What to Do When Your Laying Hen Stops Producing Eggs After 2 Years

Are you worried about what to do when your laying hen stops producing eggs after 2 years?

Don’t worry, this is a common part of a laying hen’s life cycle. Most hens provide eggs during their first 2-3 years, then egg production decreases.

Normally, a healthy laying hen will produce 4-6 eggs per week, about 300 eggs per year. But after her peak egg-laying age, usually the first 2-3 years, her egg production decreases.

So, it’s normal if, after 2 years, egg production decreases to 50-60 percent. However, if your laying hen completely stops laying eggs, you need to check for causes.

Sometimes it may be a temporary delay because of short winter days, molting phases, cycle interruption, or a small issue with your flock.

In this definitive guide, you will learn all about the reasons why your laying hen stopped producing eggs after 2 years and the best solutions.

After reading this guide, you will be able to solve most egg-laying issues in your older hens, so you can maximize egg production up to 3-4 years.

Laying Hen Stopped Laying Eggs After 2 Years: Is It a Natural Cycle?

When your hen completes her second year, you will see lots of changes in her laying patterns. She already produced a lot of eggs during the last 2 years, and after that, her egg production gradually decreased.

After the first two peak egg production years, you may notice the following changes in your laying hen:

Physiological Changes Leading to Reduced Output

The reduction in egg numbers is a biological process in your laying hen’s reproductive system after laying eggs for 2 years continuously.

After 2 years of egg laying, your laying hen’s reproductive system naturally slows down.

1. Expected Egg Production: While a peak layer will lay about 5-6 eggs a week, you should only expect about 3-4 eggs a week from an older hen. Don’t worry about egg number reduction representing poor health; it is simply how eggs are produced as a natural function of aging.

2. Molting: The frequency and duration between molts will also change. As your hens get older, the molting process (losing and regrowing feathers) may increase in frequency. 

However, recovery time will also increase, and your hens will take longer to lay eggs again after a molt. 

A younger hen may start laying eggs again within 1-2 weeks of a molt, while an older hen will take longer, leading to longer periods without eggs.

Persisting Value in the Flock

Even though egg production has waned, your 2-year-old laying hen will still be an important member of your flock.

1. Longevity: If she is healthy, a hen’s life can go on for several more years, so she can remain in the flock and contribute for a long time beyond that peak laying age. 

2. Social Role: Older hens often have an established place in the social hierarchy of the flock as experienced birds that can show the younger members how to behave. 

3. Broodiness (If a potential): Depending on the breed of hen, an older hen may be more capable of going broody and rearing chicks if or when needed in the flock for natural reproduction.

Daylight, Seasons, and Molting

One of the primary reasons your chickens may stop laying eggs in winter is shorter days. To lay eggs, chickens need longer daylight hours, with most requiring between 14-16 hours of light a day to continue laying at full capacity. 

Natural daylight usually drops below 12 hours (late fall into winter), which is when your chickens may stop laying eggs and begin to molt.

1. Artificial light: To keep your hens laying throughout winter, provide light in the coop to create artificial long days, so your hens receive around 14-16 hours of light a day. Use a low-watt bulb with a timer and turn on the light in the early morning rather than early evening. This allows the birds to roost at sunset. Be mindful of at least 6 hours of darkness to allow for adequate rest.

2. Molting: At the end of the molt, generally between late summer and fall, your hens will molt, losing and regrowing their feathers. During the molt, hens will stop laying eggs as their bodies prioritize energy for new feathers. A molt usually lasts 6-12 weeks. After a complete molt, hens are more likely to resume laying eggs if they are healthy, but age can slow this process. Consider the molt a hard comeback for your hen’s system.

If your 2-year-old laying hen stopped laying eggs in the fall, it could just be a seasonal molt. Make sure she gets good nutrition and stays warm; she will begin to lay eggs again after she grows her new feathers. 

Even if eggs are not coming as frequently, this break in egg production is normal and healthy for her.

Nutrition and Supplements for Laying Hens After 2 Years

It is important to have a balanced diet. Your laying hen will need around 16–18% protein in her feed, as well as a reliable source of calcium for strong eggshells. 

If any of these nutrients are missing, egg production may decrease. Here are some tips for feeding for eggs:

1. Quality layer feed: Always provide a commercial layer feed for laying hens, available free choice. These feeds are specifically designed with the proper proteins, calcium, and vitamins needed for egg production after 2 years.

2. Calcium supplement: Offer oyster shell or crushed eggshells separate from the layers’ feed so the hens can eat the extra calcium as they need it. Strong shells depend on calcium.

3. Clean water: Fresh, clean water must always be available. Your hen will consume approximately 10 ounces (300 ml) of fresh, clean water a day for each egg she lays. Dirty or frozen water will shut production down, so make sure the waterers are unfrozen during the winter.

4. Treats in moderation: Treats such as scratch grains, vegetables, or mealworms can be offered occasionally, but can disrupt her diet if offered too often. Moderation keeps her intake in balance.

5. Supplements optional: Older or weak layers can sometimes benefit from extra nutrients such as probiotics or vitamins. Studies showed that probiotics improved digestion and also helped older hens lay more eggs. Adding dried herbs (mint, lemon peels, etc.) or specific poultry vitamins and nutritional supplements, research is limited here also. The most important thing is to provide a good, complete layer feed (No guesswork!).

If you suspect a deficiency, you can give high-protein treats (such as mealworms or fishmeal), crushed eggshells to provide calcium, or a poultry vitamin powder. Giving vitamin D is helpful for calcium absorption and optimal egg production. Just don’t overdo it—too much calcium in supplements or the wrong balance of minerals can cause problems. Make sure your laying hen is getting a high-quality basic feed.

Health Checks: Disease and Parasites Affecting Laying Hens

Your laying hen might suddenly stop laying eggs due to illness. Any disease or infection will use up your hen’s energy for healing instead of egg production. 

Even minor illnesses like a cold or crop issue can stop egg laying. When there is obvious illness, your laying hen will show symptoms: lethargy, ruffled feathers, breathing problems, comb color changes, or diarrhea. 

These symptoms often reflect an upcoming reduction in egg production. If you observe that several of your birds seem off and you suspect illness, a vet with poultry experience is highly recommended.

Another cause might be parasites. External mites and lice are not only irritating to your laying hens, but they can also cause your hens to stop laying eggs altogether. 

Check your flock for mites or lice under feathers and around vents, and consider dust bathing your flock regularly. If you notice mites or lice, treat your laying hens immediately with poultry-approved spray or dust.

Finally, internal worms (like roundworms or tapeworms) can decrease your laying hen’s health. Deworming is always a good idea for your backyard flock, so use a recommended poultry wormer for your chickens. 

Even if worms aren’t obvious, they can reduce egg production by stealing nutrients. Your vet can do a fecal check and prescribe a poultry-approved dewormer if needed.

Managing Stress and Flock Dynamics in Laying Hens After 2 Years

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Stress is one of the primary reasons for a laying hen to stop laying eggs after 2 years. 

Chickens lay eggs as part of the reproductive process; when they are stressed, their survival mechanisms kick in, and they stop using additional energy for egg production. Some common causes of stress for laying hens are:

1. Coop conditions: Drafts, dampness, or temperature extremes, whether hot or cold, can be disconcerting for hens. Your coop should be in proper weather conditions—no leaks, adequate bedding, proper ventilation (but not too much), and enough warmth in winter (but not too warm!). A snug, dry coop will keep your hens comfortable.

2. Handling and changes: Moving your flock around, adding new birds (especially a rooster!), or introducing a new caretaker or loud activity can cause stress. Try to minimize these changes. If you must introduce a new bird, spend some time observing the pecking order.

3. Predators and fear: If your hens sense a predator (dogs, raccoons, hawks), they may get scared and stop laying eggs. Make sure your run and coop area are secure. If a raccoon has been around, set up a night watchman or trap for your flock’s safety. Keep the environment normal, calm, and safe.

4. Broodiness: Once in a while, usually under certain conditions, one of your hens will “go broody”. A “broody” hen stays on eggs, and it will not lay any eggs. If you have a hen that seems stuck like glue on the nest, try to take her off and get access to that nest (put her in a “broody breaker” cage for a few days), continuing to collect eggs at least once a day. Once you find she has stopped being broody, she should return to laying eggs.

Remember, laying hens enjoy routine. When there is a big shift in the flock or environment, it’s often associated with a drop in egg production. If you want your hens to keep laying eggs after 2 years, try to keep life predictable for your flock.

Your hen likes a life with minimal fuss and maximum comfort, and she will always lay better if she has plenty of space, dry bedding, and a safe coop. In particular, a good, dark, cozy coop for roosting will make her feel secure.

Disease Prevention and Vet Care for Laying Hens After 2 Years

Regarding the veterinary aspect, it is critical to thoroughly attend to basic poultry health care. Vaccinations (such as Marek’s disease) typically take place in chicks; however, you may occasionally need to vaccinate older flocks. 

Practice biosecurity with your backyard hens by reducing visitors from outside your property, not introducing unfamiliar chickens without a quarantine period, and cleaning feeders and drinkers regularly.

After checking all outside factors (work schedule, stressors, environmental determinants, etc.) and your laying hen is still not laying eggs after 2 years, it is time to involve your veterinarian. 

Medical conditions such as egg binding, egg yolk peritonitis, or ovarian cysts may be indications that your laying hen needs to be treated by a veterinarian. 

If your vet suspects your hen may have a medical condition, they will typically be able to palpate the hen’s abdomen to check for blockage or use imaging techniques (X-ray) to further their assessment. 

Generally, the sooner a true medical condition is diagnosed, the better the chance of getting your laying hen back to egg production.

Healthy laying hens generally like to forage, and letting your birds free-range (if safe) will increase their protein intake (bugs and greens) and their vitamin D, both of which are essential for optimal egg production after 2 years. 

If you have concerns about predators, consider using a secured run during the day or supervising free-ranging.

Supplements and Commercial Products

Beyond feed, some keepers use supplements to encourage laying:

1. Probiotics: Having a thriving gut can help with the uptake of nutrients. Poultry probiotics or yogurt (plain, in water) may be valuable for better digestion, especially for older hens.

2. Herbal/organic supplements: There are those who grow herbs, e.g., mint, moringa, and share with hens. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding older hens spearmint or moringa dry leaves helped improve egg production in older hens. It is not common practice, but adding fresh greens and some safe herbs will contribute vitamins. Remember to introduce any new supplement gradually.

3. Calcium & minerals: If you take scraps from the table or feed meal grains, make sure you keep calcium (oyster shell) for hens free-choice at all times. Older hens will benefit from extra shell grit also. A study determined that mid- to late-stage brown laying hens required ~3.5% calcium.

4. Commercial booster: Look in your local feed store or buy online, and you can find various over-the-counter “layer boosters” (vitamins, etc., trace minerals, electrolytes). These may be helpful for a hen that is borderline about laying to get back to egg production, but they are not a miracle. If you use them, follow the label recommendations as well as quality ingredients.

Stay alert, more isn’t always better. Excess calcium can be unhealthy; overdosing on vitamins is simply unhealthy. 

Again, an extension message is clear: balance and quality of feed are the main things. In all scenarios imagined, supplements should be used to complement appropriate nutrition, not as a substitute for quality nutrition to begin with.

When to Retire or Rehome Laying Hens That Stopped Laying After 2 Years?

If you feel like you’ve done everything to help your 2-year-old laying hen lay eggs, good light, good feed, good health checkups, and she is still rarely laying, you might want to consider changing her role in your flock. 

In commercial flocks, laying hens are commonly culled around 2 years of age because their egg production has seriously declined.

But for backyard keepers, you have other options besides culling, such as:

1. Keep her as a pet or bug catcher: Non-layers can still be great bug catchers. Even as a non-layer, she will love to forage for insects, slugs, and weeds, which is good for your garden. A lot of people just like an older hen as a friendly pet.

2. Rehome her: Some neighbors, schools, or farms will take older hens for free ranging (where a few eggs a week might be welcome anyway) or for food (with your permission). Be truthful about her age if you rehome.

3. Retire and supplement the feed: If you do keep her, just provide her maintenance feed (she eats the same amount regardless of laying or not). She can live out the rest of her life happily, even as a non-layer, on a treat-only diet.

4. Culling/meat: If you want meat (and you process at home), an old laying hen (sometimes called a “stew chicken”) will have tough meat, but it should make good broth. Only take this route if you would be comfortable doing so.

Removing (culling) non-layers as an opportunity to free up feed and space. In small flocks, many owners will opt to replace older hens gradually with new pullets every few years. Then you can sell or trade the cull birds if local regulations allow.

Remember, no hen is “worthless” just because she’s not laying. Treat her kindly, and if you decide to remove her from the flock, do it humanely and with respect.

Conclusion

Your laying hen may stop laying eggs after 2 years of egg production, and that is a typical decline, not a reflection of how well you are taking care of her. 

First, rule out the basic issues: enough light (14–16 hours), a high-quality layer feed (preferably organic), water, and a low-stress environment. 

Also, check for diseases or parasites and treat accordingly. If she slows down after a molt or is just a slow layer, give her some time, and she may lay again, though probably not as often.

If your laying hen never lays again after 2 years and you want eggs, you will need to think about adding new hens to your flock. But you can still appreciate your older hen for other reasons (pest control, companionship, etc.). 

Whether you try to encourage her back into laying or decide to retire her, you will understand the whole situation: light, feed, supplements, and her egg-laying history. 

With a little work, you can have a happy, productive flock and manage beyond the laying years.

FAQ: Laying Hen Stopped Laying Eggs After 2 Years