From 12 a day to 4...what happened???

[cstanley]

OK. Seems like I heard that they won't lay when it'
s cold. Is that what has happened. A cold snap will stop production??? UGH! Will they start up when it warms up or when it starts staying warm??? Teperature wise. What temps do they like to lay in? I am in SE Texas and it is usually 50 most of the winter. Right now it is 20 and that is super cold for us!!

Thanks

Cherie

 

[arlee453]

It's not only cold, it's the darkest time of the year.

Can you put a light in the coop to come on a couple hours before day break to extend their daylight?

 

[tiki244]

Hi,
each hen lays for approximately 2 weeks and then takes a day or 2 off. Maybe they all took the same days off? Probably not. 14 hours of light a day is needed for them to lay and a good diet. I live in WI and its been below zero the last couple of days but I heat my coopMaybe the cold weather has stressed then out and they will start up again in no time

 

[Chirpy]

From all the reading I've done I think the bigger issue is the lack of 14 hours of daylight at this time of year. I'm sure that the cold has some effect also but chickens need the daylight to stimulate them into laying.

You can add a light to your coop, have it come on in the mornings early to add enough hours to add up to 14. Or, you can let nature take it's course and just enjoy the eggs you are getting.

I'm assuming that your chickens are not starting to molt?

We have been having temps below zero for days and the single digits for days. My girls are still laying the same amount of eggs that they've been laying for a month. So - at least for me it's a daylight issue - not temperature.

 

[cstanley]

OK it's been WEEKS and my girls still aren't laying like they were. We were between 12-15 eggs a day. and now we are good to get 4-6. UGH. OK, another problem! We moved them all to a fenced area and built a new chicken coop for them. Are they mad at us and aren't laying becasue of this??? How long till they begin to lay again?? They were free range untill We pinned them. There is plenty of room. They were just laying everywhere and pooing on my porch! We had to coop them up.LOL SO, what can I do to help this adustment??? I am thinking we cooped them around New Years or so..

 

[MissPrissy]

It is normal for egg production to slow in the winter. This gives them time to rejuvenate and gear up for all of the spring eggs we want to hatch! You can add light in the very early morning, say 4 am until sun up, but this won't guarentee the continued production or resumption of eggs.

 

[chickenranchwife]

It's the cold weather, because mine dropped from over 40 a day to 18 a day. Definately the weather has made a difference. Hang in there, it'll warm up soon.