Why won't my chickens lay?

[Certified Chicken Lover]

I know that the end of summer and in the winter hens are going to slow down laying, but I have 20 healthy young hens who give my maybe five eggs a day on a good day and this has been happening for more than two months now! Most of my girls are 1-2, their diet consists of Purina Layer crumble, they live in a large pen, but I let them freerange everyday supervised, they experience minimal stress occasionally (if any), and one of my Australorps is molting but that's it. I have also already done a thorough check for hidden eggs but didn't find anything. For example, I have a barnevelder who hasn't laid an egg in +two months and she is just barely one! They are all healthy, vigorous and playful little hens so I don't understand what the issue is. I would love to hear ya'lls opinion!

 

[TooCheep]

Many questions depend on your location/climate and this is one of them. Please add your general location to your profile so that we can provide better answers.

My answer for someone in Minnesota will vary from someone from Florida.

At a first pass, my answer is your chickens are fine and this is simply the shortening of days for the winter. Most hens stop laying in winter.

 

[Georgiachickenkid]

I had a similar issue, all of my fully grown, healthy chickens stopped laying in these colder months, just out of nowhere. I fixed this problem by installing a heater in their roosting box. I also tried a new supplement called “Kickin’ Chicken”. It’s a feed supplement, so you would pour it into their feeders. This seemed to fix the problem, give it a try, if this doesn’t work, than at least you’ll have some happier and healthier chicks. (Edit: Please be very careful with the heater. Insure it is very secure, if it falls, it can quickly cause a coop fire. If you don’t feel comfortable with the heater, please don’t use it).

 

[Apis mellifera]

Its the time of year. If you're north of the equator you need to increase the amount of light they get each day so that they get at least 12 to 14 hours of light.

 

[Georgiachickenkid]

Its the time of year. If you're north of the equator you need to increase the amount of light they get each day so that they get at least 12 to 14 hours of light.

That is very true. As the days grow shorter, the chickens will stop to lay due to the lack of daylight hours.

 

[aart]

Most of my girls are 1-2

They have probably stopped laying to molt and take a winter break.
It's not about heat and diet so much as the length of daylight.

 

[TooCheep]

As noted above daylight is a key to chickens laying. Also, the oncoming cold will frequently trigger molting which also stops eggs as they have to concentrate on growing new feathers instead of producing eggs.

The way commercial/factory farms mass produce eggs in winter is by providing very artificial and controlled environments where there are basically no seasons. The hens do not get the natural rest period for their bodies this way. These chickens also have shorter lives as the farms will terminate them when their egg production starts to go down. How much damage this practice does to their health and lifespan isn't clear due to their early termination. Most home chicken owners honor their biology rather than try to overcome it.

The only chickens that I've ever seen lay through winter are a subset of first-year hens. Some first year hens will continue and some will stop along the all of the older hens.

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After my first year with chickens (with only 1 of 3 young hens laying in winter), I found it odd when I was buying clearly inferior eggs at the store in winter. At that point, I researched how to preserve eggs for winter. If you are interested in that, here is a good recent discussion on the topic: home raised vs store bought egg

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

Okay, thanks for all the help! Only one of my hens is molting (all the others already molted a little while back). I can see how the daylight/winter time plays a big role in their egg-laying, but this gradually started in the end of summer and then just progressed till maybe 5 (more like three) eggs now. So is this normal?

 

[aart]

but this gradually started in the end of summer

What day/month do you consider the "end of summer"?
The days begin shortening in June, not much at first but increasing steadily.
My birds start slow down in August, some later.

Eggs are a seasonal food, unless you use lights and/or get new chicks every early spring.
As Blooie used to say..."they aren't pez dispensers ".

Might be time for an exam, then confinement.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.