What is typical for winter egg laying?

Z_chicken

In the Brooder
11 Years
Jan 12, 2009
61
1
39
Southern California
I'm in Southern California and it has been sunny and warm. At night, I've added 4 hours of extra light in their coop. My banty Cochin and banty Barnevelder have stopped laying for over 2 weeks now. They do not appear to be molting and seem healthy. Is it just because it's winter?

Thanks!
 
Lets see I am in TN no extra light in coop or heat. I got today so far 14 eggs with snow on the ground and them free ranging. I am feeding a 20% protien feed. So maybe look at your feed being to low proien for this time of the year. Mine were hatch this past May.
 
I've only got 4 hens (born last April) but 3 are Leghorns so I think they do exceptionally well. I do not add artificial light to stimulate production (although they have a red heat lamp for the first time this winter starting tonight)

I would say on average that production is down at least to HALF.
Today I got 2 eggs. The other day I got 3, and the other day I only got 1, so on average it's about half as good as it was last fall when I was getting 4 eggs almost every day. I still have enough to give to my mom and mother in law occasionally, but not enough to spread around the neighborhood.

They are still free ranging with BOSS and some corn as treats. They have Layena pellets in their coop, but they visit the baby's coop to eat the Flock Raiser. When we are out of Layena I will only be buying Flock Raiser for everyone.
 
I'm getting one a day average from all my hens with a heat lamp even with temps in the teens and single digits. They started laying in November, and have continued so far.
 
I'm here in Kansas and the temps have been cold we had a few weeks with out eggs then it went back to one to two a day. Bad thing is ours don't like to go into the hen house unless they are laying so all their combs have frost bite..
 

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