Hello All,
New to the site, my name is Chris, and thought it might be a good place to answer some of my questions. I am a second time chicken hand, my first flock was killed by a raccoon family when the pullets were 4 month old.
I learned a lot with them and remedied my short comings in my planning, namely an automatic coop door.
Got the new flock at one day old on October 1, 2012. My hens are 16 months old now and they have given me roughly 5 eggs a day with 8 ladies. Now I'm down to 2 or 3 a day for the last 2 months. Is this normal for winter or is it the excessively cold winter we all are having? I have a 40W lamp in the hen house on a timer that provides them roughly 12 hours of combined light. Always ample food and a 3 gallon water font over a ceramic heater.
Thanks for any ideas and comments.
Chris.
New to the site, my name is Chris, and thought it might be a good place to answer some of my questions. I am a second time chicken hand, my first flock was killed by a raccoon family when the pullets were 4 month old.
I learned a lot with them and remedied my short comings in my planning, namely an automatic coop door.
Got the new flock at one day old on October 1, 2012. My hens are 16 months old now and they have given me roughly 5 eggs a day with 8 ladies. Now I'm down to 2 or 3 a day for the last 2 months. Is this normal for winter or is it the excessively cold winter we all are having? I have a 40W lamp in the hen house on a timer that provides them roughly 12 hours of combined light. Always ample food and a 3 gallon water font over a ceramic heater.
Thanks for any ideas and comments.
Chris.
and Welcome To BYC! What Fred's Hens said, your girls are also of an age where some could be going into a molt? Generally with light the recommended amount to keep them laying seems to be 14 hours, so the 12 may be a little short to keep them going. 
