Right now, blogs and the news are full of egg news. Between the shortages at grocery stores, rising egg prices, and urban and backyard chicken farmers reporting their flocks aren't producing as expected, it seems like there's a new egg-based story at the top of my feed every day.
Luckily, I have several hens who are reliable layers, so I can count on at least a few eggs a day, even in the middle of winter. But my production is way down right now, as it often is this time of the year. If yours is, too, and you want to boost it, here are the top things I look at to increase production:
Light - The "to light or not to light" debate fills chicken blogs and social media groups. Both camps have very strong feelings on the issue and are sure the other side is wrong.
Chickens are photosensitive layers. Many people think chickens slow down egg production in the winter because it's colder - not true - it slows primarily because winter days are shorter. Most chicken breeds need between 14-16 hours of light daily to maximize their laying. With enough light, chickens will continue to produce, even as the temperatures drop.
Some backyard chicken owners will add a light to their coop to maximize laying through the months with shorter days, but others are adamantly opposed to it. Most of the opposition centers around the idea that because it's natural for chickens to stop laying for a few months, it's healthier for them to do so and allow their bodies some time off to recuperate.
I keep a light in my coop on a timer during the shorter days, and it makes a big difference. To ensure that my chickens are still taken care of, I pay particular attention to their nutrition as it gets colder. I use a timer for Christmas lights and an LED garage light plugged into an extension cord; it's a simple setup, but it makes a huge difference.
Protein content in food - This is the issue chicken people across the internet and news are talking about right now. Some claim that major chicken food manufacturers dropped the protein percentage in their layer feed, which tanked backyard producers’ egg output. One guy even claimed that he hasn’t gotten any eggs since July.
Incidentally, if *I* hadn't gotten any eggs since July, I would have an entire chest freezer full of chickens to roast, but maybe that's just me.
If you're concerned about the protein content in your chicken food, there are several ways to mitigate it. First, change the food you're using. "All flock" mixes generally have a higher protein content because turkeys, guineas, and waterfowl have higher protein needs than chickens. Also, supplementing with scratch grain and bugs (my chickens love mealworms) will help ensure they're getting enough.
My chickens also eat almost all our food waste - including the kids' half-eaten chicken nuggets (it's a little dark) - so they get more protein and veggies in our table scraps. Chickens are omnivorous, so they'll eat bugs and even small animals. I have one girl who loves to catch and eat mice.
In addition to ensuring the food has enough protein, adding oyster shell or some other calcium supplement will keep your eggshells in good condition.
Molting - If your chickens are over a year old, they're likely to molt. Mine will start molting at about 18 months old, usually in the fall, when their older and damaged feathers will fall out. Feathers are made almost entirely of protein, so chickens will stop laying eggs as their bodies focus on regrowing feathers. This process can sometimes take weeks and even months.
The best way to prevent a flock-wide molt from taking out your whole egg capacity at once is to rotate chickens of various ages through so you always have at least a few layers under a year old. This strategy is also a great excuse to get new chickens every spring, and I use this argument with my husband to buy or hatch new chicks annually even when he insists we have enough.
Stress - Identifying stressors can be a little harder to figure out and often requires careful observation. Luckily, if you're a person who loves having chickens, you're also probably a person who doesn't mind taking a few hours on the weekend to watch your chickens. It's the best way to get an idea of what's going on out there.
Chickens can get stressed for various reasons, which decreases their laying ability. Do they have mites or some other pest bugging them? Is your rooster-to-hen ratio too high? Are other animals or birds bothering your flock? Do you have one jerk chicken who is too mean to every other bird?
Do your chickens have access to fresh water at all times? A dehydrated chicken won't lay as well.
Another thing you can uncover with observation is if you have an "egg eater." When a chicken figures out that eggs are delicious, she sometimes eats her and even other hens' eggs. Once you have an egg eater, getting it out of the flock as quickly as possible is essential because they can teach that habit to the other chickens. Also, roast chicken dinner - bonus!
When I have my lighting, nutrition, and molting under control and I'm still not seeing as many eggs as I think I should, I'll collect eggs several times a day to ensure nothing is happening to them. It also lets me keep tabs on what's happening out in the coop.
Bedding - If I've checked for everything else above and still am not seeing the eggs, I will refresh all the bedding in the laying boxes.
Like the "to light or not to light" debate, the "what is the correct medium for nesting boxes" debate RAGES on the internet. I have tried all kinds of things and keep coming back to straw. Some people use mats, some use sand, and others use nothing at all. The argument against straw is that it can get wet and dirty, and the eggs will be gross. It is a fair criticism, but I think the benefits outweigh the costs.
I just switch the straw out more often to prevent it from getting too yucky. It takes just a few minutes, and the payoff is always obvious.
My chickens know when I have new straw in the laying boxes. They will hop into their preferred box and make a nest. They love it. I find (and this is completely anecdotal, just my experience) that new straw will urge chickens who haven't laid in a while to make a nest and want to produce.
If the birds actually want to be in the place where they do their job, I think they're more likely to do it. There are probably many of those workplace architect designer types nodding along with this idea.
Some people will go so far as to get ceramic eggs or use golf balls as "dummies" to urge their chickens to fill the nest. For me, a nice fluffy bedding refresh seems to do the trick.
I replaced the straw in my nesting boxes today, and one of my oldest hens immediately made a nest and laid her first egg in over a week, (see the video.)
I hope that helps. If you're a chicken person and disagree with any of these, leave a comment or tell us what works for you.
Collecting eggs is one of the great joys of my life, a farm-fresh egg hitting a hot skillet is a delight for every sense. I hope you get to do it, too!
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