Laying less eggs than normal?

[CrunchySarah]

I have 2 BO, 2 BR, and 2 RIRs, and they are about 6-7 months old. They started laying at the end of July, and in August I was getting an average of 4 eggs a day, now I'm getting 2-3 eggs a day? Sometimes 4, but I haven't gotten 5 in one day in a whole month. Unfortunately, I was really sick in August so I wasn't mixing their feed and my husband bought a bag of layer crumbles at the farm store (I'm not happy using this - I'm sure the ingredients are really, really gross). We're almost through it, then we'll be switching back to a mix of whole grains. They do some free-ranging, I bring them lots of garden scraps, bugs, and weeds from around my yard (they love clover, purslane and plantain), and have free access to oyster shell at all times. I thought they'd be up to laying 5-6 eggs a day at this point, and I'm wondering if something is going wrong with feeding? I give them about 4 c of food a day, and they seem to suck it down a lot faster than they did when it was whole grain based food.

Thanks for any help!

 

[paulpig]

I have come to the conclusion that the hens will lay when they want. We have 25 hens and only get 4-6 eggs a day. The hens should be old enough---or maybe too old.........
I bet it is the time of year,water, light, nutrition.......Basically most things we can't control. Best thing we can all do is provide the best care and feed for our birds and hope for the best!!!

 

[kidd42]

We have 9 hens, 2 Speckeled Sussex, 2 partridge Cochin's, 2 EE's, 2 Black Austrolorpes, and a Dominique. They started laying about mid July. We average 6 eggs a day. Have gotten 9 eggs only once, and 8 eggs two days in a row a few weeks ago. But there are day's that we get only 3 or 4 eggs. How has the weather been, cooler, hotter? this affected our hens we have noticed. plus the day light hours are getting shorter.

 

[CrunchySarah]

Maybe that's it, the weather. I recall having a fleeting thought about how that effects their laying. We've actually had a really nice September, but the days are shortening, so perhaps that is it. Thanks!

 

[ILoveJoe]

I have 36 hens all types of breeds and have never gotten 36 eggs in one day. I get an average of 2 dozen and some days only about 18. I expect the older hens to start a moult soon so they should quit laying and the young girls will hopefully NOT moult and I can continue to get some eggs throughout the winter like I did last year.