cold weather egg production

[annmarie]

Maybe everyone already knows this but if it's your chickens first winter laying, there's a good chance they'll lay straight through the winter, light or no light. Mine never slowed down the first winter, but this year seems to be a different story!

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

I counted on a slow down and it just hasn't happened. Everyone I know can expect pickled eggs for Christmas.

edited to add: especially those people who said they'd be over to buy eggs at least once a week as soon as I got more chickens.

 

[bcollier9253]

This is my first year with chickens, got them in April. They are laying good. I do the old school method and leave them on the kitchen counter when I collect them. My question is, with it getting colder, is it wise to collect the cold eggs and leave them out on the warm counter? Or should I wash them and put em in the fridge?

 

[song of joy]

Maybe everyone already knows this but if it's your chickens first winter laying, there's a good chance they'll lay straight through the winter, light or no light. Mine never slowed down the first winter, but this year seems to be a different story!

This is really helpful information, as many folks think they need to add light to keep pullets in production. My spring-hatched pullets have always started laying in the fall, and continue to lay through the winter without any supplemental light.

 

[song of joy]

This is my first year with chickens, got them in April. They are laying good. I do the old school method and leave them on the kitchen counter when I collect them. My question is, with it getting colder, is it wise to collect the cold eggs and leave them out on the warm counter? Or should I wash them and put em in the fridge?

The risk is that the cold eggs may "sweat" when they're brought into a warm house. The water droplets can get drawn into the egg, carrying along bacteria on the shell.

I just bring them in and put them right in the refrigerator. They don't need to be washed unless there's visible dirt on them.

 

[annabobbob717]

Cold weather could stress them but little to no eggs in the winter is normal!

 

[bcollier9253]

The risk is that the cold eggs may "sweat" when they're brought into a warm house.  The water droplets can get drawn into the egg, carrying along bacteria on the shell.  

I just bring them in and put them right in the refrigerator.  They don't need to be washed unless there's visible dirt on them.  

Thank ya very much! That's what I'll do.