Hens don’t lay in the rain

[z3lda3]

We get a lot of rain here, and daily showers all summer... while those don't affect the chickens laying, we have had egg strikes during hurricanes / tropical storms.
I wouldn't even say the storms are stressful for them, because they run right out into it and only go back to the coop for preening / dry-out sessions.
So I tend to think it has something to do with the light level. It wouldn't go into effect the first day of bad weather, since the egg is already in the production facilities, but on the second or third day of cloudy dark weather. In the past, after big storms, ours have taken a week to resume laying.

A coop light that comes on a few hours in the evening or morning could help keep your chickens laying through adverse weather, but keep in mind to schedule a couple months downtime for them (fall is good, so they can molt).

The micro climate for every keeper can change the experience too.
We place our coops in deep shade due to the deathray sun and heat here. Someone with a sunnier coop location, with big windows on the coop, is going to have more illuminated chickens.
Building locations relative to the coop can make a difference in sun hours too.
So if you're closer to the edge of what deathray level your chickens need, it's easier for them to get knocked down into siesta time from isolated events.
Hope that makes sense.

Thanks for the info! Yes, it was not a daily drizzle, it was 4 days of storms. Thunder/hail and downpours.
It’s gets HOT here in the summer 100+ degrees. I’ve got the coop and run under trees. It’s a lovely canopy of tree branches. It the winter the leaves fall, and lets in sunlight and warmth.
I love for my hens to take down time, especially my RSLs, I read somewhere constant laying shortens their life
Well it’s good to know I haven’t totally lost my mind. At least someone else notices a difference too.