Reasons Why Hens Stop Laying Eggs and How to Solve Them

Whether it is modern intensive poultry farming, free-range native chicken raising for both meat and eggs, or backyard chicken keeping, once a hen is found not laying eggs, it means a huge loss for the keeper. So what causes a hen to stop laying eggs? Let's take a look.

1. Misplaced egg position

If the hen has just started laying, then in this case the hen will not have difficulty laying or stop laying; in this situation, the keeper needs to assist the hen with laying. The specific method is: one person holds the hen's wings and thighs, with the head up and the abdomen facing outward, then another person dips a finger in vegetable oil and inserts it into the chicken's cloaca to straighten the egg position, while peeling open the oviduct mucosa covering the egg surface, then uses the other hand to slowly press the hen's abdomen to push out the retained egg.

2. Inflammation of the cloaca

The method for handling difficult laying described above is generally suitable for laying hens during their first laying period, and can solve the problem of not laying eggs very well. If a hen does not lay eggs and frequently shows signs of straining to defecate, then it is very likely that the cloaca is inflamed. In this case, the keeper should feed oxytetracycline morning and evening for anti-inflammatory treatment, and at the same time wash the hen's cloaca with iodine tincture dissolved in warm water, then turn the anus upward and gently stroke the hen's oviduct to help it return to its normal position.

3. Yolk peritonitis

I wonder if anyone has noticed this when keeping chickens at home: after a hen lays an egg in the nest, it will make a cackling sound when leaving, but if you go to look at the nest, there is no egg. In fact, this situation is typical yolk peritonitis. This disease does no real harm to the chicken itself; apart from false eggs, there are generally no other symptoms, and only after dissecting the chicken can yellow fluid and deteriorated yolk fragments be found in the abdominal cavity. This disease is generally caused by fright; during the laying period, hens should not be chased or startled violently, otherwise it is very easy for the egg to drop into the abdominal cavity instead of the oviduct by mistake. This disease is often treated with antibacterial drugs, but the effect is not obvious. You can try grinding rhubarb and vine into powder, mixing it with flour to make pills, and giving each hen 3 times a day, with each dose about 2 grams of raw herb; within a week the hen can return to normal.

The above is an introduction to the reasons why hens stop laying eggs and the solutions, hoping it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.