Cold weather influencing egg production?

[BYCoop]

Our chicken has been laying an egg a day for a while, but suddenly she stopped. We are getting...wait for it...squat. It has been very cold here for the week whe hasn't been laying, does that have something to do with it? And should I be concerned at all?

 

[Percheron chick]

Join the club. I haven't seen an egg in a week.

 

[BYCoop]

Consider said club to be "joined".

 

[Aorelly]

Do you have a heat lamp or a light in your coop?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

A week?
I've gotten 2 eggs since my flock started molting.....about 2 months ago!

 

[aart]

The not laying could be because of lack of daylight. Sometimes first year layers will lay all winter without supplemental lighting, sometimes they won't.
Older layers need 14-16 hours of light to lay regularly thru winter. Last winter I used a 40 watt incandescent light(this year I am using a CFL) that comes on early in the morning to provide 14-15 hours of light and they go to roost with the natural sundown. Last year I started the lighting increase a bit late(mid October), the light should be increased slowly, and the pullets didn't start laying until late December. Here's pretty good article on supplemental lighting. Some folks think that using lighting shortens the years a hen will lay, I don't agree with that theory but I also plan to cull my older hens for soup at about 3 years old.