Decreased egg production

[Jgrammer]

Hi there
Our backyard chickens egg laying has gone from prolific to almost nil towards end of summer. The only thing that changed was we had the roof replaced and then painted the house. This involved creating a disaster out of the backyard for a month or so. Could this be the reason?? They are also moulting one at a time but the rest should have been laying anyway.

 

[ronott1]

Hi there
Our backyard chickens egg laying has gone from prolific to almost nil towards end of summer. The only thing that changed was we had the roof replaced and then painted the house. This involved creating a disaster out of the backyard for a month or so. Could this be the reason?? They are also moulting one at a time but the rest should have been laying anyway.

Winter is coming!

Hens need light to lay eggs. They will continue to lay through the first winter as pullets but the next year most hens will moult and stop laying until light levels are back up in your area.

It is the normal cycle of hen egg production.

Yes, The work would have slowed them down too.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They are also moulting one at a time but the rest should have been laying anyway.

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

Molting birds don't usually lay eggs as all their energy goes to new feather growth.

The other thing that's changed since summer.. is the hours of daylight.. which is what triggers egg laying hormone.. It takes at least 14 hours of light to produce eggs. So even gals that are still laying will do so at a much reduced rate.

Some folks provide supplemental lighting to combat the reduction.

First year layers are often excessively productive (prolific) their first summer with no days off between extra long stints of laying.. and their system will level off and align more with their genetic abilities.

 

[aart]

Hi there
Our backyard chickens egg laying has gone from prolific to almost nil towards end of summer. The only thing that changed was we had the roof replaced and then painted the house. This involved creating a disaster out of the backyard for a month or so. Could this be the reason?? They are also moulting one at a time but the rest should have been laying anyway.

Welcome to BYC! @Jgrammer
How old are your birds, in months?
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[CheerioTheBuffRooster]

Hello!
So a reason your hens might not be laying a lot is because even a change that doesn't affect them much, like fixing a roof, can cause stress and nervousness in a chicken. They normally don't lay when they are stressed.
Also, hens do really decrease their egg production in the fall into the winter because of the lack of sunlight during the day.
Hope this helps