Yesterday you collected 80 eggs, today 55. The first thought is “they’re sick.” Most of the time the cause is more mundane: it got darker, a drinker froze, the feed was changed. So check from simple to complex — you find the cause faster and don’t spend money on medicine you don’t need.
Calculate the egg production percentage on the live flock (here is how). A 3–5 point dip in a day may be random. A drop of 10 points or more, or a slump lasting several days, is a reason to look for the cause.
1. Water
The most common and most underestimated cause. Without water, laying hens cut production noticeably within a day. Check the drinkers: frozen, clogged nipples, enough places for everyone. Hens need roughly twice as much water as feed by weight, and more in hot weather.
2. Feed: amount and composition
- Is there enough feed per bird, and are weaker hens being pushed away from the feeder (feed norms).
- Did you change the batch or supplier? Moldy feed lowers production and is dangerous for birds.
- Is there enough protein and calcium? Layers need layer feed, not grower feed and not grain alone.
3. Light
Hens lay steadily when the day is at least about 14 hours long. In autumn the day shortens, and without supplemental light production falls in almost any flock. Never shorten the light day for a laying flock, and keep the on and off times the same every day.
4. Temperature and drafts
The comfortable range for layers is about 59–77 °F (15–25 °C). Heat above 82–86 °F (28–30 °C) sharply cuts feed intake and egg production; severe cold makes birds burn feed to stay warm. Also check for drafts at bird level and damp litter.
5. Age
After the peak (usually weeks 25–35) production declines gradually, by 1–3 points a month. That is normal, not a fault. By two years old hens lay noticeably less, and it is worth reviewing them economically: how many eggs she gives against the cost of the feed she eats.
6. Molt
Hens drop feathers and stop laying for 2–3 months: feathers on the floor, a ragged look. It is a natural process, more common in autumn. Higher-protein feed and a stress-free environment help.
7. Stress
A dog in the yard, a predator, a new bird in the flock, moving, noise, rearranged feeders, vaccination. Stress can stop hens for several days. If production came back after the event, everything is fine.
8. Parasites
Red mites hide in cracks and on perches by day and feed on blood at night. Birds are restless, combs pale, eggs fewer. Check perches and cracks at night with a flashlight, or wipe the cracks with a white cloth: red smears are a sign of mites. Worms also lower production and body weight — visible on examination and in droppings.
9. Broody hens and “lost” eggs
A hen can sit in the nest and not lay (broody), and some lay in a hidden spot outside the nest. Walk the yard and check corners before drawing conclusions. Eggs can also be eaten by the hens themselves or by rats.
10. Disease
When the simple causes are ruled out, look for signs of disease: wheezing and coughing, watery droppings, lethargy, swollen heads, mortality, eggs with thin or misshapen shells (more on shells). Infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, egg drop syndrome and other infections can be behind it.
If a drop in production comes with mortality, respiratory symptoms, blood in droppings or shell-less eggs from many hens, do not treat blindly. You need an examination and, if necessary, a necropsy of a dead bird. Medicines and doses are for a veterinarian to decide.
Finding the cause faster
The cause is easier to see when you have history at hand: when the feed changed, whether vaccinations were done, how mortality went, what the weather was. In EggPulse eggs, feed, mortality and vaccinations are in one place, and the egg production chart shows the day the dip started. All that is left is to see what changed that day.
