I have been told that if you give chickens warm water in winter that they will lay better. Is this true? Egg production has decreased dramatically since the cold weather hit. If this is true what is the best way to go about doing this. I have a flock of about 25-30.

-- Kathy (DavidWH6@juno.com), November 29, 2000

Answers

Kathy: I have 35 first year pullets and I am getting 27-32 eggs per day. I feed free choice laying mash, scratch (which is what they eat the most of) oyster shell, and a couple quarts of goats milk. My feeding is actually less (I never use to feed scratch-just mash) and I am getting more eggs than I ever had this time of year. I think it is because we give them a big bucket of hot water morning and night. I never used buckets before, I guess I aways thought they needed the regular waterers or something, but the pails work just fine and are easy to bring out at morning and evening chores. They say getting them to drink water is the big egg laying factor, also they need to eat longer so I leave a light on in the coop over the feed. Must be working because they are sure putting out the eggs.

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 29, 2000.

Kathy, I use one of those heated water buckets for the chickens in the winter, that and a timer to provide 14 hours of light per day. Mine are two year old hens, they are molting now, so egg production is way down, but should pick back up after the molt. Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 29, 2000.

Ladies, Thanks so much for your answers. I had been getting 10 eggs a day at the most. After your emails I started giving them warm water twice a day. The first day I got 14 the next 15 and it's been that way ever since. Thanks for your help.

Kathy :-)

-- Kathy (DavidWH6@juno.com), December 03, 2000.

Thanks to Annie's advice, in another thread, I bought a heated waterer and have hooked it up early this morning. I anxiously await the results....if it truly keeps water thawed (I am ALWAYS a skeptic) and if the chickens realy can't tip it over, as promised on the label.Thansk for all the great chicken posts here.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), December 04, 2000.

Another thing that also affects egg production is daylight. I am not sure where you live, but up here the daylight hours in the winter are short. I think a chicken should have 14 hours of daylight. (More or less) This combined with the warm water should help a lot.

-- The Northern Blacksmith (Llywelyn_the_Great@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

You have, in my opinion, a plethora of good advice here. It is my experience that hours of light are more important than anything else for egg production, and it is also my opinion, albeit backed up by the written word, that 14 hours of daylight is a good exposure in the winter. I'm in Maine, where that is far more than we are getting right now.. But I also believe that providing the "extra" light should only be done in the morning. Extra light in the evening confuses the ladies, and sudden darkness leaves them unsure where to roost. Heated water is great, and they'll enjoy it. But production will not increase unless they have had less than the required water before. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), December 05, 2000.

Just for some clarification Brad, are you implying that all of us that got good results with the warm water were depriving our chickens of enough water prior to giving them the warm water? This is the kind of responses from people in "every part" of this forum that is making me wonder about future participation on my part.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 07, 2000.

Hmmmm. Can't answer for what Brad was implying, Diane, but often animals that have only cold water to drink (in the winter) will not drink enough. So in that case, they would be deprived of the needed water, even though there was water right there in front of them. Horses will do that. Chickens aren't smarter than horses, so probably applies to them too.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 07, 2000.

Just wanted to update on the best $25 I ever spent! I love the heated waterer. It holds 1 1/2 gallons and has not frozen on even our coldest days. They were able to knock it over once...I have watched them walk in a circle very quickly (in anticipation of my arrival with goodies) one foot in and then out, one after another. Very funny, but did splash almost all the water out when a heavier chicken missed the bowl and they tumbled, rocking the waterer.

This gizmo lets me be care free during the day and I can leave without worries. Thank you Annie for the advice.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 17, 2001.

It doesn't snow where I live. I don't give heated water. I feed Chick Starter with Amprolium to all age chickens and guineas. Birds of laying age get oyster shell and Diatomaceous Earth mixed into the feed. The birds lay all year 'round. I get a lot more eggs than I can use.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), January 18, 2001.

ROGO, the water isn't heated, just won't freeze. What is amprolium?

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 18, 2001.