Chickens laying in winter

[Clairemarie1982]

Hey all. We got our first batch of chickens this past spring. We are choosing not to supplement their coop with lights regardless. But my question is- I read somewhere that each chicken will lay a certain amount of eggs in a lifetime and if you do choose to use supplemental lights and they lay in the winter unnaturally then they will just stop laying sooner in their lives. I was just wondering if there was any truth to that. Hopefully this question makes sense. Thanks in advance! Claire

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That is mostly untrue. Female chickens hatch with way more ova than are ever possible to lay in a lifetime.
They will slow or stop laying for all sorts of health reasons. Some may be due to bodily stress from laying lots of eggs but it isn't because they don't have ova in their ovary (of which only one functions).

 

[SueT]

A winter break will benefit them, and prolong their health and laying.

 

[Left Spur]

I never see any hen stop laying an egg so i cant tell. My neighbour hen is like a 20 years or so, i still remenber feeding her and her chick, when i was a kid since my parent wouldnt let me have a pet(i was a kid after all)
And now she still well and sound, she still have a eight or ten chicken now, she's so old that she started to crowing and grow a long spur(probably a hormonal/ovary defect) but she still laying.
Now i question how long does a chicken live, even my rooster is like 6 or 7 years and he doesnt look like he gonna left soon, after all he still missile-ing a hen and pick a fight with other if i left him out for a while.

 

[aart]

My neighbour hen is like a 20 years or so

Saayyy what?!
A 20 year old hen?