hens not laying

[kmyers]

I have 3 hens that have not laid any eggs since summer. I thought maybe it got to hot so they stopped. I have had some people say you dont have to have a rooster for them to lay and some people say yes you do. Any help with this would be great. Thank you

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

It is true that a rooster is not needed for egg production - the only reason you need a rooster with regards to eggs is if you want fertile eggs for hatching.
Now that that is cleared up - a little more information from you is needed to try to help you sort out what is happening with your birds. What breed(s) are the birds? How old are the birds? What are you currently feeding your flock? Are your birds confined or free ranged? If confined, can you describe the enclosure with regards to it's size and security? How are your birds watered - are there ever any times when they are without water? What is the current body condition of your birds? What is your location (general is fine such as country or state)?
Can you take and post photos of your birds showing them as they are now?

 

[kmyers]

They are not free range their run is about 10 by 10 their hut is about 5 by 10. I don't know what breed they are. One is yellow and is almost a year one is black and one is brownish both 2 years. They always have water and I am feeding them. Egglayer. They are secure. I live in kansas. I hope that answered it all ty

 

[Mcatgirl]

They slow down production in the winter.

Other reasons for not laying

-not old enough
-not enough sun
- not enough water
-too old to lay

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

They are not free range their run is about 10 by 10 their hut is about 5 by 10. I don't know what breed they are. One is yellow and is almost a year one is black and one is brownish both 2 years. They always have water and I am feeding them. Egglayer. They are secure. I live in kansas. I hope that answered it all ty

This is very helpful information. The two older birds are at the point in their life where having not laid since summer is not all that unusual -- the natural cycle is for birds to molt around 18 months of age, which for chicks started in the spring means their second summer/fall. Molting causes most hens to cease production. Because of the timing of this molt, the birds are finishing their molt just as the hours of daylight are growing short due to winter, meaning that they don't receive the amount of light needed to trigger egg production again until the arrival of the following spring when days grow longer. First year layers are more likely to lay through the winter but even they can be impacted by the short hours of daylight and take some time off.
One option to work around this is to use artificial lighting in the coop to make up for the missing hours of daylight so that your birds are receiving at least 10 full hours of light per day --- if you do this it is best to add the light in the morning (ie using a timer to bring the lights on an hour or two before dawn) so that natural evening can still send the birds to roost. This approach can be helpful for those who aren't prepared to follow the bird's natural cycle and be without eggs in winter.