Egg layer strike

[Madvalleychick]

My 5 chickens, Wyandottes and Americaunas and a bantam Brahma, all stopped laying early this September. The Americaunas and one silver laces laid the latest - but now have stopped too. Only one has last feathers and is likely moulting but not the others. Unless they have a stash somewhere I can’t find (I’ve combed the property unsuccessful). I figure it is the change in season/light but now want to add light to the coop to start their laying. They laid all of last winter and are a just under two years old (February they will be two). Any advice out there? I’d like eggs over the winter. Have they had enough of a rest?

 

[sourland]

Given there age, this is a normal break in their laying cycles. Some may restart laying this winter, but others may wait until the day light period starts to increase. This is why many folks add a couple of young birds to the flock each year to provide continuity of egg production.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I figure it is the change in season/light but now want to add light to the coop to start their laying. They laid all of last winter and are a just under two years old (February they will be two). Any advice out there? I’d like eggs over the winter.

I add lights in the morning at 5 am year round.
Earliest sunset here is 4:19, latest sunset is 8:29.
I don't add lights after sunset.

I have found egg production slows when sun sets before 6 pm, drastically before 5:30. Sunset today is 5:44 at my location. Next week it will be around 4:35 because of time change next Sunday.
A loss of an hour usually triggers my Hens to molt but not my Pullets.
I turn lights on later by 20 minutes daily over 3 days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
I do the opposite in spring when clocks advance an hour.

I put the light fixture on the same wall above the nest boxes, so light doesn't shine inside.

Chickens like a dark place to lay.
I also light up the pens so I can open the pop-door before sunrise.

I've also read that a warm spectrum bulb 2700 to 3000 K works best.
I use LED bulbs, very energy-efficient.
These are what I use.

250 lumens inside my small coops and 450 lumens under raised coops, and 800 lumens mounted outside coops. GC
ETA; my Pullets continue to lay. Hens usually start laying again in January.

 

[MysteryChicken]

My 5 chickens, Wyandottes and Americaunas and a bantam Brahma, all stopped laying early this September. The Americaunas and one silver laces laid the latest - but now have stopped too. Only one has last feathers and is likely moulting but not the others. Unless they have a stash somewhere I can’t find (I’ve combed the property unsuccessful). I figure it is the change in season/light but now want to add light to the coop to start their laying. They laid all of last winter and are a just under two years old (February they will be two). Any advice out there? I’d like eggs over the winter. Have they had enough of a rest?

I'd let them take their Eggcation. It's better for their health to take a break.