Egg Production Problems

Your hen should begin laying eggs in their sixteenth month. Some breeds start sooner, others a little later, but there are some issues that could negatively impact the egg production in your flock. Here are a few of them:

Nutritional Deficiencies – Hens require a balanced diet of proteins, vitamins and calcium. A lack of a balance in nutrition can cause a condition known as oviductal prolapse, meaning the egg is too large to be expelled, it is fatal in most cases.

Lack of Salt – If you are feeding your birds a commercial feed, they will get the salt their bodies need to regulate body fluids. If not, you may want to consider adding iodized salt snacks to their diet.

Lack of Calcium – When a hen first begins laying, her need for calcium jumps four times. Since the egg shells they produce are mainly made of calcium each hen is in need of calcium amounts for their own health and for the health of their eggs.

Vitamin D – Vitamin D aids the hen’s body in producing calcium so as a result, it is important that they get plenty. Dairy products are one good source, or you can choose to use supplements.

Protein – Ideally, they should be finding enough insects and worms to meet their protein requirements.

Fat – Fat supplies your birds with energy which they need to run around your yard all day!

Of course any of these ‘good’ things you can give your birds becomes bad when they get too much. Keep the diet balanced and you won’t have these issues.

There are other causes of a decrease in egg production, including a lack of food or water being made available to them. They should have access to both at all times during the day. This is especially true in confinement.

Other factors that affect egg production include: