Black Australorp - Winter Layer?!

[ManitobaQuail]

We’ve had ISA browns, Light Brahmas, EEs, and even two Sussex’s - they all stop laying in the winter if not supplementary lights were added.

Research tells me that Australorps are fantastic winter layers (lay a record of 364 eggs in 365 etc.) - but DO I HAVE TO ADD LIGHT for winter laying to happen? (We get 8 hrs of sunlight only)

Planning on getting a few in the spring. Thanks! (Pictures just for fun)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All breeds should lay through their first winter, at a decreased rate, if they are mature enough. All will stop in the fall to molt and recover the following winters. Some come back into lay sooner than others. Most start back up in December to March.

Since the winter solstice is on December 21, adding extra lights need to be done sooner, and in a manner to mimic the increasing daylight to work correctly.

It's important to feed a higher protein ration during the molt to help them recover more quickly.

My Australorp would generally resume from February to March. My earliest breed to resume are my Ancona. They generally will start up by the end of December.

Getting replacement pullets yearly will help to fill those months when older hens are on a much needed break.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

X2 on what oldhenlikesdogs said. Also, your holland (i think...) lops are adorable!!

 

[Sally PB]

I have three 7.5 month old BA pullets. One is going through a partial molt and has stopped laying. The other two are laying sporadically, probably 3-4 eggs/week each. I was getting 5-6/week from each, so this is a big slow down. I am not adding any light, as I don't have electricity in the coop. We'll see how it goes as the days continue to get shorter.

 

[aart]

Since the winter solstice is on December 21, adding extra lights need to be done sooner, and in a manner to mimic the increasing daylight to work correctly.

Not necessarily...can be done at any time.
I've started not ramping up the lights until mid December so the hens can complete their molts.

 

[ManitobaQuail]

All breeds should lay through their first winter, at a decreased rate, if they are mature enough. All will stop in the fall to molt and recover the following winters. Some come back into lay sooner than others. Most start back up in December to March.

Since the winter solstice is on December 21, adding extra lights need to be done sooner, and in a manner to mimic the increasing daylight to work correctly.

It's important to feed a higher protein ration during the molt to help them recover more quickly.

My Australorp would generally resume from February to March. My earliest breed to resume are my Ancona. They generally will start up by the end of December.

Getting replacement pullets yearly will help to fill those months when older hens are on a much needed break.

Thanks for the info. All (well, 2) our first year-ers stopped laying. The EE even went into a pretty bad molt. The other brown egg layer started to lay for maybe a week and stopped.

Our browns started to lay again 2-3 weeks after we started adding light. We are letting the quail break this winter, and next winter will be the chickens. I wish we can keep adding pullets but we only have room for about 4 hens.

 

[ManitobaQuail]

I have three 7.5 month old BA pullets. One is going through a partial molt and has stopped laying. The other two are laying sporadically, probably 3-4 eggs/week each. I was getting 5-6/week from each, so this is a big slow down. I am not adding any light, as I don't have electricity in the coop. We'll see how it goes as the days continue to get shorter.

I wish I get 3-4/week each... we get 3-4/week from 4 hens. One EE is molting pretty bad (6-7 month old as well. She laid 4 eggs in the span of 2 weeks and stopped...). The ISA browns started laying again after we added light (2-3 each, and they are only 1.5 years old). Oh well!

Looking forward to the BA next season!

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I have Black Australorps, and they haven't slacked off yet, but none of my hens really have, and I have ones that are supposed to stop/slow down in winter. I live in the Southern US so that might be why.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not necessarily...can be done at any time.
I've started not ramping up the lights until mid December so the hens can complete their molts.

I've personally never done it, so I'm going off what I have read on various sites, mostly extension offices.