Not laying

[Artic Chick]

My 5 , 2 year old plymoth rock chickens did not lay well this summer . Usually 2 eggs a day. Last year it was 5 a day. I thought it was the food. I researched and mixed up my own mix of whole wheat , sunflower seeds , corn , oats and regular chicken pellets. They laid 3 eggs a day for about a week. There were so many birds and chipmunks getting in eating the food i went through twice the amount and had to put netting all around the run to keep them out. And it didn't make much difference. Im back to my regular food no difference, 2 eggs, sometimes 1 and sometimes none. The chickens are losing quite a few feathers and now it is getting darker sooner. We also had a very hot summer.
My question is should i put a light in the coop this winter to increase the egg production i didn't last year and got same amount as i got all summer. I thought i should let them rest last year but seems they have had lots of rest. Lol. Or perhaps thats it for the eggs and i shouldn't keep them over winter. Hate to give them up but its money for food , heater etc and hassle trudging through the snow take care for them. Im really torn. Any advice, opinions . THANKS

 

[ILoveDaffy]

It could be because of moulting, or just that they lay less as they age.

 

[sourland]

Are you feeding an all flock ration plus oyster shell or a balanced layer feed ? It's not unusual for 2 year old birds to molt, take a break in the laying cycle and then resume at a somewhat lower rate of production. For some reason yours stopped laying a bit early.