Does anyone have any luck getting their chickens to lay throughout the winter, or is it just a fact of nature that they molt and quit laying? CJ

-- CJ (cjtinkle@getgoin.net), November 06, 2001

Answers

You can stimulate them by providing them with artificial light. the more light in the day, the better the production...that's why commercial farmers keep thier birds lit 24/7.

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), November 06, 2001.

Mine layed all winter. Only problem was frozen eggs that cracked. Someone told me to take them inside and thaw them out. Use them first. I have not tryed that but may this winter.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), November 06, 2001.

I supplement light in the coop from 6 am to 9 pm every day. I have 30 hens- one group of 24 (Rhode Island Red) are just 5 months old, and the other group of 6 (Polish) are a year and a half old. Today's egg total was 27--23 brown eggs, and 4 white.

I have free choice Blue Seal layer mash and water in front of them at all times, plus cracked corn morning and night because it's been cold here already. I also give them most of the table scraps.

Stacy in NY --->where it's c-o-l-d

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), November 06, 2001.

CJ, whether or not they lay depends on the daylight hours in a day. Here in southern Maine I don't have enough daylight hours to stimulate production unless I add artificial light. I'm planning on experimenting with solar lights this winter. My hens are molting now, so I am getting very spotty production right now. I'm hoping that if I put some artificial lighting in so that "sundown" is at 6 or 7 instead of at 4 then I might still have some production. They usually start laying again in January, so it shouldn't take a lot of additional light to keep them laying. At our shortest daylength here, the sun rises around 7 and sets around 4.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 06, 2001.

I was pouring the layin pellets to mine just to get 3 or 4 eggs a day out of 9 chickens. When the pellets ran out so did the eggs.

-- Red Neck (Secesh@CSA.com), November 06, 2001.

CJ, poultry are phototrophic, which means they need at least 14 hours of light to lay well. If you can't get out to collect eggs about every two hours, the eggs will freeze. They will still be good, though. Redneck, switch your hens to Purina Layina, and put a household timer on your light in the henhouse, and stand back! The eggs will roll in. Now, if your hens are older than 3, or wormy, that can also hurt your egg production. A hens' peak production is the first or second year, with each succeeding year seeing fewer eggs. I always keep a poultry water heater in the henhouse in the winter too. It takes a lot of water to make eggs.

-- Judy in IN (Whileaway3@cs.com), November 06, 2001.

My hens, of different breeds, have always laid during the winter and also hatch chicks in the winter when I allow it. I throw out a lot of eggs. How many eggs can one eat! -LOL- I know a lot of folks whose hens lay all winter.

I do not add heat or light. I do not feed anything from my kitchen. The hoppers are always filled with their feed. The birds free range during the day and march into their pens at dusk, on their own, to roost.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 06, 2001.

Our chickens always lay all through the winter their first year and the second year's winter production usually drops, but they still lay. We have a large south facing window in their coop and they have a small fenced yard. They're always outside during the day no matter how cold it gets. Maybe our timing has something to do with it. We're in Central Wisconsin so get our chicks end of May, beginning of June and they just start to lay in Nov-Dec when the days are getting shorter. It gets dark here between 4-5pm. We also give them fresh vegetable scraps from the kitchen almost every day all year long. We have Buff Orpingtons, White Giants, Rhode Island Reds, and this year the Golden Laced Wyandotte. In the past we've also had Black Australorps and Silver Laced Wyandottes. Hope this info helps.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), November 07, 2001.

Rose Marie:

I am interested in the laying production and demeanor of the types of chickens you have. I have black austrolorps which are supposed to be great layers. Have any others outpaced them of the breeds you've had?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

I had all heavies and would turn on the coop light early morning and late afternoon to extend daylight.

I also, when it was real cold tossed crushed hot peppers on the floor for them to eat and also made them oatmeal. At one time I had 300 hens. The red peppers, I had read, would keep them warm inside and of course so did the warm oatmeal. Worked for me.

I tried a heating lamp but was worried about fires.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), November 07, 2001.

We keep a single 60-watt light bulb on 90% of the time out in the coop. We've had a little feather loss from molting, but the eggs have increased. We haven't had any really cold weather yet, so can't say what will happen then, but our 100 or so pullets are just starting to lay and we have gone from 20 or 25 up to over 3 dozen a day in the past few days. The light seems to be the key.

-- CJ Glass (glasss2001@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

We have ARAUCANA bantams and they layed through the first winter and we expect them to do so this one without any supplemented light. Good chickens are good layers and I think winter laying is more genetic than envirnmental.

-- Adam (possumdog@yahooo.com), November 07, 2001.

In reply to Ann Markson's question about the Black Australorps: They were by far one of the best layers we've ever had, and a hardy chicken for Cent. Wisc. I'd say the Silver Laced Wyandottes were second to the Black Aust's. The Buff Orpingtons were also a good layer and very tame (except the Buff Rooster we had). The Reds are good layers, but not much "personality" if you ask me, they are also a kind of scrawny bird, not much to them. This is my first year with the White Giants and Golden Laced Wyandottes, so can't tell you much about them. But at 5 months, someone I have out there is already laying pretty good eggs. My guess is they're the White's. They are a beautiful bird, nice size and disposition. The Golden Laced Wyandottes were chosen as a bird to enter to enter in the County Fair. Hope this helps, e-mail me directly if you have any other questions.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), November 08, 2001.

Thanks. I was worried at the 4 H fair because at that time my daughter's austrolorps weren't laying and the Barred Rock Hens were dropping eggs through the show like it was Easter!! I thought we'd chosen the wrong breed.

I do wish the austrolorps weren't so skittish.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 08, 2001.

My mom has Black Australorps and they just lay all through the winter like nothing's wrong. Also, they are the only chickens she has (among several breeds) that are out and about in the snow pecking around. I guess they are just extremely resistant to cold. They are also good sized chickens for eating and fairly tame. Good luck!

-- Laura Lewis (lucky1s@mcmsys.com), November 10, 2001.