My hens are still in later molting stages, but they never stopped laying completely. They just slowed way down. I give them a soybean meal supplement to boost protein while molting. Probably a higher protein feed would be better, but the regular feed's $8.50 a 50lb bag, and the 20% feed is $14, so I still have soybean meal left from last year, I just add some of that every day. It was 49 for 50lbs., and it lasts a long time, I only give a few handfuls a day mixed with the regular layer feed.
I was gone for 2 weeks, and forgot to tell my DH to add the soy meal, they slowed way down while I was gone. They're picking back up now that I'm home and they're getting the soy again. We don't add artificial light, they lay fine once they get through the fall molt. They free range, so they get natural sunlight daily. Unless it's really cloudy or stormy, anyway.
Last year we had some really bad quality feed, they stopped laying and we didn't get eggs for nearly 4 months. We found a new feed dealer, he told me about the soy meal. I started giving them that and they were laying again in about 3 days.
It was just before winter solstice, so the day length was at it shortest when they started laying again. I'm certain the protein is what made the difference. I didn't add it from spring until late summer, just before they started molting, because they get lots of bugs in warm weather.
