Hens aren't laying as much as they used to?

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

My 6 hens haven't been laying as much as they used to. We barely get 2 eggs a day out of 6 hens. We were getting 5-6 eggs a day, but now they are starting to slack off. Sigh. Do you think it is because it is getting colder?

 

[Fred's Hens]

No, not the cold. The temperature have little to do with it. If they are over a year old, they are not going to lay well their second Autumn. It's time for them to molt, usually, and the decreasing sunlight has a depressing effect to their photo reactive systems. Autumn and early winter is "down time" for the chicken.

You might find some interest in reading this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=586719

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Fred's Hens :

No, not the cold. The temperature have little to do with it. If they are over a year old, they are not going to lay well their second Autumn. It's time for them to molt, usually, and the decreasing sunlight has a depressing effect to their photo reactive systems. Autumn and early winter is "down time" for the chicken.

You might find some interest in reading this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=586719

My girls are actually less than a year old. They were hatched in March so they are about 6-7 months. That was a very nicely written post. Thank you very much for sharing that.

 

[gypsy's chixs]

Im new to this but I had the same issue I added a light that comes on at 4:30 am and a heat lamp and my egg production went back up. I have 14 hens all born last spring I was getting 6-9 eggs then dropped to 1-2 eggs. I added the lamp three days ago and now Im at 11 eggs today!!! New record for this bunch. So dont lose hope.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I also use some pre-dawn light because I live so far north, our daylight will diminish until we only get 7 hours daylight and that is a generous description. I do chores at 6 am and I need light to see anyhow, so I have the timer set to turn on a little light, each day, year round, at 5 am. I do nothing in the late afternoon or evening. I don't want to push them too hard, but we do need our production birds laying at a reasonable rate in the fall and winter.

The use of light is a personal, management decision. How much or how long is also a personal decision. Normally, good laying breeds like a production red, or production strains of other breeds respond to a little more light. Some breeds simply will not lay well in the fall/winter and that is that. They really weren't bred for high production.