How long does it usually take for hens to resume laying?

[magentamomma]

My hens went from a dozen a day in October to 2-4 a day now. My duck hasn't laid in weeks. when can i expect an upswing in production?

 

[Kim_NC]

When the daylight hours get close to 14 total hours - or sooner if you add light to the coop to supplement the current short days. Most areas of the South get to 14 hrs around May 1st. Currently we're at about 10 1/2 hrs. Of course, the days will get steadily longer between now and then, so better laying birds will start to produce more in the next 8 weeks or so. Without a supplemental light though, it'll be May before they start laying their best.

ETA: You can lookup daylight hours by date here.
http://www.almanac.com/sun/rise/NC/Greensboro/2010-01-29 - Change the search to your city/state/zip code