Sudden stop in laying?

[Ccort]

I have nine girls and suddenly, this week, I haven't had a single egg. Production slowed a lot when fall set in and I went from about 5 eggs a day to 1-2 a day. Is it normal for them to have seemingly stopped completely this week? I am new to this. They otherwise seem fine!

Edit. One is not capable of laying.

 

[aart]

How old are they, in months?
Do you free range?

 

[igorsMistress]

Normal usually yes, but if you free range you might have a look around for a secret hiding spot.

 

[ZedikerStation]

Have you considered light? Daylight stimulates the reproductive cycle of egg layers, increasing production when exposed to more light. Hens typically produce more eggs in the spring and summer months because of the longer exposure to sunlight throughout the day. I have found that it comes on gradually - as the daylight changes. We've had winters where 3 year old hens didn't lay all winter. (not earning their keep - LOL). We've got some first year layers right now that have not slowed down yet...

 

[Ccort]

How old are they, in months?
Do you free range?

I don't free range. They are eight months.

 

[Ccort]

Have you considered light? Daylight stimulates the reproductive cycle of egg layers, increasing production when exposed to more light. Hens typically produce more eggs in the spring and summer months because of the longer exposure to sunlight throughout the day. I have found that it comes on gradually - as the daylight changes. We've had winters where 3 year old hens didn't lay all winter. (not earning their keep - LOL). We've got some first year layers right now that have not slowed down yet...

I don't have artificial light out there. I assumed that's what's happening but wasn't sure. Is there any harm to them in NOT laying all winter?
I don't need the eggs so I am fine with it as long as they're fine.

 

[ZedikerStation]

I don't have artificial light out there. I assumed that's what's happening but wasn't sure. Is there any harm to them in NOT laying all winter?
I don't need the eggs so I am fine with it as long as they're fine.

We experimented with artificial light a few years ago. It resulted in egg production all winter. We decided it was more hassle than it was worth, so we haven't done it since. They need 14 hours of light per day to lay an egg (generally speaking). It needs to stay at 14 hours/day. Going from 9 hours/day to 14 hours/day immediately is NOT GOOD.

 

[aart]

Is there any harm to them in NOT laying all winter?

Absolutely not.

We experimented with artificial light a few years ago. It resulted in egg production all winter. We decided it was more hassle than it was worth, so we haven't done it since. They need 14 hours of light per day to lay an egg (generally speaking). It needs to stay at 14 hours/day. Going from 9 hours/day to 14 hours/day immediately is NOT GOOD.

They don't actually need 14 hours....11-12 is plenty.
Don't think bumping up the hours all at once is 'bad' for them.
But, yeah.....adjusting the light timer can be a PITA.

 

[jreardon1918]

Absolutely not.


They don't actually need 14 hours....11-12 is plenty.
Don't think bumping up the hours all at once is 'bad' for them.
But, yeah.....adjusting the light timer can be a PITA.

We just started our lighting program this week. Right now we have a routine using a smart plug to turn the lights on 1 hour before sunrise. We will increase the time gradually over the next month to get them to 12 hours.

 

[ZedikerStation]

The other "down-side" to artificial light is it can affect their molting.
Molt is driven by season and usually occurs in the fall when the hours of sunlight decrease. That's "a" reason hens take a vacation from laying eggs and redirect their energy to feather regrowth. It takes a lot of protein to grow a feather...
The year we "experimented" with added light, we had hens with pretty light feathering in February, as that's when they molted. It was COLD... They survived... LOL.