Could significant shade decrease egg production?

[Wolf1988]

Our ladies are free range but this spring we had a lot of hawks flying over our yard and a couple swoop down, so we tried to provide our hens with more shelter around the yard. One of the things we did was remove the lattice work from the deck so they could get under there. Now that it's been in the upper 90s and 100s they have all been spending the majority of the day under there. It's safe and nice and cool for them, but now our egg production has gone way down. We did crawl under the deck to make sure they weren't laying under there. Could it be that they aren't getting enough day light?? They can even get by our crawl space which hardly has any light whatsoever. Or is it the heat (even though they laid really well last summer) or are they not getting enough to eat while they hunker down in there? They have feed in their coop, access to grass and compost, and get fruit and veggie scraps from us daily. We have checked for parasites and looked at their poop...nothing alarming with either. Last summer we got 4 to 5 a day from 5 ladies, now we're only getting 1 to 2!

 

[cavemanrich]

My feeling is it is the heat. With the heat , may be a loss of appetite. I know I eat less when really hot. I make up with the adult bevs to cool the tube. My girls lay less when it is hot. Another possibility is some may be going into molt or think they are going into molt . LOL.
WISHING YOU BEST

 

[JulieAGill]

Has anyone experienced one that has totally quit laying? I have a bantam that hasn't laid an egg since around March or April. She went broody for the second or third time, but until this last time she at least started laying again. This time she hasn't. She also lost her tail feathers (not sure if they were pulled out by one of the others) and wing feathers and has little white down looking feathers popping up all over her. She is not acting like she is egg bound either. We are in Sacramento and the weather has been up and down with temperatures between the 80's and 105's. She is eating and drinking and acting otherwise normal.
I have 5 laying hens right now and one that is still too young. She is under the same roof as the others but separated by chicken wire and a door. She had a sister with her but unfortunately we had to have her put down because she had a very crooked beak and just was not doing well. Anyway, my laying hens are sporadic with laying. I actually put a 25 watt light bulb inside their hen house but it does not shine on the nesting boxes. I average 2-3 eggs a day but because 4 out of the 5 lay different shades of green eggs I don't know who lays and who doesn't. The only reason I know of the one not laying is the fact that she is the only one who lays tan eggs.
I have read that the heat does affect their egg laying, internal parasites (worms- which mine were actually treated for), external bugs- mites, fleas, lice. I'm not dealing with any of those.
So, back to my original question of anyone experiencing no eggs at all from a hen?

 

[cavemanrich]

Has anyone experienced one that has totally quit laying? I have a bantam that hasn't laid an egg since around March or April. She went broody for the second or third time, but until this last time she at least started laying again. This time she hasn't. She also lost her tail feathers (not sure if they were pulled out by one of the others) and wing feathers and has little white down looking feathers popping up all over her. She is not acting like she is egg bound either. We are in Sacramento and the weather has been up and down with temperatures between the 80's and 105's. She is eating and drinking and acting otherwise normal.
I have 5 laying hens right now and one that is still too young. She is under the same roof as the others but separated by chicken wire and a door. She had a sister with her but unfortunately we had to have her put down because she had a very crooked beak and just was not doing well. Anyway, my laying hens are sporadic with laying. I actually put a 25 watt light bulb inside their hen house but it does not shine on the nesting boxes. I average 2-3 eggs a day but because 4 out of the 5 lay different shades of green eggs I don't know who lays and who doesn't. The only reason I know of the one not laying is the fact that she is the only one who lays tan eggs.
I have read that the heat does affect their egg laying, internal parasites (worms- which mine were actually treated for), external bugs- mites, fleas, lice. I'm not dealing with any of those.
So, back to my original question of anyone experiencing no eggs at all from a hen?

Sure have living proof.

She is about 5 years old and never layed until this spring. Got maybe about 5 eggs total since. ( 5 eggs in her whole life.

)

Of course, I have chickens stop laying due to old age. Like at 8 or 9 years.

 

[JulieAGill]

Yep, the back ends of two of mine looked like that. One is actually getting new tail feathers. Mine are only a year old except for Star- she is almost 4 months old but she isn't in the run with the others. She is under the same roof because we used about two feet of the run as an area for her. So, she is safe from the others.
I don't really know why the one completely quit laying. She doesn't act egg bound, so, I don't know. As long as she is eating, drinking, acting normal and not acting sick I'm not going to worry about her too much.
Yours is a little cutie though.