Reduced egg production: working through the causes
A drop in laying almost always traces back to one of six things: feed quantity or quality, water supply, daylight hours, flock age, stress, or disease. Start by comparing today's lay percentage with your own records, then work through the causes in that order. A gradual decline after peak production is normal; a sudden drop within a few days is not.
Updated 25 August 2026 · Independent veterinary review scheduled
Get qualified help immediately if you see
- Production collapses within two or three days.
- Hens are dying, unable to walk, or have pale combs.
- Many soft-shelled, thin-shelled or misshapen eggs at once.
- Droppings change colour or become watery across the flock.
Egg-production percentage calculator
Lay percentage
83.3%
- Trays today (30 eggs)
- 8.3
- Projected eggs per week
- 1,750
- Projected eggs per month
- 7,500
- Reading
- Reasonable, but there is room to improve.
How this calculation works and what it assumes
- Lay percentage = eggs collected ÷ live hens × 100.
- Well-managed commercial layers usually peak between 85 and 95 percent, then decline slowly after peak.
- Compare against your own records and your breed guide rather than a single national figure.
The six usual causes, in the order worth checking
- Feed — not enough feed per bird, a diluted or changed ration, or a layer feed that is not matched to their age.
- Water — any interruption in clean water will show up in the egg basket within a day.
- Light — layers need a long, consistent daily light period. Shortened or irregular lighting reduces lay.
- Age — production naturally declines after peak, usually from around 45 to 50 weeks onward.
- Stress — heat, predators at night, noise, handling, moving house, or new birds added.
- Disease and parasites — usually alongside other signs such as pale combs, changed droppings or deaths.
Work out your real lay percentage first
Lay percentage = eggs collected today divided by the number of live hens, multiplied by 100. Tracking this daily turns a vague feeling that 'production is down' into a number you can act on and compare week to week.
Have these answers ready
Whether you ask KukuVet or call a vet, these are the questions you will be asked.
- How old are the hens in weeks?
- How many hens are in the house and how many eggs did you collect today?
- What was production before the drop?
- Did feed, water or lighting change recently?
- Any heat, predators, noise or handling in the last week?
- Are the eggs also smaller, thin-shelled or misshapen?
Safe things you can do today
- Count hens and eggs daily and record the lay percentage.
- Confirm every bird can reach clean water and enough feeder space.
- Keep the daily light period long and consistent, including on cloudy days.
- Check for night disturbance — predators, torches or noise.
- Look at the eggs themselves: shell quality and size tell you a lot about feed and age.
Every farm is different — describe yours
KukuVet asks one short question at a time, then gives you a plan for your birds. Free to start, in English or Kiswahili.
Example: “My 500 layers dropped from 430 eggs a day to 280 in one week. They are 40 weeks old.”
Common questions
What lay percentage should a healthy flock reach?
Well-managed commercial layers usually peak in the 85 to 95 percent range and then decline slowly. Your own breed guide and past records are a better benchmark than a general figure.
Can heat alone stop my hens laying?
Heat stress can reduce both intake and lay, and it also thins shells. Cooling the house, providing cool water and feeding during cooler hours usually helps within days.
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About this page
Published 25 August 2026 · Updated 25 August 2026 · Next review 25 February 2027
Sources consulted
- MSD Veterinary Manual: Poultry — respiratory, digestive and management disorders
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Poultry Development Review — small-scale poultry health and husbandry
KukuVet helps you organise what you are seeing and decide what to do next. It does not diagnose disease and does not replace a qualified poultry veterinarian, especially where birds are dying.