hens to stop laying.

Content

Another very important reason why chickens do not lay well is incorrect content. We all know that birds can’t see well in the dark. Therefore, it is very important to create a light period for them, which will last up to 12 hours. Otherwise, the layers will not be able to eat and will sit in one place for a long time, which will have a bad effect on egg production. Also, the chicken coop must be equipped in such a way that the temperature in it is not lower than 15 degrees, otherwise the birds will freeze and spend their energy only on heating their own bodies and begin to rush badly.

The room must be well ventilated, while doing everything to minimize the possibility of a draft. If the order in the chicken coop is not observed, laying hens can easily get sick.

Chicken health

Chickens are living organisms like everyone else. Therefore, if living and feeding conditions are violated, they can get sick, and they will stop rushing. Laying hens should be constantly inspected, their behavior, appearance, and appetite should be observed. If symptoms such as lethargy, baldness, loss of appetite are observed, then most likely they are sick.

Plumage loss may be due to a lack of vitamins or the appearance of parasites. But do not panic right away, these are not the only reasons. Feathers may occasionally fall out due to molting. At certain times of the year, feathers fall out, so do not worry if this process does not drag on for a long time. If the loss of feathers is accompanied by the fact that the chickens have stopped laying, you need to pay close attention to this.

Some diseases of the genital organs of chickens are not treatable, so it is very important to notice the disease in time and consult a specialist. It is worth sounding the alarm if signs such as:

• thinning and fragility of the egg shell;
• the presence of irregularly shaped eggs;
• multi-yolk eggs;
• change in color of eggs.

Chickens can develop both non-communicable diseases and infectious. The latter most often occur when laying hens come into contact with wild birds.

It must also be remembered that egg production directly depends on the age of the bird. The younger she is, the more she will carry. Chickens should be changed at most every two years so that the number of eggs received on the farm does not decrease.

Other reasons

The weather has a significant impact on the productivity of laying hens. They will produce a large number of eggs in the warm season. In winter, the number will either decrease markedly, or there will be a complete absence of eggs.

Chicken has a lot of attention to the length of the day. These birds need a constant walk.

It is worth noting that the breed of chickens also affects egg production. If the farmer is interested in the number of eggs, then you need to choose layers of the desired breed. Perfect for these purposes Russian white breed. These laying hens produce a large number of eggs and perfectly adapt to the Russian climate.

From the foregoing, it becomes obvious that laying hens should be given great attention. This is especially important for farmers who make money selling eggs. After all, if the farm has a large number of birds, and they do not bring benefits, then this is a waste of time, feed and money. To get meaningful results, you need to pay attention to all the little things. If you just get chickens and wait for a large number of eggs, without making any effort, you can be left with nothing. At best, the birds will live to adulthood, and the owner will have meat, but not eggs. Although for someone this will become a profit, because chicken meat costs a lot of money.

But still, if there is a desire to have healthy chickens and a large number of eggs, then it is necessary follow the feeding schedule, the right diet, the right conditions for keeping birds. You need to be extremely careful in everything, and then the economy will flourish. It is also worth saying that a couple of hens can be left to hatch chicks, so as not to spend money on acquiring new layers, but to grow them yourself. On this you can earn additional funds and spend them on expanding your business.