A flock of laying hens is one of the easiest and most consistent survival food sources you can set up.
But what if your birds’ egg output doesn’t match your expectations?
These nine tips may encourage your chickens to lay more eggs.
9 Tips To Encourage Your Chickens To Lay More Eggs
First, I recommend that you check whether your hens’ egg production is actually lacking, or whether you’re dealing with normal fluctuations.
Chickens will lay fewer (or no) eggs in the fall and winter, during and after molt, while raising a brood of chicks, or when they’re settling in a new coop.
Finally, not all chicken strains, even of the same breed, are created equal.
For example, an industrial Rhode Island Red hen will lay significantly more eggs than a chicken from a heritage strain. However, heritage chickens will likely be more robust and keep laying longer.
1. Add Light

Light is an essential factor in egg production. Chickens need about 16 light hours a day to keep laying at its peak.
You’ll often notice egg output tapers in the fall as the days grow shorter, stops completely in the winter, and eventually resumes in the spring when your flock gets more daylight again.
You can get around this natural cycle by adding light to your chicken coop during the darker months.
A simple nine-watt bulb that turns on a couple of hours before sunrise should do the trick. If you’re off-grid, you can use solar-powered LED lights.
However, this approach is a bit controversial, since many flock owners believe that hens deserve a break after a long productive season.
Letting your chickens rest during the darker months can extend their productive life.
2. Give Extra Protein and Calcium

If you rely on commercial feed, make sure you buy the type formulated for laying hens. Other feeds may not have enough protein or calcium to support egg production.
Producing eggs puts an enormous strain on a hen’s resources. To keep laying consistently, your flock needs a generous supply of high-quality food.
You can also add mealworms or other high-protein treats, and sunflower seeds or flaxseed, to give your flock a nutritional boost.
Toss in vegetable peels and other kitchen scraps for variety.
It’s even better if your flock has access to high-quality pasture rich in greens, bugs, and worms.
Offer crushed dry eggshells or oyster shells as a calcium source, particularly if you notice your hens lay eggs with thin or weak shells.
3. Make Sure Your Flock Has Fresh Water

Chickens, especially laying hens, need a constant supply of clean, fresh water. Dehydration can harm egg production and cause severe stress.
Top up your chickens’ waterer during heat waves and offer juicy treats like watermelon rinds. In extremely cold weather, make sure your flock has access to unfrozen water.
You can use a heated waterer or a rubber pan to prevent freezing.
4. Address Health Issues

A drop in egg production often hints at an underlying issue. Internal parasites, respiratory infections, mites, and other health problems may make a hen stop or slow laying.
To resolve this issue, check your flock’s overall well-being. Deworming, lice and mite treatment, and an efficient dust bath setup will help get rid of parasites.
If you’re dealing with a more serious problem, like egg binding or prolapse, your only option may be to consult an avian vet.
5. Break Broodiness

A hen won’t lay eggs when she goes broody.
You can easily recognize this behavior: a broody hen will sit in the nesting box (or another chosen spot), puff up her feathers, and peck anyone who comes near.
Some chicken breeds, like Silkies and Cochins, are naturally broody, but even non-broody breeds can sometimes produce hens with strong maternal instincts.
You may welcome broodiness if you’d like to hatch some chicks naturally, but what if it’s not an option or just not the right time?
You may have no access to fertile eggs or not enough space to rear more chicks. In this case, you may need to “break” the hen from her broodiness.
Sometimes, simply removing the hen from the nesting box several times will do the trick. You may need to put her outside and let her roam for several hours.
In extreme cases, you might have to keep the hen in a wire-bottom cage overnight. Give her food and water, but no bedding so she can’t get comfortable enough to nest.
6. Reduce Stress

Chickens are highly sensitive to stress. Excessive crowding, loud noises, predators, and other stressors may all put your hens off laying.
Pay attention to loud, alarmed clucking that may indicate there’s a predator nearby.
Even if your coop is completely secure, your flock won’t appreciate a fox or a raccoon snooping around. Fencing or a guardian dog can help deal with any predator issues.
Also check the living conditions in your coop. Do your hens have enough space? Are there enough nesting boxes?
You need approximately 3-5 square feet per chicken and one nesting box for 3-4 laying hens.
Make sure the coop is well-ventilated and provides shade and shelter from strong winds and rain.
7. Check for Egg Cannibalism

Sometimes, chickens do lay eggs, but peck and eat them before you have time to collect them.
Egg cannibalism is a serious problem, since this behavior spreads around the flock, at which point it’s extremely hard to eradicate.
Look around the coop for spilled egg yolk, yolk stains, or bits of eggshell. An egg can break occasionally, but if this keeps happening, some opportunist bird may be the culprit.
Collect eggs multiple times a day, starting as early as possible in the morning. Sometimes, you’ll have no choice but to cull the egg eater from the flock.
8. Check for Hidden Eggs

If you free-range your chickens, you may eventually deal with an Egg Treasure Hunt, in which you try to find the secret location a hen chose for laying.
When you let your flock out and a chicken makes a beeline for a bush or another private place, check there. I’ve discovered whole clutches of eggs this way.
If you realize your hens shun their nesting boxes in favor of other places, you can try locking them up for a little while.
Usually, a few days are enough to break the habit of laying all over the yard.
9. Add Younger Hens

Although a healthy chicken may continue laying eggs for a decade, egg production usually drops after the first couple of years.
Regularly adding new pullets to your flock will ensure an abundant egg supply.
Of course, if you have limited space and feed budget, you may wonder what to do with your older hens.
The stewpot is one possibility, but this isn’t an option for many flock owners who get attached to their chickens.
You may also rehome older birds with someone who has more space and doesn’t care as much about efficient egg production.
