do heat lamps affect laying?

[thetomas]

I used 2 heat lamps in my coop this winter (one red and one clear) and have only collected 3 eggs this spring, all from one hen, all about a month ago. I'm wondering if leaving heat lamps on at night messes up their sense of shortening/lengthening daylite? now that they're off completely, they are not laying. I live in NJ and have a fairly large coop, 7x12 x 8ft tall built inside of a old wooden calving barn (about 6-8 times that size, with a peaked roof). its framed with chicken wire/hardware cloth and seems very large for 4 chickens to stay warm without heat. They do have a window and a 10x10 yard to go out in during the day, but I have to shoo them out into it, they like to be inside.....

 

[woodmort]

I doubt the lamps would effect their laying but the question that needs to be asked it "Why?" The winters in NJ don't get cold enough that 4 chickens need that much extra heat. BTW, I use supplemental lighting--a 20 w florescent light--to extend daylight to a constant 14 hrs for my birds and they lay just fine. You don't say how old your chickens are but they may just simply be hitting the low end of their laying life or are into moult.

 

[babyrnlc]

I dont use a heat lamp or extended light. We get pretty much an egg a day from all the girls and we have had them since winter. Even through two blizzards (which we never get blizards, it was a freak thing).

 

[thetomas]

thank you for the responses

I did not know what the lowest safe temp is for chickens we get below zero here many nights over winter - they do like to roost under the lamps (3 hens and a rooster) and now that the heat lamps are off, they all pile into the covered litter box that I was using as a nest box - to stay warm, I presume. I am thinking of giving them a small "doghouse" inside the coop to snuggle in instead of the darn nest box....and we are almost finished building their "real" boxes. I hadn't thought of moulting - they are 2-3 years old. I don't see a lot of feathers yet, but.......

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

Chickens lay less and less eggs as they get older. A lot of commercial places butcher their spent layers after a year, occastionally keeping the odd group of 2 yrs olds if they did really well. I have a couple hens that are 3+years old, and they don't lay hardly at all. I keep them because their special, and great brooders. Maybe you want to add a couple newbies to your flock to get eggs. Or try to breed some from your existing stock, but keep in mind fertility goes down with age. I've also heard that if chickens get fat they don't lay as well. That could also be contributing to the problems with mine, they are dual purpose types.

 

[mpguay]

I am in Georgia and had a red heat lamp going all winter. they layed very nicely all winter.
I read that the clear lamps may cause agression.

 

[woodmort]

2-3 -year old chickens are old layers, especially if they are production egg layers--most sex-links as well as production reds and leghorns--it may be just that your birds are well passed their prime. BTW, zero is not cold for chickens(if you can find it there is a neat thread written by an Alaskan member about cold weather chickens) and I doubt very much that they could even get chilly at this time of year.

 

[thetomas]

thanks again for the responses - its hard to believe 2 years is "old" for a chicken that's gonna live 10-15 years! Ah well. I am thinking to add a few this year - any input on how old the new ones need to be to get introduced to the "herd"? I don't know if the existing hens will pick on newbies or not....

 

[crazyhen]

Oh Yes they will pick on the new comers. Your new chicks or hens need to be in a seperate coop and run next to your older hens so they can get acquainted. The new hens or chicks also need to be about the same size as the others in order to stand up for themselves. That is usually about laying age 18 weeks and up. Hope it works out for you.
Hens that are not production types usually lay much longer in years but not as many a week. I like them better.
Some people kill their production types every two yrs introducing new layers every spring to lay that winter. Different management styles for different hens. Gloria Jean

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
My girls have 2 heat lamps on them 24/7 all winter long with no drop in production until they got older. 2years old, as a matter of fact.

Introducing chickens is a time consuming process, just so you know.
Never just throw new chickens into an existing flock. The results can be catastrophic. You need to have an introduction period of at least a few days to a week, preferrably with the new ones fenced off so the "old" ones can't tear them to pieces.
If you have chicks, the general rule for adding new birds to an already existing flock is to wait until the newcomers are roughly the same size as the established birds. That way, they can at least defend themselves. Otherwise, they will be seriously injured or even killed.
When introducing adult or adult-sized birds to an existing flock, a 30 day quarantine is highly recommended. Disease is easily carried from flock to flock, even on your shoes. I usually quarantine the new birds for at least 30 days, well away from the main flock, then put them in a pen near the main flock for a few weeks. You can then either divide your run into 2 separate sections or put the newcomers into a cage inside the run for a few days to let them get used to each other. Then I let them out to free range together for a few days/week, eventually they will fight it out and the new ones will blend in with the original flock.
Unacquainted chickens are going to fight, and unfortunately there is not much that can be done about it. It is just in their nature. But I would suggest that when you do finally put them together for the first time that you have the garden hose ready just in case anyone gets a little too out of hand. One quick shot of water should do it.