Egg production dropped even with supplemental lighting-why?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I made nest boxes by cutting out the front short end of a rubbermaid tote. The lids are still on, it's sufficiently dark in there, I have 4 boxes and they were laying in them at the previous rate. It's been more rainy and we've had snow a couple of times and they refuse to go out in the snow to their run so perhaps they're just annoyed with each other being in the smaller coop area (5 sq feet per bird in coop, 140 sq feet in run)? With surgery in two weeks, I can't put a roof over the run, and someone warned me against putting a tarp (because of the rain- didn't want it collapsing) over it in the meantime.

Feed is the same- Purina Flock Raiser with oyster shell mixed in. 20% protein. Occasional scratch (mostly used to get them back in their coop) and occasional kitchen scraps.

As I said, literally nothing has changed, except a couple of snow days. Could that cause it? Since they refuse to go into the run if there's snow in there?[/QUOTE

Good morning from New England. I too have RIR's that were hatched in April 2018. I put them on Purina Layena when they were 17 weeks old. The kind folks at the local feed store said that laying crumbles contained the nutrients the pullets needed to be healthy while they were producing eggs. I supplement with leftover vegetables (no added salt), oatmeal, and apples. They also get meal worms and a handful of corn before "bedtime" on cold nights. I'm getting 4 eggs a day from four pullets. I have one pullet that I'm pretty sure is not laying yet. So, is Purina Flock Raiser meant for laying pullets and hens? And as far as the weather: we've already had temps in the single digits at night and that did not impact their laying.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

What time of day do you turn on the lights? I noticed that my girls work better with early morning light. That seems to get them jump started on the eggs. I use a battery operated LED lantern that I turn on at 5:30 am. I usually get an egg or two, sometimes 3 by 7 am when daylight breaks.

 

[WindingRoad]

Hello all!

I've been regularly getting from 10-12 eggs per day from my flock of 12 RIR pullets (hatched May 8). The last three weeks, despite NO CHANGES in the 14 hours of supplemental lighting, feed, water, etc, their production has dropped.

Before, I was getting anywhere from 76-81 eggs per week. Now, I'm only getting about 65 or so. Since I sell the extra eggs to pay for their feed, and (due to having to order online in winter as my local stores don't sell the herbicide-free straw I use for bedding so I can compost it except in spring and summer) their bedding, I need every egg I can get. I can't have more than 12 (technically not supposed to have more than 10, but TSC sent me 12 pullets and all 12 survived so the extra two are "pets") so adding more birds isn't an option right now.

Any ideas why the egg count would drop even when nothing else has changed? I'd hate to drop my recurring order down a dozen, but I may have to if this keeps up.

I'm sorry if you thought I was being rude. I was just giving my opinion and sometimes I can go overboard. I will try harder the next time not to be rude. Hope your hens start laying better soon. We are getting more daylight now. I hate that other "time" Wish we could stay on this "time" all the time. KWIM

 

[aart]

I hate that other "time" Wish we could stay on this "time" all the time. KWIM

Do you mean Daylight Savings Time?
That has nothing to do with the length of days...humans can't control that

 

[WindingRoad]

Do you mean Daylight Savings Time?
That has nothing to do with the length of days...humans can't control that

I'm pretty sure I knew that. All I'm saying is I don't like it getting dark at 1630. Never have even before I had chickens.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I'm sorry if you thought I was being rude. I was just giving my opinion and sometimes I can go overboard. I will try harder the next time not to be rude. Hope your hens start laying better soon. We are getting more daylight now. I hate that other "time" Wish we could stay on this "time" all the time. KWIM

To all those on here who keep arguing about the supplemental lighting- please that is NOT what this post was about. Please read the OP and note that my chickens (RIR from a hatchery) are only SEVEN MONTHS OLD, so not molting age yet for starters (and yes, they're good layers of brown eggs, which is why I bought this breed). They have proper water and nutrition and 14 hours of lighting.

I don't treat my chickens like machines, for what it's worth. The only reason they don't completely free range is a) we're in a city/suburban area, and b) I've got neighbor cats who are intent on making a meal of them, or at least trying to anyway (plus hawks). They do range when we're outside, which isn't much with how cold it has been.

These birds have really been coddled a lot- held from the moment we received them, and the girls (6 and 9) love going out there and saying hi. I've sat on an overturned bucket out there just watching them digging around for worms when it was warmer. One jumped on my head and pooped on it- was originally on my shoulder.

These are pets as much as they are egg producers. But they are still agricultural animals, and since we're on one income due to my health, them paying for their feed is a help. It's not 100% necessary but it is a help. Eggs help me function, and now that I have chickens I flat out REFUSE to buy store-bought eggs ever again and contribute to that abominable factory-farm industry. My eventual goal is to raise all my milk, meat, eggs and what grains and produce I have space for and can grow in our climate zone (we are trying to find acreage to do so, but are stuck in suburbia in the meantime) so I can be rid of those industries altogether.

Thank you to all who didn't hammer me about using supplemental lighting and making helpful suggestions to help me figure out why production might have dropped. I am starting to think that it might be the snowy and rainy days we've had (New Mexico and Texas get a foot of snow, we get rain 2 hours from the Canadian border- how's that???). They don't go out when it's pouring and when there's snow on the ground, even though their door is open for them to do so, so maybe it's that overall effect that might have made a couple girls take more breaks than they have been.

Could we please stop the pro/con lighting issue? I know it's one where people can be passionate on both sides, but as for me I try to never forget that there are people on the other side of the keyboards and I try to be respectful to others even if I disagree with them. I have researched supplemental lighting- both pros and cons- quite extensively and that is how I came to my decision to go ahead and use lighting.

I'm not an expert on chickens, just learning myself. But I do know animal behavior. Perhaps something is stressing them out?

 

[aart]

I'm pretty sure I knew that. All I'm saying is I don't like it getting dark at 1630. Never have even before I had chickens.

Gotcha, sorry...yeah, am not fond of the 'dark season' either.
Why I celebrate Solstice even tho I know we won't really 'see' it for at least a month.
Dark:30 really stinks here where it's mostly cloudy most of the time.

 

[WindingRoad]

Gotcha, sorry...yeah, am not fond of the 'dark season' either.
Why I celebrate Solstice even tho I know we won't really 'see' it for at least a month.
Dark:30 really stinks here where it's mostly cloudy most of the time.

We have had the craziest winter. Started in NOV with two BIG snow storms 8-10 inches apiece. Then we got rain in Dec. Last week we had weather in the high 40's. Only been below 0F maybe 3 or 4 nights so far this winter. Not as windy as it can be here in Maine overall. 31F, 37F, 37F, 36F (Thurs-Sun). Then in the low to mid 20's all next week. Sun night will be 6F and most of the other nights 10-low 20's When I was a kid we had many nights -40F.

 

[MROO]

It's possible that because your girls are young, they just started laying with exuberance, and now they're just tapering to their normal production. ...

Everything I've ever researched pretty much suggests that pullets will lay eggs (once they start) thru their entire first year, regardless of light levels, it's been my experience as well. Usually, they won't go through their first molt until after 18 months (their 2nd or 3rd winter) which is typically when laying decreases or stops, and supplemental light becomes most beneficial. Maybe the light your offering now isn't really affecting them. I'm not an expert so I can't say for sure.
...

My girls are all heritage bantams - Nankins. The coming-on-two-year-olds laid once a day, like clockwork, for their first year, right up to their first hard molt, this past fall. Between the molt and waaaaaaay too much rain and overcast skies, they haven't been anything close to consistent, since. My younger girls (about 8 mos) are only just now starting to lay (Nannies are notoriously late developers,) but they aren't even close to their Mamas' levels. My guess is that it's the weather.
I'm not ready to add lighting. That's not because I believe in doing it or not, it's mainly because there's no safe, easy (or cost effective) way to add electricity to my coop, at the moment. I'll just have to keep up a good diet, supplement where and when I can, and keep my fingers crossed for Spring. We're not really in it for the eggs, directly, anyway. The goal here is viable chicks. Nankins are critically endangered, so our flock is mostly about increasing numbers of happy, healthy little birdlings!

 

[aart]

We have had the craziest winter. Started in NOV with two BIG snow storms 8-10 inches apiece. Then we got rain in Dec. Last week we had weather in the high 40's. Only been below 0F maybe 3 or 4 nights so far this winter. Not as windy as it can be here in Maine overall. 31F, 37F, 37F, 36F (Thurs-Sun). Then in the low to mid 20's all next week. Sun night will be 6F and most of the other nights 10-low 20's When I was a kid we had many nights -40F.

Been about the same here so far this season..
....can't say I miss moving snow and being cold, but I could use the exercise