Counting The Costs?

[Rick&chickTampa]

That makes sense, but I wonder if the chickens day/night cycles will be messed with by it getting dark outside, they wander inside to go to bed and suddenly it's light again... I know with photo period sensitive plants that you can seriously set yourself back if you so much as point a flashlight in their direction at night. A greenhouse I used to work for grew poinsettias and they had to cardboard up the greenhouse windows while they were in there to keep headlights from being able to shine in at night because any time that happens, you are set back 1 night on the color change.

I know chickens aren't poinsettias, but, I would assume that photo period sensitivity is similar across most lifeforms.

We had the same problems when I worked in a greenhouse as a kid. The city installed a new street light. We covered the poinsettias every evening with black shade cloth

 

[Cindy in PA]

I am having a different experience this year also. I have always provided light, usually going on at 2:30 a.m. in the winter & off at 8 when it's totally light. This year I have it going on at 3 instead, giving them just under 14 hours & I am only getting 4-6 eggs from 13 pullets hatched March 27th! Just noticed yesterday that one of the EEs looks like she is molting. The slow down started right after Thanksgiving. Appears to be some squabbling also, as one Australorp appears to be missing her upright tail feathers. Only had 1 day where they stayed in the coop when it snowed all day & I didn't shovel out until the next morning. Hard to believe 1/2 hour of light would make such a difference. Glad light is already starting to increase in the evening.

 

[aart]

I am having a different experience this year also. I have always provided light, usually going on at 2:30 a.m. in the winter & off at 8 when it's totally light. This year I have it going on at 3 instead, giving them just under 14 hours & I am only getting 4-6 eggs from 13 pullets hatched March 27th! Just noticed yesterday that one of the EEs looks like she is molting. The slow down started right after Thanksgiving. Appears to be some squabbling also, as one Australorp appears to be missing her upright tail feathers. Only had 1 day where they stayed in the coop when it snowed all day & I didn't shovel out until the next morning. Hard to believe 1/2 hour of light would make such a difference. Glad light is already starting to increase in the evening.

Did you start the light on the same date as before?
Are your pullets the same age as before?
Same number of birds in the coop as before?
There are so many variables....it's tricky and no guarantees.

 

[chickencheeper]

Chickens are great companions and funny to watch, eggs are just a bonus, id start out slow with 6-10 chickens because chicken math gets to all of us and you’ll probably end up getting more.

 

[Photokitty]

I spend roughly 26 dollars every 2 weeks for my 50 chickens and 8 ducks. I get free shavings from a local source. A dozen eggs I sell to my local gas station for 1.50. That means I am nowhere close to recouping my costs. My coop/run cost about 600 if you include the building I already had. Next year I am making a bigger investment by enclosing my garden using posts and cattle panels. Some people have chickens for livestock only, some have them as pets, and others are in between the two ways of thinking. Any startup costs a lot in the first year, you make mistakes and chicken feed can be increased or decreased in price based on what and where you buy. Also bedding is amazingly expensive unless you get a local source for free. If you are looking at costs... Look at a dog and cat. They actually don't produce anything yet people will spend on them without a second thought. When you have a livestock mind you need to first get comfortable with the idea of culling before you even get the animals. To me that's much harder then thinking of the costs.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Did you start the light on the same date as before?
Are your pullets the same age as before?
Same number of birds in the coop as before?
There are so many variables....it's tricky and no guarantees.

I usually only keep my hens two years sometimes 3. I do keep track of eggs
per day, but don't know for sure how my 2 year olds laid last year. Start the light August 15th every year, gradually of course. Have 13 in the coop, 8 by 8 with no floor obstructions. Usually have 12. Just thought these new pullets would lay better, but with my age, maybe I am remembering wrong, LOL! Usually have chicks hatched in the middle of April these were hatched 3/27, so who knows.

 

[lazy gardener]

When you have a livestock mind you need to first get comfortable with the idea of culling before you even get the animals.

Agreed. IMO, one should be willing and able to cull extra or defective birds before they ever consider hatching chicks.