First night of 13-14 hour "day" light...

[Ted Brown]

@Ted - as you are so far north, I think if you want pullets to lay through the winter, you need to hatch much earlier than May or you won't make it. I think you want the 20 weeks old to be in August or Early September. Later than that, daylight is waning, and they might not make it.

Mrs K

Backing up my hatching date is in my mind, was thinking May.

I will maintain a consistent number of hours/day year round, at the moment 14 is the number. I accept there is no absolute rigour so will flex with experience.

 

[Mrs. K]

Don't you have to let them molt? I wonder if (am just talking out loud now, I have no experience with this) one should vary the length of the day from 12-14? Letting it get back to 12 hours will let your older girls molt, and keep your younger girls laying?

I again, have no experience with this, just wondering.

 

[Mrs. K]

So true, RR. And without electricity in our coop, chicken keeping here in winter wouldn't 'fly'. Changing out waterers three times daily? Not happening. Extra lighting in winter? No way. Being able to turn lights on any time, rather than relying on a flashlight is also wonderful.
We have horses, and their water tank is heated all winter. When I pay the electric bill, and remind myself how much more even one non-surgical colic would cost, enough to heat that water all winter!
Horses will drink less if it's ice cold, not a good thing. Do chickens feel the same way? Maybe not, I don't know.

Mine get water once a day when the temperature is 20 degrees or above. It will freeze solid, but it takes rather a long time at that temperature. All my birds get a drink.

Below 20, I do try and get out twice a day. I also feed soaked grains. I think I got that idea from here.

Below -10, I might do it a third time. It will depend if it is sunny or not, often times that black rubber bowl, will absorb enough heat, that the edge is wet.

As for water temperature...I have stomped out those rubber bowls, and provided warm water, to have those biddy eat the ice chips.

I do think I lose a little egg production by not having liquid water for all the daylight hours, but they really seem to drink a lot less than in the summer, and they are active and healthy acting.

Running electricity to the coop is out of our budget. We don't even heat the horses water, but we do make sure it is open. I very seldom go to the coop in the dark.

As Ridge runner says, we all do it differently.

Mrs k

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don't you have to let them molt?

I'll use the commercial egg laying operations since they have studied it so well. These operations are on a tight profit margin so they need good egg production. Their specially bred flocks lay really well for about 13 to 15 months. But eventually some start cutting back on egg laying or they start laying funky non-commercial eggs. When enough cut back on laying commercial eggs so the profit margin is gone, they are faced with a decision. They keep good records and use productivity charts to decide whether to replace the flock or to force them to molt so they can recharge their systems for another good session of egg laying.

Our flocks are bred differently but they will follow the same general patterns though probably with some variations. At some point they will cut back on laying or lay funky eggs. You might see them molting at odd times through the year, sometimes a full molt and sometimes a partial molt. You see those threads on here every year.

Do you have to let them molt? They probably eventually will on their own but it may not be every hen in the flock at the same time.

 

[aart]

Don't you have to let them molt?

I let mine molt before upping the light duration.

 

[Folly's place]

I always have birds of different ages and breeds, and few molt at the same time. There's always some egg production, as long as there's enough light. Most of our birds molt late summer into fall, some fast and ugly, some slow and not so obviously. Unlike commercial flock operations, we are good with the 'anything goes' schedule here.
Mary

 

[Ted Brown]

I let mine molt before upping the light duration.

What do you do to "let" them molt?

 

[Ted Brown]

This morning there were 7 eggs - 3 from hens, 4 pullets. Third time to get 7 but previous twice were spread through the day. Hoping for +...

Also all but 2 eggs laid in nests, no egg eating (an early 2024 problem). No small victory.

End of third week, I will increase light to 14 hours and maintain going forward.

 

[aart]

What do you do to "let" them molt?

I wait until mid to late December before increasing the light duration.
I used to turn the lights up in Sep, which often stopped the molt from happening.

 

[Ted Brown]

@aart Unwittingly, I have used your timing which I am happy about.