# Hen Stopped Laying? Moult, Daylight or a Health Problem > Has your hen suddenly stopped laying in autumn? Usually the moult and shorter days are behind it. Learn to recognise the normal causes and when a laying break is a warning sign. - URL: https://nestjes.nl/en/knowledge-center/hen-stopped-laying-eggs - Category: Poultry - Published: 2026-10-10 - Author: Redactie Nestjes An empty nest box in autumn gives many hobby keepers a fright. Yet a laying break is usually quite normal: hens stop laying when the days get shorter and when they moult. Sometimes it is a warning sign, for example of parasites, the wrong diet or a problem with the oviduct. Here is how to tell the difference. Just getting started? Also read [keeping chickens for beginners](https://nestjes.nl/en/knowledge-center/keeping-chickens-for-beginners), check the coop for [red mite in chickens](https://nestjes.nl/en/knowledge-center/red-mite-in-chickens) and see in [which chicken breed suits me](https://nestjes.nl/en/knowledge-center/which-chicken-breed-suits-me) how many eggs to expect from your breed. ## Shorter days and the moult This is the best-known cause. According to the LICG, a hen needs at least ten hours of light a day to lay. When daylight drops below that, laying often stops by itself. Hens that only get natural daylight stop laying when the days get shorter and then moult, writes the MSD Veterinary Manual. During the moult a hen replaces her feathers. According to the LICG this happens once a year, in late summer or autumn, and takes one to two months. A moulting hen usually lays no eggs. The MSD Veterinary Manual gives three to four months, sometimes longer, for the whole laying break around the moult. You will often see loose feathers in the coop. Extra light in the coop can bring more eggs in winter, but according to the MSD Veterinary Manual hens do not lay more eggs in total as a result. Feel free to give your hens their rest. ## Age According to the LICG, young hens start laying at five to six months. Most hens stop around their fifth year. They can live to ten to fifteen years. An older hen that lays less is therefore not necessarily ill. She simply deserves her place in the flock. ## Broodiness A broody hen stops laying because she wants to sit, even when there are no eggs under her. According to the LICG you recognise her by a bare patch on the belly, special sounds, staying on the nest for a long time and sometimes more aggressive behaviour. Make sure she keeps eating and drinking. ## Feed, water and heat - **Too many treats:** the LICG advises at most 10 percent grain in the total diet. According to the MSD Veterinary Manual, a diet of mostly grain, chicken treats and kitchen scraps makes fatty liver more likely. Such hens are often overweight and have a pale comb with flakes. - **Calcium:** according to the MSD Veterinary Manual, one egg takes about 2 grams of calcium from the feed. The LICG advises layer pellets as the base, with grit alongside for extra calcium. - **Water:** according to the MSD Veterinary Manual, chickens drink one and a half to three and a half times as much water as they eat, and more in warm weather. - **Heat:** according to the MSD Veterinary Manual, chickens already suffer from heat above about 24 °C. A review on PubMed Central shows that heat stress lowers feed intake and egg production. Provide shade and cool water. ## Parasites and disease According to the LICG, worms and coccidiosis can lead to weight loss, listlessness, sitting puffed up, diarrhoea and a stop in egg production. Lice and mites cause itching, restlessness and poor plumage, according to the LICG. The LICG recommends having the droppings examined by a vet regularly. Diseases such as bird flu can also stop laying; read more in [bird flu and backyard chickens](https://nestjes.nl/en/knowledge-center/bird-flu-and-backyard-chickens). ## When to see the vet Call your vet if your hen not only stops laying, but also: - sits puffed up and listless, eats poorly or loses weight; - has diarrhoea or breathes with difficulty; - stands upright like a penguin: according to the MSD Veterinary Manual that posture fits a blocked oviduct in which eggs end up in the abdominal cavity; - has red, swollen tissue at the cloaca (the opening under the tail) that does not go back in by itself; the MSD Veterinary Manual describes this as a cloacal prolapse; - suddenly stops outside the moulting season, especially if several hens seem ill at the same time. Do not treat such a hen yourself, but let the vet find the cause. Looking for new hens or a breed that copes well with the Dutch climate? Browse the [poultry page](https://nestjes.nl/gevogelte) on Nestjes. ## Sources 1. [LICG – Kip (chicken)](https://www.licg.nl/vogels/kip/) (accessed October 2026) 2. [MSD Veterinary Manual – Laying and Reproduction in Backyard Poultry](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/backyard-poultry/laying-and-reproduction-in-backyard-poultry) (accessed October 2026) 3. [MSD Veterinary Manual – Management of Backyard Poultry](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/backyard-poultry/management-of-backyard-poultry) (accessed October 2026) 4. [MSD Veterinary Manual – Common Management-Related Problems in Backyard Poultry](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/backyard-poultry/common-management-related-problems-in-backyard-poultry) (accessed October 2026) 5. [MSD Veterinary Manual – Egg-Bound or Impacted Oviducts in Poultry](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/disorders-of-the-reproductive-system-in-poultry/egg-bound-or-impacted-oviducts-in-poultry) (accessed October 2026) 6. [PubMed Central – Heat stress and poultry production: a comprehensive review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10591017/) (accessed October 2026)