For most breeds of hens to continue laying throughout the Winter, its imperative to provide at least 14 hours of light for them which can mean adding as much as 5 hours each day. It doesnt have to be bright light, just a 60 watt bulb attached every few feet along the ceiling will do.
Unless you want to be out there flipping the switch every morning (grin), you need an inexpensive timer. IMO, its best to add light early in the morning, not at night, because if your lights go on at, say, 5pm, and turn off at 9pm, the sudden darkness can prevent your girls from being able to roost and theyll spend the night on the floor. OTOH, if your lights suddenly come on at 4am, you may annoy them, but at least theyve been safely roosted all night.
The time of year that your chicks hatch has a lot to do with how well theyll lay during their first Winter, even without lights. Chicks born in the Spring will be laying their first eggs in the Fall and will NOT molt that first Winter. Thus, youll get a one-time full year of lay out of them before they molt the following Winter.
OTOH, chicks born in the Fall or late Summer will lay their first eggs in the Spring and WILL molt a few months later when Winter hits. And, of course, even with 14 hours of lighting, most hens decrease their Winter lay with each additional year of age. I finally hit zero percent lay for about 3 months last Winter when I let my RIRs reach 6 years of age.
BTW, after 24 years with laying hens, Im now hooked on Cuckoo Marans. What fantastic birds! My chicks from last April began laying at only 4½ months old and their eggs were never pullet sized, starting out at almost medium. And, of course, the color! How could a chocoholic like me not love that gorgeous color!
