What am I doing right?

[Chicken Heir]

This is my first winter with hens. They started laying in the late fall, and haven't let up. I do not give them any more hours of artificial light, yet my brown egg layers lay every day, and my single white layer lays about every other to every three days.

I decided not to give them any more light since it's my unde
rstanding (after reading threads here) that laying every day and at the same time trying to store energy to stay warm is too hard on hens in the winter. They're all healthy, eating well and the eggs are healthy despite a pretty cold winter here in CT so far. I'm not too worried since they made it this long, but is this normal?

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'm not exactly sure what it is you're asking, but..... My hens started laying last year around November. I did not supplement light, and they laid, for 9 hens, about 8-9 eggs every day in the winter. This year, they have slowed down, to about 0 to 6 eggs a day. I had added extra light, but nixed that as it didn;t seem to make a difference--I'm stil lgetting the same amount of eggs without the light. They do slow down as the get older.

 

[Thortherooster]

my black stars have laid straight through too...it is a breed thing, and an owner thing, and a temp. so u are doing an amazing job...!!

 

[Chicken Heir]

Quote:
Thanks..My question was if getting an egg a day during the winter was normal, since I read a lot of threads saying hens slow down in the winter. I do know they slow down when they get older.

 

[Chicken Heir]

Quote:
Thanks! Owe it all to this site! I have not had them long--since sept. or oct. I figured since this was my first shot I'd have at least one sick or dead bird by now, but all's well. Beginner's luck I guess.