not laying so good

[cold chicken]

Last May I bought some chicks, grew them up, built them a nice insulated coop and they are free to come and go as they please. As winter approached and the amount of light, up here in northern Wisconsin, started to decrease I got a timer and all was good. 100% eggs all through the winter. Now as it is staying light longer the eggs are dropping off to only about 50%. I've been reading about the first molt that should be around a year from the first eggs. I have also been reading about stress. The girls aren't showing any signs of either, and truthfully I can't put my finger on why the egg production is starting to dwindle. Any advice or knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks cold

 

[aart]

Is there a chance that they can lay somewhere that you aren't seeing, they may be hiding eggs?
They may be in fact molting, it's not always glaringly apparent.
Has there possibly been a predator scare?