What's going on with my laying hens???

[spunkychickenmomma]

Not sure what is going on with my pullets/hens. They are 10 months old. I was getting 16-18 eggs consistantly out of 21 birds daily until about 4 weeks ago. I am now getting 1-2 eggs daily. What can cause this to happen? The pen and coop have locks on them so I am confident that nobody is getting in and helping theirselves to the eggs. Is there some kind of predator that will eat that many eggs every single day for that long (haven't noticed any signs of predators) or would it more like be a nutitional need?
I have a sencond pen of chickens who are the same age, fed the same food and I am consistantly getting 14-16 eggs daily from 21 birds.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Are there different breeds in the two pens? Is the lighting the same for both flocks?

 

[donnavee]

I have 20 pullets and hens and I'm only getting about 4 per day now. They really dropped off once the days became shorter since I don't provide extra light. A bunch of them are molting too - feathers all over the place, but few eggs.

 

[Smarcebird]

My guess would be short days and colder weather. My girls are about the same age, don't think they will be molting this year, but egg production has dropped dramatically.

 

[spunkychickenmomma]

Fred's Hens :

Are there different breeds in the two pens? Is the lighting the same for both flocks?

Both pens have several different breeds. Lighting is the same.
Should I provide extra lighting in the coop since the days are so much shorter now?​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Many folks do. The typically have a light come on early in the pre-dawn hours and go off at 10 am. It is a management decision.