Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

For the 2 full years that we've had chickens the hens lay the most eggs in March, April and May, probably similar to most.
However, this summer and fall, there has been a significant drop by all the hens.
Nine 2.5 yr old BSL's - 1 to 2 eggs a day;
Nine 1.5 yr old RSL & other reds - 2 to 3 eggs.
Perhaps there have been too many changes
- adding the new red hens then
- raccoon attack;
- adding young chickens that I hatched;
- allowing access into barn that has new nesting boxes;
- separated BSL's from others to verify egg production;
- the weather?
Is this what is to be expected?
Or is it just one of those years?

IMO, it is to be expected, given normal seasonal changes (less and less hours of daylight, seasonal molt), aging hens and the additional stress of coon attack, multiple flock dynamic changes ...

I only have Wyandottes and Ameraucanas and my observation over the years, the only way to have a more or less steady supply of eggs, has been to hatch a new batch of pullets in the spring, so they start laying in the fall (she said hopefully) so that they fill in the low to nonexistent production of the birds that are 1.5 years old and older who tend to molt and get depressed when the fall comes
This year is a first year we don't have any Ameraucana pullets, (and only one last year) so most birds are 2.5 years and older and I don't remember last time I saw a blue egg.
I personally feel they use any excuse to take a break this time of the year, and I guess I have learned to live with it chalking it up to winter preparation and laying in some fat reserves to keep warm instead of laying.

I am getting 0 -2 eggs from 17 hens. Rarely 2. Sister is laying still and I would rather she stops and moults now rather than say January. Only one of the girls went broody this year with 1 chick resulting (no fault of hers). This is the first year I have no pullets coming up. My turkeys stopped laying mid-October and are now in full moult. I don't grudge them their rest in spring I have more eggs than I can use.

@KimChick I too think it's to be expected.
I have 9 hens in my "old girls" side of my coop that are laying 1-3 eggs per day. They are from the only 3 hens that haven't molted yet this year. Hens in this section are from 1 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old.
I'm getting 2-4 eggs per day from the "youngens" side of the coop from 10 hens. They are all 6-7 months old but haven't all started laying

I've noticed that although my oldest girls do still lay quite well through the spring/Sumer months they take a longer break each year they age. So they quit laying earlier and fire up again later. They deserve the break.

@Ontario Chick I hadn't really thought about the older girls seeming depressed until this year. A couple are having a long, drawn out molt and they sure don't seem themselves.

My bunch have been really spotty this summer. Older ones lay for a while then want to go broody. I would get 6 or 7 a day through August. Sept down to 1 to 3 a day. Then back up to four or vive, then early Oct down to 1 or 2 again, Just in the last week I am getting four to six with no one broody. I think my April hatch is (maybe) starting to lay. I had four broodies hatch a total of 16, so should have lots laying come spring. About half of those are brown leghorns form WLL (thanks) so I expect to be well supplied and not so broody next summer. Timer in on. I got a new KFC bucket and flattened it out and stapled it to the wall. I have given them pep talks. I have scolded and cursed and cajoled. I don't know what else to do.

I've been doing pretty well this year with eggs. My 2 highest days were 14 eggs. I'm down to 5 to 8 a day now. I have a whole group of 7 month old silkies who are STILL freeloading... I have a bunch of hens that ranges from 10yrs to pullets in one hen house they are the ones that are laying.

However, I have 2 broody girls again! I have one girl going through a hard molt. I do try Barry White every once in a while...seems to work

Lights are on in my coop as well.

My silkies are the only ones laying, I expect any day now they'll have a conference and decide to all go broody.
Its just the time of year. I've had more hens attempt to hatch out eggs late in the year then ever before. I have one hen on a batch as we speak.

For the fall, yesterday was the only day I didnt get 2-3 eggs from my 3 adult girls....yesterday I got 0. I expect to see a lot of zero days starting, but hoping the 10 young pullets will start laying soon even though the days are short (wishful thinking). For the summer, very, very few eggs! Every hen I had went broody...lol...thus resulting the 10 pullets (plus a few boys for freezer camp)

Thanks everyone, for confirming that I wasn't just giving them excuses for not laying eggs.
I should have mentioned the number of "0" egg days from the BSL's lately; there have been a few. Also, there are about four that have not seemed to recover fully from last winter's molt. That is why I decided to invest in some dried mealworms and calci worms to try to help the feather growth. I thought their feathers would grow back sooner for all the time they got to free range around the property this Spring and Summer. I guess what works for some does not work for all.