Choosing not to increase light for laying?

[BeardedLadyFarm]

As for what is "natural," chickens all come from jungle fowl that live near the equator and have roughly equal days and nights year round. They also naturally only lay a handful of eggs per year, and they naturally don't live in northern climates.

Over many hundreds of years humans have selected for more eggs, or bigger eggs, or stripy feathers, or bigger crests, or meaty breasts... Our dear domesticated birds are human creations that have been kept around for centuries to serve us, in exchange for us providing their basic needs.

I am lighting this year since all of my girls are young and just coming into lay. I will probably not light next winter in case someone needs a break. It doesn't seem to be a right or wrong thing to me, just individual choice or need.

I would personally rather encourage my healthy and pampered birds to make a few more eggs rather than giving a nickel to support the factory farms that would otherwise provide the eggs for my house and my neighbors.

 

[Freeholder]

Mine aren't getting any extra light. I have been getting up to five or six eggs a day from my young Wyandottes, nine Golden-laced and three Buffs. The almost-two-year-old EE's, six of them, haven't laid a single egg since early October. I think I'll cull them and keep the Wyandottes, LOL!

Kathleen

 

[lngrid]

Quote:
What I'm about to post is not an argument, it's just me trying to figure out what I'll do when the time comes for me to make the light/not light decision.
So, can we store up eggs in the refrigerator to tide us over the months when the hens don't lay without artificial light? I know that's a lot of eggs if you have a big family... But how long will eggs from the backyard stay fresh?

 

[Andi]

Quote:
Here's a link to an article from Mother Earth News. They did some experimenting on the various methods of storing fresh eggs and what the results were. I know you weren't asking how to store them, but the article does include how long you can expect them to remain good depending on which method you use.

How to Store Fresh Eggs

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Quote:
Here's a link to an article from Mother Earth News. They did some experimenting on the various methods of storing fresh eggs and what the results were. I know you weren't asking how to store them, but the article does include how long you can expect them to remain good depending on which method you use.

How to Store Fresh Eggs

Interesting article. It seems that this would hold most of us over while hens molt or take the winter off. A search online for freezing eggs gives some tips too. It seems it's best to scramble them, and put a bit of salt or sugar in them to help with texture. I can't see why frozen eggs wouldn't work for most baking. It seems most people on here have at least a couple of hens who lay well through the winter regardless of light, so maybe those could be "breakfast" eggs and the stored or frozen eggs for baking and cooking... I'll have to plan my strategy for next winter. (or just leave my light on again)

 

[M To The Maxx]

I do not put light in the winter months.

 

[ghulst]

The pullets will do much better without light. They wouldn't muture to fast whick can be a proplem. By april dfays will be long enough that addital light wouldn't be needed.

 

[kit1470]

no extra light here either - we have six girls and usually get six eggs everyday - on the days they skip an egg the next day we get a HUGE double yoker!

 

[smores.eragon.willymom]

We have xmas lights on the coop, but our girls are free range and recently started sleeping up against the house. Until we all go to bed, they have quite a bit of light on them. When they used to stay in the coop all day and night I kept lights on to discourage opossums. I think my girls like the light or they would choose a bush against the house to sleep in that wasn't lit up until midnight.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:

Wow to that dedicated hen!!! That's great!