This is my third year with chickens and always have had a decrease in eggs in the winter, but I got some copper marrans in the fall of last year that started laying ln the spring and were good producers all summer long but slowed down in September and have completely stopped laying for 2 months now. I was wondering if this is a normal for this breed I live in RI and it has not been that cold yet. My other breeds are Reds Sussex and Wyondottes they have slowed but not stopped completely.
It's not about cold as much as it is about the long nights/short days. Or it could be about length of molt if birds are going thru a full adult molt. Some breeds might be more likely to lay thru winter. 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 a 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.
