Anyone not using light to up egg production?

[Jennyhaschicks]

I am kinda on the fence about using a light to keep my egg production up during the winter. My thoughts (and I have to facts behind this) is that using a light to help them lay is not natural to me. Can anyone offer me advice here? Is that crazy of me to think that?

 

[bantamman13]

I feel the same way I think winter is the time nature set aside for the hens to rest from all their hard work during the spring and summer. So I do not use a light either.

 

[lovemychix]

I have chicks divided off in another area of coop with a white heat lamp and it must be just enough light that my hens are laying everyday. You don't have to run a heat lamp but I'm thinking about in the future running a 60 watt on a timer to come on in the evening for a while to keep up egg production. A 60 running for a little while in the evening wouldn't run up your electric bill. A timer at walmart is like $5.

 

[Mahonri]

It might not be "natural" but, they are still being fed. They are not only pets, but they are an investment and most of us expect that investment to "pay".

I have a light on in the coop from 6AM until 8PM. My girls go into the coop at dark and get on their roosts as soon as the sun goes down. A few will linger on the coop floor and eat out of the feeder, drink from the water but most get their spot on the roost set and start sleeping before the light goes off. The light goes on at 6AM and it's morning for them. Many fly down, to the coop floor eat, drink and then some of them start jockeying for nest boxes to lay in. Usually by 1PM my 18 girls have delivered 12 eggs.

My feeling is this we are the providers/directors of our flocks, we can do what will help them to produce naturally.

 

[Indiana hens]

Anything that makes your chickens hardier, healthier, and reduces stress is good right. I don't use lights for production 1. because I'm cheap 2. because I sell hens not eggs. I have used the blue grow lights on chicks and they grow alot faster. By far they get a jump start on growing with the light. I did not use it this year and the hens are far behind on starting to lay by 1-3 months. There weren't as many worms either because it was so dry.

 

[spook]

Well.........I so agree with the no light route...until this year. We wired the hen house so that the girls will get quality light (25 watt bulb) so they can get time enough to drink, eat and hopefully lay eggs for the family(only 5 layers). Its been a few weeks, but no eggs yet! So perhaps its not going to be the payment for their kibble! ha ha ha.

 

[scgamecock]

Last winter was the first time I had chickens and I did use a light and it worked.I haven't this year mainly because I have so many that have been molting since late October and are not laying very much anyway.I figured it would be a waste so i'm just letting nature take of things right now and the last few days I have been getting a couple extra eggs so hopefully some are starting to pick up on their own.I know one of my Buff Orpingtons has started laying again cause I recognize her egg.

 

[speckledhen]

I dont. Five of my hatchery, high-production hens have suffered from internal laying and four are dead already. Then I have several molting in this very cold weather. THeir bodies are already taxed trying to keep warm and I dont want them to suffer needlessly. As it is, I have eight dozen eggs in the fridge and just gave away four dozen yesterday, so I have plenty of eggs. The trick is to have them in several different age groups and breeds. The younger ones are more likely to lay through winter, at least more consistently.

 

[tunaoftheland]

I don't have a light, but my cochins haven't slowed down so I don't mind that the EEs have. We still get enough eggs, and there's no pressure on the girls

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
Cyn is 100% right. The natural way to have birds laying all winter is to have shifts of young pullets "coming on" all winter. That's the way I do it too, and that's the way my grandmother did it. I have my older hens, who are molting, some pullets that've been laying since summer, some starting to lay now, and some that will start to lay around New Years.