Arizona Chickens

[mom-to-5]

Last winter was our first with chickens so I thought I would ask those more experienced....do you provide supplemental lighting in the winter. If so when do you start it and when is it no longer needed?
I'm usually for doing things naturally but based on my experience not many of the birds laid in the summer, now they are molting, then if they don't lay this winter it looks like the only time I will consistently get eggs is in spring. I have 5 kids that want some eggs and now that we've had these good fresh eggs I don't want to buy store bought ones (spoiled!).
Do you provide winter lighting figuring they've had enough of a break in summer or do you let nature be?

 

[houdiniduck]

Oh,yeah. He hated it, poor guy. Hopefully he will return to his former glory. Lol!

Here's a before and after of his tail feathers -

oh man, I love him! his big ol comb! what an adorable face!

 

[K9Dave]

she is gorgeous. next weekend I will get out the professional camera and take much better pictures! She is pretty good, seems tame, but none of my chickens like to be caught. they will tolerate being held just fine but catching them is the fun part. your roo and my lady would make purty babies! I wounder how we could make that work. hahaha. she will have buff orpington roo babies if she has any here....

Hmm. I want some. With dogs it's just a meet up, some flirting business and move on. Wonder if I could drop the Roo off for a couple days and come back and get him? Lol

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
That "straw" stuff is a protective coating for the growing part of the feather. It will eventually come off on its own. There is a lot of blood inside that "straw" part, feeding the growing feather cells. Once the feather is fully grown the blood vessels retract, leaving a hollow quill.

The growing feathers can be damaged easily and they can bleed a lot when damaged. Be careful when you handle him, so you don't accidentally damage the growing feathers. And expect him (or any molting bird) to be a tad cranky during this phase. The whole process can be uncomfortable and they may let you know it. Especially if you happen to "rub their feathers the wrong way."

 

[houdiniduck]

Hmm. I want some. With dogs it's just a meet up, some flirting business and move on. Wonder if I could drop the Roo off for a couple days and come back and get him? Lol

if i had an extra pen for them to be in by themselves that would work, but we have a real small lot and no extra space or pen for them to be contained together! hahahah.

 

[cyborg]

so chicken math is firmly in effect over here, I got two more chickens.... which takes us up to 5 hens, one roo and a drake and hen Muscovy. The lady had no clue what the breeds were and I chose them by oooooo pretty! I want that one! anyone have any ideas? or just barnyard mix? the pix aren't the best as they are still in lockdown and I took these with the cell phone...

I think your hen might be an Ameraucana.

 

[chicksurreal]

Last winter was our first with chickens so I thought I would ask those more experienced....do you provide supplemental lighting in the winter. If so when do you start it and when is it no longer needed?
I'm usually for doing things naturally but based on my experience not many of the birds laid in the summer, now they are molting, then if they don't lay this winter it looks like the only time I will consistently get eggs is in spring. I have 5 kids that want some eggs and now that we've had these good fresh eggs I don't want to buy store bought ones (spoiled!).
Do you provide winter lighting figuring they've had enough of a break in summer or do you let nature be?

We're in the same boat as you are (minus the kids), although we went from getting around a dozen eggs a day to 2-4 if we're lucky. My girls are molting for the first time too, and I'm just going to let them be. They are having enough to deal with without me trying to jumpstart their egg production. Lol!

I had a guy tell me (not on BYC) that he gave his hens hot cayenne pepper to get them to lay through their molt. He said they laid like crazy for a few weeks and then never laid again after that so they all went in the soup pot.

I think I'll just let nature do it's thing.

 

[chicksurreal]

oh man, I love him! his big ol comb! what an adorable face!

He really is pretty, I love his comb too, but it is so big he has a hard time seeing things over his head which is not a good thing for a roo.

 

[chicksurreal]

That "straw" stuff is a protective coating for the growing part of the feather. It will eventually come off on its own. There is a lot of blood inside that "straw" part, feeding the growing feather cells. Once the feather is fully grown the blood vessels retract, leaving a hollow quill.

The growing feathers can be damaged easily and they can bleed a lot when damaged. Be careful when you handle him, so you don't accidentally damage the growing feathers. And expect him (or any molting bird) to be a tad cranky during this phase. The whole process can be uncomfortable and they may let you know it. Especially if you happen to "rub their feathers the wrong way."

Thanks!

He doesn't really like to be handled even when he's not molting, so I don't pick him up except to check his feet or something like that. I have noticed that he has a bit more of an attitude lately, I don't blame him. Lol!

 

[Stynch]

Last winter was our first with chickens so I thought I would ask those more experienced....do you provide supplemental lighting in the winter. If so when do you start it and when is it no longer needed?
I'm usually for doing things naturally but based on my experience not many of the birds laid in the summer, now they are molting, then if they don't lay this winter it looks like the only time I will consistently get eggs is in spring. I have 5 kids that want some eggs and now that we've had these good fresh eggs I don't want to buy store bought ones (spoiled!).
Do you provide winter lighting figuring they've had enough of a break in summer or do you let nature be?

We have a flood light on a timer that goes on at 4:00 AM year 'round (because even our longest days aren't much over 14 hours). The light doesn't shine directly into the hen house, though - it hits the run area mainly but still sheds some light in the house through the door and the vents. Works for us....