Do Leghorns lay in winter in milder climates?

[UrbanEnthusiast]

I've heard Leghorns don't lay in winter, but I live in Seattle where we have a long, rainy winter, but it very rarely gets below freezing, even at night. I just got two new Exchequer Leghorn pullets, hatched April 16th, and I hope they will lay before Labor Day (when the rain often sets back in) as I know Leghorns tend to mature early. But what do y'all think the odds are that I'll get some eggs from them year-round? I'm trying to convince my boyfriend to get three more hens (we already have five and in Seattle the limit is eight) and I love Leghorns for their laying capacity and flightiness to escape raccoons and dogs. But it will be hard to justify getting more Leghorns if they only lay during our extremely short summers.

What has your experience been with this matter? Thanks!

P.S. I just heard that seasonal laying has more to do with light exposure than temperature, so I guess I'm screwed, what with our extremely short and overcast winter days here. And I can't really provide them a light as our flock free range all day and sleep 30-40' up in a giant pine tree at night (crazy, I know, but they love it and have been safe from predators up there since we started letting them do it seven months ago).

 

[SeattleLeah]

Did your leghorns start laying? Im in Seattle as well and am going to buy some Exchequer leghorns tomorrow. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I was buying them mainly for their egg production so Im curious to know if you ever found an answer about them laying in the winter here. I suppose I could add some supplemental light in the hen house but I would really rather not deal with extension cords and fire hazards. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thats so cool your girls roost up in a tree! What breeds do you have? I cant imagine my hefty Wyandottes getting that high![/FONT]

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Did your leghorns start laying? Im in Seattle as well and am going to buy some Exchequer leghorns tomorrow. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I was buying them mainly for their egg production so Im curious to know if you ever found an answer about them laying in the winter here. I suppose I could add some supplemental light in the hen house but I would really rather not deal with extension cords and fire hazards. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thats so cool your girls roost up in a tree! What breeds do you have? I cant imagine my hefty Wyandottes getting that high![/FONT]

My two Exchequer pullets were supposedly hatched 4/16 (I bought them in mid-June from a woman in Tacoma who got them from a hatchery; don't know which one) and they are still not laying yet. One of them barely even has a comb. Mine actually look more like Anconas than pics I've seen of purebred Exchequers, so do be aware of that if you plan to get yours from a hatchery. It doesn't bother me, though I must admit I thought they'd be laying by Labor Day. I'll try to remember to update this thread when they start laying!

And yeah, our Wyandotte definitely has to work the hardest to get into the tree! We built a series of perches for her from the top of the fence up to the lowest branch using some rope and a few pieces of PVC pipe wrapped in twine. The rope lowered and secured the branch just enough that she doesn't even need the perches. We are about to build a new, much bigger coop that will be higher off the ground, so maybe she'll start using that, though I doubt it. We are going to build better perches along the side of the coop up to the branch, so maybe she'll make use of those. For now she's not having any trouble at all getting up there, but we do want to be prepared for anything that might impact her flying ability, such as molting, weight gain, or just age. But it is really cool that they roost in the tree! I'm torn between trying to train them to use the new coop or allowing them their continued freedom.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Well, as it happens, I just got word that a visiting toddler discovered a tiny white egg next to the coop!

Supposedly another was discovered inside the coop as well! I hope they get a lot bigger over time. But I'm happy either way!!! I'm surprised by how dark the egg is. Makes no difference but I thought they'd be white and that is definitely more cream.