My pullets from the spring are laying decent, but since the hurricane we have had a HORRIBLE time with mosquitoes - and I doubt they are leaving the chickens alone. They sure got the goats upset (and us). As for day length ... if you had asked me last year, I would have needed to look it up. However, now I can tell you it isn't light enough to see without the headlamp until I am almost done with morning milking, around 0720. While I start evening milking with the headlamp already on, it isn't absolutely necessary until halfway through, so I'm going to guesstimate around quarter after. So, we are just under the 12 hour mark. I milk at 7 and 7, until we do that idiotic ritual of fussing with our clocks and official time. Not a one of the the animals gives a flying (*bleep*) about what the clock or calendar says.
Right now, the Big Butt Girls are hardly laying (they'll be officially 2 in January) but Luanne had told me her line slows way down for winter. The Flashy Girls (from Ideal Poultry, also will be 2 in January) aren't really doing any better than the BBGs. The Pretties (from Cackle Hatchery, will be 2 in April) are still laying decent considering how raggedy they look. The Sisters are now officially a year old, and their laying is hit-or-miss, as it looks like they are all on the same work schedule with the same days off. Feyd's Daughters from March are laying decent. My layers look like they had a big pillow fight overnight.
The funny thing is, my friend only 20 miles north of me says all of her hens are done molting - they did it last month and are back to laying (she has mostly hatchery birds and sex-links, as she sells eggs). Daylight is definitely a factor, but also the genetics in the different lines seems to play its part.
