Hens stopped laying eggs.

[All Henned Up]

Welcome and enjoy BYC!
Steve

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[beaglex3]

we have 14 hens that are 18 months old and 5 that are about 7 months old. the older ones are barely laying...maybe 1 or 2 eggs a day, if we're lucky. the younger hens are laying about 3 eggs a day. we have lights set to come on about 5 a.m. but not to extend on the night end of the day, so they are getting about 12 hours of light. the older ones started molting a couple months ago--maybe longer, and are still losing feathers like crazy. is one of these things the cause of the fewer eggs? i am alternating feather fixer feed with layer feed. if the reduction is just about light, why are the younger ones laying so much better than the older ones?

also, why do chickens molt when it's cold outside? our temps are mid 20's in day and single digits at night, and we have chickens with bald spots! why wouldn't they naturally molt in warmer weather? is there anything i can do to help them finish with molt and grow feathers back so they don't get frostbite?

thanks for the help!

 

[roostersandhens]