Egg laying.

[bledsoe95]

All of my hens are about 1year old and i have 25 of them and only getting about 6 eggs a day i was wondering why am i getting so few eggs?

 

[JenEric Farms]

Where are you located? Are you using artificial light through the winter?

 

[bledsoe95]

Virginia, and i think the artificial light might be the prob. cause i leave it on 24hrs. a day but im not for sure.

 

[Tdub4chiks]

24 hours of light is not good for any animal.

 

[bledsoe95]

What should i do?

 

[TrystInn]

Do not use white light 24/7 - that's part of your problem, it interferes with their biological rhythms. Use an infrared lamp during the evening when its below 40F, a red light when its not. When you put your chickens away in the late afternoon, turn it on, then leave it on in the morning until its been on 16 hours - that's the minimum most birds need to continue laying. Up their protein, as well.

Red/orange light encourages fertility!

 

[bledsoe95]

All i have is a red light.

 

[Cavendish Chickens]

I don't use artificial light, and my girls lay great. But I do spoil the crap out of them with treats; cottage cheese, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, scrambled eggs, fruits, veggies, breads, etc. I make sure they know they are loved too. I talk to them every day, and pet them at night before they go to sleep for the night. I would stop with the artificial light for a while. Let them get a natural routine going, then decide from there if you want to continue using artificial light later on.

 

[TrystInn]

Cavendish, be careful with all that dairy - chickens are lactose-intolerant.

 

[bledsoe95]

Thanks.