first eggs as days shorten

[arundel]

My 4 Rhode Island Reds are 16 weeks and two just started laying. It's the end of august and the days are shortening. I am a new chicken keeper and from what I read, chickens will lessen their egg production or molt in the fall/winter. Can anyone tell me what I might expect for my flock? Should I give them more light artificially? Is there a minimum amount of light they need to keep laying through the winter? OR should I just let nature take its course?

 

[Kiki]

Since your birds are brand new to laying they should continue to lay for this first winter.

I did not give my birds added light their first winter and they continued to lay through the entire winter but my winters are in Texas.

 

[NatJ]

I did not give my birds added light their first winter and they continued to lay through the entire winter but my winters are in Texas.

I had similar results in the northern part of Virginia.

 

[arundel]

should have mentionned we are in Nanimo on Vancouver Island, BC Canada

 

[arundel]

Since your birds are brand new to laying they should continue to lay for this first winter.

I did not give my birds added light their first winter and they continued to lay through the entire winter but my winters are in Texas.

Thanks. that's reassuring

 

[GC-Raptor]

My first and second batch of spring chicks started to lay end of July through September.
They laid through their first winter.
I do have lights inside coops and outside.
I turn them on at 5 am. I don't add lights afternoons/evenings.
Sunsets as early as 4:19 pm. So as little as 11 hours 19 minutes.
My chicks are Red sex-links, Golden Comets and ISA Browns known for excellent egg production.

I currently have 4 Rhode Island Reds 14 weeks old.
I am impressed that two of your RIR have started to lay.
18 weeks old is the average that I've read.
I'm excited for my girls to start.
I also have 4 Barred Rocks, same age.

GC

 

[arundel]

My first and second batch of spring chicks started to lay end of July through September.
They laid through their first winter.
I do have lights inside coops and outside.
I turn them on at 5 am. I don't add lights afternoons/evenings.
Sunsets as early as 4:19 pm. So as little as 11 hours 19 minutes.
My chicks are Red sex-links, Golden Comets and ISA Browns known for excellent egg production.

I currently have 4 Rhode Island Reds 14 weeks old.
I am impressed that two of your RIR have started to lay.
18 weeks old is the average that I've read.
I'm excited for my girls to start.
I also have 4 Barred Rocks, same age.View attachment 2808507
GC

Yes, I certainly wasn't expecting eggs so soon! Thanks for the idea of just lighting at one end of the day - although right now I get up and open the door from the coop to the run in the morning and close it at night, so I might add lights at the end of the day for a few hours, maybe when it starts gettting dark around 7 pm, then keep lights on till 7 throughout the winter.
But I just read an article that advises against night time lights as it doesn't give the chickens the transition time at dusk to get in and find their roosts.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I might add lights at the end of the day for a few hours, maybe when it starts gettting dark around 7 pm, then keep lights on till 7 throughout the winter.
But I just read an article that advises against night time lights as it doesn't give the chickens the transition time at dusk to get in and find their roosts.

Yes, I've read the same.
I add lights in the morning because I leave for work after 5 am.

GC

 

[Grizzly Bird]

I have two Icelandic hens that hatched in mid May. One hen just started laying about two weeks ago. I get an egg every other day. I live up north, so sun up is about 9:15 and sundown is 4:30 right now and we're losing light fast. It's been 1 degree at night and about 10-15 during the day here for the past week. I don't have heat or light in my coop and the hens seem pretty happy...but I chose a hardy breed that was from an Alaskan flock. I hope they keep it up, but doubt they'll lay next winter.