Backyard chickens not laying eggs

[telecaster]

Hi all, we have 6 chickens (2 silkie bantams, 1 australorp, 1 barna valda, 1 buff orhpington) they are around 2 years old but for the last 5 months over summer we have only been getting 1-2 eggs a day. When we first got them we got 5-6 a day then all of a sudden they stopped laying. Different chickens at different times the silkies actually lay more often but they're all inconsistent, the buff and australorp dont lay for weeks at a time. We have them in a coop and let them out in the backyard free range during the day it seems bizarre for them to have stopped like this. They're very happy perhaps very spoilt.. is there any reason as to why they're only laying 1-2 eggs a day?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi all, we have 6 chickens (2 silkie bantams, 1 australorp, 1 barna valda, 1 buff orhpington) they are around 2 years old but for the last 5 months over summer we have only been getting 1-2 eggs a day. When we first got them we got 5-6 a day then all of a sudden they stopped laying. Different chickens at different times the silkies actually lay more often but they're all inconsistent, the buff and australorp dont lay for weeks at a time. We have them in a coop and let them out in the backyard free range during the day it seems bizarre for them to have stopped like this. They're very happy perhaps very spoilt.. is there any reason as to why they're only laying 1-2 eggs a day?

Just to be clear, you are in a part of the world where the last five months have been summer for you and not winter, correct? At about 18 months of age (give or take) most chickens will go through their first big molt. Most birds will have an interruption in production during the molt. It is not at all uncommon for this to coincide with the onset of fall which means that they recover from the molt at a time when the hours of daylight are not sufficient to trigger egg production to restart right off - resulting in several months of disruption until the next laying cycle is triggered.
That being said - you did mention free-ranging - are you certain there are no hidden nests in which eggs are being laid? The other possibility related to free ranging is that your coop is open while the birds are out and there are some VERY sneaky egg-eating visitors that can be in and out of your coop without you knowing they were ever there. Once they discover the all you can eat egg buffet your flock will become a regular stop on their route.