Egg production low

[Redstone]

I'm new at this but if I understand correctly, while my birds are molting egg production will decrease. How long will the molting time last? Also, I have younger birds that should be just about the right age to start laying but they're not, could that be because of the molting?

Also, I had two girls that wanted to brod but I think I convinced them to get off their butts, but I'm not sure if they are back to laying. I was getting 4-5 eggs daily now I'm down to 2 a day.

Is this normal or am I missing something?

 

[SIMZ]

I think this is normal for this time of year. The days get shorter and laying drops off. Moult can last anywhere from a few weeks to months - depending on the hen. I had a pullet last year that stopped laying over the winter, too, so breed comes into play, too.

One thing you can do to increase production is to add light in the coop. We have a timer and the light comes on from 5-8 a.m. and then again from 4-8 p.m. They end up with 15 hours of light. It's also a good time to check them for parasites (mites, lice) and worm them, as both of those can cause less production.

Good luck!