Why do curtains break egg laying?

[StarLover21]

Why do hanging curtains to make it dark break egglaying?
Just wondering.

 

[Judy]

Never heard of this. I've read of using it to try to stop egg eating. Keeping a bird in a dark room will slow or stop laying, as used in something like an eggbound chicken, but unless she stays in the nest all the time, a curtain over a nest box wouldn't.

 

[sourland]

Never heard of this. I've read of using it to try to stop egg eating. Keeping a bird in a dark room will slow or stop laying, as used in something like an eggbound chicken, but unless she stays in the nest all the time, a curtain over a nest box wouldn't.

Curtains over the nest boxes may help with egg eating - hanging curtains over the windows MIGHT serve to shorten the exposure to daylight thereby reducing egg production. I'm not quite sure exactly what you are referencing.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Another possibility: If you just recently put the curtains up over the nest boxes, chickens hate change - any change. So they will not lay until they adjust to the change. Usually it's about a week and they get back to normal.