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Beckyhsinglsc said:
It's not actually the "cold", but the lack of light that slows down the laying.  Shorter days = less eggs unless you supplement lighting.
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I always thought it was cause of the cold haha, learn new things everyday

desertmarcy said:
Are they molting? All my older birds started molting and almost all quit laying. That is about 45 hens all stopped at once. They also lay less in the shorter day length. Some chickens won't lay at all in the shorter day length, others aren't affected. Sometimes the younger birds less than a year old will continue to lay over the winter then when they get older, they don't. Once mine all finish their molt, the lights on timer will go on.
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Only one hen (the polish) looks like she's molting. I got an egg from one of the gold sex links today, so I'm guessing its from the shorter days, I have a spot light on my back porch by their coop I can turn on when it starts to get dark
 
K9Dave said:
Maybe it will darken as she has a few more? The egg should get larger as its her first and maybe the color will darken a little too. Just hopeful for you, I'm pretty new here and don't know that much. Someone may chime in now and correct or agree with me.
What are you asking or would you rather PM? Maybe we could get a couple of the Blues now and you can keep me in mind when the Black are ready? I'm glad I have an excuse to get one of your birds. I've seen your beauties.
I commented that we're getting a lot more eggs lately. Funny how the flocks can be so different.
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Sent you a PM
 
DesertChickens1 said:
Only one hen (the polish) looks like she's molting. I got an egg from one of the gold sex links today, so I'm guessing its from the shorter days, I have a spot light on my back porch by their coop I can turn on when it starts to get dark
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The recommended method, if you are going to give them supplemental light to stimulate laying, is to put a light over their roost area, on a timer such that the light comes on in the wee hours of the morning instead of night. If you give them the extra light in the evening, they will be wandering around the coop and all of the sudden it's "lights out" and they are plunged into darkness and have to find the roost in the dark. 14 hours of total light is good. You will have to keep changing the timer as the days get shorter/longer.
 
desertmarcy said:
The recommended method, if you are going to give them supplemental light to stimulate laying, is to put a light over their roost area, on a timer such that the light comes on in the wee hours of the morning instead of night. If you give them the extra light in the evening, they will be wandering around the coop and all of the sudden it's "lights out" and they are plunged into darkness and have to find the roost in the dark. 14 hours of total light is good. You will have to keep changing the timer as the days get shorter/longer.
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Awesome, thanks for the info!
 
Thanks for the info.
desertmarcy said:
The recommended method, if you are going to give them supplemental light to stimulate laying, is to put a light over their roost area, on a timer such that the light comes on in the wee hours of the morning instead of night. If you give them the extra light in the evening, they will be wandering around the coop and all of the sudden it's "lights out" and they are plunged into darkness and have to find the roost in the dark. 14 hours of total light is good. You will have to keep changing the timer as the days get shorter/longer.
Click to expand...
I'm expanding our coop/run now and didn't know I needed a light in there. Any particular brightness? We have 3 3x4 posts that are hung as roosts right now. If I remember right they like a smaller surface correct? Might as well overhaul everything while I'm doing this right.
 
K9Dave said:
Thanks for the info.
I'm expanding our coop/run now and didn't know I needed a light in there. Any particular brightness? We have 3 3x4 posts that are hung as roosts right now. If I remember right they like a smaller surface correct? Might as well overhaul everything while I'm doing this right.
Click to expand...

You don't absolutely need a light. Not everybody bothers to keep them laying all winter and not all chickens need the supplemental light to lay. But if you do decide to add a light, it doesn't take much. I use compact fluorescent lights, 100 watt equivalent. I think you can get by with less brightness, depends on how big the space is and if you use a reflector to direct the light on the bird's roosting area. I know with my Rhode Island Reds, they just won't lay in the winter without a light and I need to be able to hatch chicks in the cool season.
 
400

Well I was wrong about my eggs haha! I found 18 of them today! They were up on top of the hay, under the tarp, never thought they could get up there!
 

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