Absolute minimum light requirements, for egg laying

[Royd]

I live in North Florida, and our shortest daylight is around 10-11 hrs, at the winter solstice. Summer, of course, is about 15 hrs.
I keep hearing the figure, a mandatory 14 hrs, for good egglaying.
As one gets closer to the equator, the days get much closer to a consistent 12 hr. day.
Is egg production severely hampered, by a two hour difference?

I also have two more questions.

If a chicken does not lay, during low light periods, is her longevity as a productive egglayer, extended?

Also, are there any repercussions, healthwise, to the hen, who does not lay, due to light restriction?

 

[Brindlebtch]

Good questions! I'd like to know the answers, too. Hopefully a knowledgeable type will chime in.

 

[Camelot Farms]

I've always used the 14 hour 'magic number' also. In fact, we keep the light on in our coop in the winter months to extend the light hours and in my opinion, it keeps the egg steady.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Subscribed

 

[brijetterom]

I would also really like to know about the light requirements and how I can consistently get an egg just about every day or so. I am not asking for much but I do want consistent egg production under healthy conditions.

 

[Zalf]

I know this is a very old thread, but I live in the tropics and my hens give me an egg most days even though we have 12 hour days (approximately). I never thought that the 14 hours was a problem. Possibly my hens are used to the shorter days? However, in the past I did have a small light on near their roosting place, so that they could see critters trying to attack them. Possibly this has helped egg production. Now I have to check. Recently they have stopped laying but it has been very cold and rainy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the post about your actual experience. You read all kinds of things on here and what the requirements are, but often those are not based on experience or reality.

What makes the difference is not length of days but it's whether the days are getting longer or shorter. No matter where you are when the days are getting shorter they tend to quit laying and molt.

Artificial light like you were doing can make the days longer or shorter. If you are far enough from the equator you may need to go to 14 or 16 hours a day to keep the days from getting shorter and starting the molt. In severe weather (really hot or cold) chickens tend to reduce laying but where you are, well it's unlikely you'll see either, at least as far as chickens go. If you are near Fiji you are around water and that really stabilizes temperatures.

There are a lot of things other than the days getting longer or shorter that can affect egg production. Some but not all pullets tend to lay through their first winter and skip the molt, but in following years they will molt in the fall if you don't play with the lights. If the hens lay for extended periods without molting, say for over a year, they tend to reduce or even stop laying for a while to refresh their bodies no matter the time of year. It's not always clear cut, there can be many variables. But the days getting longer or shorter have a huge effect.