Can heat drop egg production?

[WhenInRhome]

My 4 girls were laying pretty good recently, 3-4 a day. Now it is down to 1-2 a day, normally one. I have noticed since it started to get hot they pant a lot in the afternoon/evening. Their run faces the west so they get a lot of sun in the afternoon. I bought a tarp to cover the top of the run to help give them some shade. I planned on growing some vines over the coop but that might take a while.

 

[centrarchid]

Heat stress can cut down on egg production. With breeds that are not top performers with respect to egg production, they are also become exhausted from extended periods of egg laying at about same time temperatures are getting above optimum. Provide a wet piece of ground with shade and breeze to stand on. You may also find providing a richer diet on protein side with less energy can help sustain egg production as birds limit overall energy intake as needs for heat generation goes down. When they decrease energy intake they then decrease protein (and other nutrients) intake to below that needed to lay every day.