Another chicken question - eggs in winter?

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soloequestrian

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I got my chickens in May, so this will be my first winter with them. My plan was just to let them do the natural thing of stopping laying as the light goes, but I'm not sure I can survive the winter without their eggs having been spoilt for so long now.
Does anyone use artificial light to keep hens laying? Do you think it is bad for them to lay over the winter? How do you manage the lighting - do they need a light in the run and the coop?
Any information/advice gratefully received!
 
They need about three weeks rest to moult,cannot do growing feathers and making eggshells at the same time,the needed calcium is drawn from their own bodily resources.However after that even a 20 watt light bulg in the coop seems to fool them into thinking the sun is up,so go for it.Just rest them a while once feathers are dropping out everywhere.
 
We have a large flock of 2500 free range hens, they have light all year, they need 16 hrs of light to eat enough to allow them to lay. You want to set the timer so the light comes on early morning, mid winter the light will come on 1.30 - 2 in the morning and go off at around 8 am. The hens go to bed with the natural dusk. Dont have have the light on the evenings as when the light goes off the hens get disorientated and wont roost. Your hens will be fine, feed them with a good quality layers pellet or mash, mixed corn will not contain enough protein.
 
My mum has 8 hens... All currently moulting.
We bring them down into the stables from the croft where their coop is in the winter as they like to be under cover on the yard, and don't always go to bed on time - which means catching and carrying them when the nights draw in.
We section off half a 12x12 loose box, bring down the roost, which goes between hay bales, and under kingspan to keep them warm, and have a separate nesting box that comes down too.
We don't have any artificial lighting, although there is a low light outside yard light that comes on automatically when dark and we get 2-3 eggs per day throughout the most of winter.
I think it also depends how old your hens are - some of ours are tapping on a bit :)
 
If your hens are hybrids and were bought as point of lay in May hen they may well not moult this year

If they do they will stop laying while they moult but probably lay through the winter thereafter

If they dont moult chances are they will lay straight through

Once a hybrid gets to its second winter chances are it wont lay straight through and it will take a break

If your hens are pure breeds they are a bit too posh to push in winter full stop I am afraid!

Lighting in the coop would help, set it on a timer though.

Pure breeds that take a natural break from laying each year do live far longer and are more productive for more years than hybrids which are simply laying machines. Personally I think it does them good to take a break so if you plan to use lights maybe still let them take at least a short while off laying
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I have one hybrid (ISA Brown) and two pure-breds. Perhaps I will just leave them to it - even a few eggs each week would see us through the winter.
 
Our "posh" Buff Orpingtons stop laying in winter but the others (Sussex Light and hybrids) lay all year round. They live outside in large runs in the woods with no extra light. We get a dozen eggs a day from around 20 hens.
 
Get some ex batts to mix in - they never seem to stop laying, their body clocks are so messed up! We've had them for three years and they lay all year round.
 
Honey08 said:
Get some ex batts to mix in - they never seem to stop laying, their body clocks are so messed up! We've had them for three years and they lay all year round.
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Poor little sods. Hope they have a better life with you, even if they can't stop whacking out them eggs.
 
Our hens laid all winter, the first winter we had them. This is their second, and the eggs are just starting to get smaller but we aren't giving extra light either..
 
I've got 6 hens now- I did have 36, but they got eaten by the darn FOX!!!! who broke into their house :-( But I still get a few eggs even in winter time- they are cream legbars. :-) try not to worry too much, you'll still have enough i'm sure.
 
Thanks for all these replies - I will definitely just leave them to it. They are all still laying now, and we are in the north of Scotland so not getting much light!

Honey08 said:
Get some ex batts to mix in - they never seem to stop laying, their body clocks are so messed up! We've had them for three years and they lay all year round.
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Do you find the ex-battery hens are more aggressive? The lady I got my coop from said that hers used to beat her cats up, but mine (who have always been free range) are wary of the cats and nice to each other. I wonder if being brought up in such a horrible environment means that battery hens learn to be very aggressive, but I've never had dealings with any.
 
soloequestrian said:
Thanks for all these replies - I will definitely just leave them to it. They are all still laying now, and we are in the north of Scotland so not getting much light!



Do you find the ex-battery hens are more aggressive? The lady I got my coop from said that hers used to beat her cats up, but mine (who have always been free range) are wary of the cats and nice to each other. I wonder if being brought up in such a horrible environment means that battery hens learn to be very aggressive, but I've never had dealings with any.
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No they're nice little things. Quite friendly really - I guess they've had lots of human contact.. They live in a huge run behind the stable, and haven't met the cats, but are fine with the dogs.. A young pheasant got in the run the other day though, and I think they would have killed it if I hadn't managed to grab it and pull it out!
 
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