inconsistent egg laying ~ is this normal?

[cheeriotwins]

i have 6 hens that hatched out a year ago this week. some days, we get 3 or 4 eggs a day, but some days we get none. is this normal?

it almost seems like we were getting more in the winter than we are now. the only difference that i can think of between then and now, is that they are free-ranging more now than they were then. could this be the problem?

i thought for sure, we'd be getting more eggs, rather than less, with the longer days. is there anything that we can be doing to increase egg production? thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[BellLisamo]

cant wait for this answer. my bantam cochins, and my d'uccles just stopped and i havent gotten an egg for weeks. but they are just of egg laying age. got a few cochin babies from her though. everyone of her eggs were fertile

 

[gritsar]

My hens experienced a slow down around a year old. I was going crazy trying to figure it out. They free-range, so I searched this property over and over again looking for hidden nests. Never found any.
Finally, for whatever reason my egg production went back up to normal. I guess I should have listened to my DH when he told me that it was normal for them to take a break and that they couldn't lay like gangbusters all year round.
Also, alot of breeds don't lay daily. I have brahmas and by keeping records I've been able to figure out that most of them are laying every other day, with a few laying daily.

 

[Imp]

cheeriotwins,
Yes sometimes hens can be a little inconsistant. I have a EE that will lay daily for a week or two then stop for a month. I don't know for sure how old she is. I think it depends on the breed as well. If your 6 YOs are egglaying breeds I would think you should be getting 4-6 per day. Is it possible that that they are laying field eggs somewhere else? or something is eating the eggs? Good luck.

Imp- You too Bellisamo