Cooler weather...does it slow egg production?

[pattycake]

How old are your chickens? I found that my egg production was fine the first fall I had them, but has really slowed this second fall. I think a change of temp either up or down can throw them, too.

 

[Gindee77]

pattycake, my chickens are this spring's chicks. The oldest ones are probably around 30 weeks old. Then a few are 29 weeks and a few are 27 weeks old. So their lack of laying shouldn't have anything to do with their age. I'll have to keep an eye on them next year tho and see how they do when they are older.

 

[gritsar]

Gindee, I just wanted to tell you that I think I jinxed myself by saying that my hens hadn't slowed down. The day before yesterday I only got 8 eggs, yesterday only 5 and today only 4.
That's okay though. My girls are still young and I hope they use this down time to finish their growing. I'm sure I'll be overrun with eggs in the spring.

 

[Heather J]

I was getting 4 or 5 eggs a day in July and August, occasionally even 6, and now I'm getting one, sometimes two from my 7 hens. My red star is still laying about four times a week, so you can probably guess how well my other six are doing. They are all growing in feathers, and I can't run a light into the coop until I separate out some of the boys (into the freezer, of course), but I'm hoping by early November their feathers will all be back, I can cull the boys, and slowly up their 'daylight.' By then I'll be wanting to add a bit of heat anyway. They and my ducks/geese are going through about 70 lbs of food a week, so it would be nice if they gave me enough eggs to keep selling a couple dozen a week. My barred rock girls should start laying in Nov/Dec too, so that'll help a lot.

 

[Guitartists]

I've been wondering about mine..... they're mostly all Easter chicks, one bantam started laying..maybe 2 but then stopped. So now I'm getting no eggs

I've got a bunch of younger birds growing up too..... will they start laying on time, even if it's in the winter? Can I expect any eggs in the Winter? I have a variety of breeds.

 

[dixie chicken]

We are not cold here (avg 75 deg) but I am only getting about 2 eggs a day out of about 20 hens. I swear it is the change in light. That along with a combo of molting and a few broody hens. My ducks have not skipped a beat though.

They should start laying again. I have never gone through a winter without eggs but I do live in the South.

 

[Redfeathers]

Six girls...one egg a day now.