Why your chickens are not laying eggs (overview)

There are a number of possible reasons your chickens are not laying eggs. Let's look at a brief overview of reasons to give you some ideas, and you can click on each possibility for more details and a more in-depth discussion.

Reasons your chickens are not laying

• Your hens may not be laying because they are too young.
• Your hens may not be laying because they are very old.
• Your hens may not be laying because it's wintertime.
• Your hens may not be laying because they're molting feathers.
• Your hens may not be laying because they're broody.
• Your hens may not be laying because they have internal parasites, because they have external parasites, or because they're ill. Many illnesses cause a drop or cessation of laying (some are listed below).
• Your hens may not be laying because they're stressed.
• Your hens may not be laying because they don't have a proper diet, such as enough calcium.

Another possibility is that your hens ARE laying... but that you're not finding their eggs for a number of reasons. here are a few things that may fool you into thinking that your chickens are not laying eggs when they actually are! Be sure to click on each possibility here for more details and a more in-depth discussion.

If you've decided it's time to take your chicken to the vet and you don't have one, you can consult the Association of Avian Veterinarians website to find the avian veterinarians nearest you, or try veterinary telehealth with our friends at VetTriage, who are on standby 24/7/365 and ready to help with your chicken health problems.

Reasons you are not finding your chickens' eggs

• Your hens may be eating their own eggs.
• Your hens may be laying their eggs somewhere other than the next box.
• A predator or pest of some sort may be sneaking in and eating the eggs.