Artificial Lights v/s None During Winter for Egg Production Poll

[BoundlessLove]

 

[BoundlessLove]

I prefer not to use artificial lights and let my hens rest over winter. This gives them a much needed break.
Which do you prefer and why?

 

[BlueBaby]

I don't use them on mine, and never have. I let thing's be as natural in that department as possible. A hen only can lay so many egg's in her life cycle and then she is spent, so why speed the spent part up on her?

 

[MamaPoult]

Since my parents are pretty much funding the whole thing as much as I'd love to give them a break I have light in the coop. I mean it's the only reason we have them.

 

[Sally PB]

I have a white Christmas rope light in the run that I turn on at coop open and turn off at lock up. It's to brighten up the run a bit, not the coop. It doesn't extend their hours of daylight.

 

[BoundlessLove]

Since my parents are pretty much funding the whole thing as much as I'd love to give them a break I have light in the coop. I mean it's the only reason we have them.

Since you’re in Alaska, I can understand.
Especially during the dark months.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Never had chickens stop laying through winter with no lighting. Fewer eggs, yes, but still enough. BLK AUS laid all through the winter last yr. Have to say all the chickens I've had have been ROCK type birds, RIR, BAR RKS, BUFF RKS and now BLK AUS.

 

[NestingMillenial]

I was looking into this earlier today in advance of getting chickens, so no personal experience here, just relaying an article I found useful (by a vet, which is lending it some more weight too) - https://the-chicken-chick.com/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how/

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A little light, yes. From about mid-February on. One year I let nature take its course and we had no eggs for about six months. They stopped laying in mid-August due to heat. Then they molted. No eggs. Then fall shortened the days. No eggs through the winter. They finally started up again in late February, early March. Ridiculous! Taking a vacation I understand. Six months off, not so much. So now I accept them having time off to molt. But when the last scraggly hen gets her feathers back (looking at you this time, Winnie!), I give her a couple weeks to enjoy her new finery and then .... the lights start coming on. In 15 minute incerments every evening (yes I said evening) until we're back up to 12-hour work days.I'm not a monster, I don't do 14 hours. This works for us. They get a break and I get eggs.

 

[BoundlessLove]

A little light, yes. From about mid-February on. One year I let nature take its course and we had no eggs for about six months. They stopped laying in mid-August due to heat. Then they molted. No eggs. Then fall shortened the days. No eggs through the winter. They finally started up again in late February, early March. Ridiculous! Taking a vacation I understand. Six months off, not so much. So now I accept them having time off to molt. But when the last scraggly hen gets her feathers back (looking at you this time, Winnie!), I give her a couple weeks to enjoy her new finery and then .... the lights start coming on. In 15 minute incerments every evening (yes I said evening) until we're back up to 12-hour work days.I'm not a monster, I don't do 14 hours. This works for us. They get a break and I get eggs.

Poor Winnie!