Lapse in egg production

[johndeerematt]

Hey everyone! I have 28 hens or so, and they are seven months old. For the most part, they've been giving me about 20 eggs every day!! I know that's a lot, but it had been consistent for nearly three weeks. But the last three days, I've only got 8 eggs. Nothing has changed feed, water, or behavior wise. What could be possibly going on? I am quite baffled, please do enlighten!

 

[GuppyTJ]

Good for you on getting so many eggs, nice! The most common reasons for decreased production are the following:

1. The days are getting shorter with fewer hours of daylight. This tends to trigger hens to lay less.
2. Could some of the hens have started to lay outside the coop in a hidden nest or 2?
3. Do you think they could be going through molt? I don't know if they start molting at this age and this time of year but maybe others can comment on this.
4. Is it at all possible that something is getting the eggs? Snakes, raccoon... not sure what you might have in your area.

Hope this helps,
Guppy