Do hens really STOP laying altogether?

[Suburban Sprouts]

I have a backyard flock of 11 hens right now and I'll be adding another 5-6 this spring. Right now I get more than enough eggs. What I'm curious about is whether hens actually stop laying completely after a couple years... I know people have said that production dramatically tapers off, but that is kind of why I have so many. My thoughts were that if I have 15-16 birds, when they slow down production, I'll still be getting plenty of eggs for my needs. But if they stop laying COMPLETELY, then I'll need to prepare to make some tough choices.

 

[Imp]

Not completely, but it seems that way. I have one hen that is about 5-6 yo. Only 1 egg this winter, so far and that one got squished in the nest. Maybe a few more this summer. The other younger 2 about 3+ yo have started picking up their laying, maybe 2+ each per week right now. I do have light in the coop.

Imp