Added light 2 weeks ago, still no eggs

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sheeshshe

sheeshshe

Songster
10 Years
May 6, 2009
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I added artificial light 2 weeks ago bc my chickens stopped laying, all except for 1 dominique who's continued to lay regardless. They have 14 hours of light. My only wonder is that even though I'm keeping the light on until 9pm, they're sleeping at dusk with the light on. so they're still thinking it is night even though they have the light. Is that the reason why they're not laying? Do I need to put the light on at 2am or something and just start the days earlier? I mean, dusk is soon going to be 430 in the afternoon.
 
I removed my post that was answering a question and maybe offended. It's surprising these forums even manage to inform anyone sometimes
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Chickens aren't vending machines. Someone here once stated that and I still think it is a good thing to remember. Chickens really don't need 14 hours of light in order to lay. Chickens at the equator lay very well and they never get 14 hours of sunlight, only 12 hours, give or take, year around.

First year pullets will almost always be your very best winter layers and rarely need much artificial lighting. An older hen often moults in Autumn and rests much of the winter. It's natural. If the birds don't respond to 12 or 13 hours of artificial light, then they simply are resting because they need to rest. They simply cannot lay an egg everyday of their relatively short lives. Pushed too hard, a chicken runs the risk of a shortened life, to put it bluntly. This is precisely what the commercial hen houses do to their caged birds. Just sayin'.

Good feed, good water, a good environment and a the hens will do what their bodies allow them to do. I wish you well with your birds. Enjoy them.
 
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10 of them are first year layers. they stopped as soon as the daylight hours shortened. some of them had only been laying for a month before they stopped. I don't think this is due to 'needing a rest' I think it is do to the lighting issue.
 
Fred's Hens said:
Chickens aren't vending machines. Someone here once stated that and I still think it is a good thing to remember. Chickens really don't need 14 hours of light in order to lay. Chickens at the equator lay very well and they never get 14 hours of sunlight, only 12 hours, give or take, year around.

First year pullets will almost always be your very best winter layers and rarely need much artificial lighting. An older hen often moults in Autumn and rests much of the winter. It's natural. If the birds don't respond to 12 or 13 hours of artificial light, then they simply are resting because they need to rest. They simply cannot lay an egg everyday of their relatively short lives. Pushed too hard, a chicken runs the risk of a shortened life, to put it bluntly. This is precisely what the commercial hen houses do to their caged birds. Just sayin'.

Good feed, good water, a good environment and a the hens will do what their bodies allow them to do. I wish you well with your birds. Enjoy them.
Click to expand...
Fred is correct, but commercial farms light 24/7, not quite the same as 14 hours of light.
 
Mskayladog said:
Do they have a nice big run with plenty of space? Do you have plenty of room for them to roam in the coop?
Click to expand...
They got a shiny new coop a few weeks ago, their space just more than quadrupled. :) and the run space is sufficient too.
 

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