i live in south-west texas. i have had hens for over 4 yrs. each year i would buy 3 doz more. last january i bought 3 doz and my older were giving me @ 2doz per day. as summer came they slowed to about 1doz (heat) then in sept down to 6 eggs. then oct one or two. since the first of nov none to one egg. i have tried light, better feed,. you name it i have tried it. even the new hens now 10 months old aren't producing. the older ones are not loosing fethers (moth)
Hopefully someone with more chicken experience than I have will be able to give you some answers. Our seven 8-9 month old girls have been laying 6 eggs a week since they started laying but all of a sudden this past week have gone on strike. I'm hoping that it is just the season!
Have you checked for any signs of stress? Illness? The four year olds sound like they're just simply getting old though. . . Most chickens come from production stock, which only lasts an average 3 years, then stop their production or slow it down dramatically. The new, younger ones may just be slowing down because it is that time of year, or they're doing a "silent" molt. (Some birds stop laying or slow down their laying weeks before they molt, then while molting, it happens quite quickly and you don't really notice any feather loss. . .)
