In all my years of chicken keeping, I haven't had this one happen before. (Maybe because until I got my new coop and run they didn't live long enough for it to happen...) All my hens have stopped laying at once. I think they're molting because they all look pretty ragged. Anyway, I'm going to start giving them extra light so I can have eggs through the winter. My question is: Do I just start with the 3 extra hours of light right away, or should I gradually increase it to give them time to adjust? In the past, I know they've slowed down their laying as fall came, but never have they just all stopped. They free range, so there could be a hidden nest somewhere, but usually they lay in the coop. Just one or two would lay elsewhere, and I know those places. Last week I kept them confined to the coop and run all week to force them to lay in the nests (or at least where I could find the eggs). I got 1 egg out of 12 hens. That's it. My other thought is I might have an egg-eater, but isn't there usually some evidence left behind? Yolk, shell, or at least goopy shavings in the nest box?
ETA - They're all eating and drinking normally, so I don't think there are any other problems.
ETA - They're all eating and drinking normally, so I don't think there are any other problems.
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