- Jun 3, 2021
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I just had an old guy tell me that it isn't the light so much as warmth. He said his parents build a brick chicken coop with a wall mounted heat source (not always a heat lamp) when he was growing up. Time wise, I'm guessing 1950s ish.Depends
Depends on the particular hen, on their breeding line/genetics, on age when fall comes, a whole bunch of things. Does she look like when is starting to get red combs and waddles?? Up here, if they weren't already starting - or getting really, really close right now...they would most likely hold off until Feb. (I've only had one or two hens that have started to lay after Nov. 1st, but before late Jan/early Feb.)
That said, you are in a much more southern latitude than I am, so you may not have the same experience as me. A woman from Virginia moved to our area about 5 years ago, and panicked her first fall here...she asked me about the sudden drop in laying of her hens she brought with her.....it was because we have a much more drastic loss of light than they did in the more southerly state of Virginia - they slowed down, but never stopped laying there - and the slow down was much, much more measured. She was afraid something was wrong (as you know, if hens are sick or something, egg laying is frequently the first thing they stop to help with self preservation.), But, nope, her hens were fine and started laying again as usual in the early spring!
@Logar
It depends on the bird as they are mutts. But the most common thing I have seen people say is between 22 and 26 weeks
That is a good general estimate, but again, this time of year...that can go out the window depending on time of hatch, hen, and the ensuing decrease of daylight.
The idea was having a place the hen felt comfortable and was warmer than outside by a noticeable amount. Never run across this before as "everyone" says it's the amount of daylight. But they also say hens won't/can't lay in the dark and @Ponypoor can attest that infra-red is enough light for them to see by. This is an interesting thought, and now I want to try testing it.....
Figuring out how to work that is going to be the challenge. Wonder if I can figure out how to mount those heating pads from the ceiling of the lower nest boxes so they warm both the bottom and top at the same time....
My hard deck is 2000 feet above ground. I can’t fly lower than that to take pictures. The park rules for private planes can change depending on ground activity, migratory birds, (possible bird strikes), herds of larger animals moving throughout the park. So I’m doing my research and choosing the best times to go.
