Getting hens to start laying mid winter.

[Tgavin05]

I recently acquired five hens that are around a year old. They were not laying when I got them. Put a white light on a timer in their coop to come on about 3 hours prior to daylight. How long should it take them to acclimate and begin laying.

 

[donrae]

I've been told it takes about 2 weeks for supplemental lighting to kick start production.

 

[Tgavin05]

Thank you

 

[Duckee]

I had 3 of 10 girls laying, then i added light and the second week 5 more started laying! Still waiting on 2 more, but one has been doing egg song throughout the day for the past 2 days, so im hoping before week end i will be up to 9

 

[Duckee]

I had 3 of 10 girls laying, then i added light and the second week 5 more started laying! Still waiting on 2 more, but one has been doing egg song throughout the day for the past 2 days, so im hoping before week end i will be up to 9

I must add, they are all first time layers.

 

[aart]

Adding light at this time of year and getting quick results can be coincidental, as the days are naturally increasing in length.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.

I recently acquired five hens that are around a year old. They were not laying when I got them. Put a white light on a timer in their coop to come on about 3 hours prior to daylight. How long should it take them to acclimate and begin laying.

Seeing as how they just came to your place, moving stress(change of housing, feed, other birds, etc) may come into play.
Also if and when they molted at their previous home could play a part.

 

[Tgavin05]

Great article Aart- thanks

 

[Duckee]

I must add, they are all first time layers.

Update: as of 1/22 I have 9 laying for sure, possibly 10. I only use a small low wattage yellowish light in one room. My coop has 2 seperate accessible rooms they can choose to roost in. I do shorten the light time slowly according to the increase in daylight. All my girls were at POL when i added light. Some are over 30 weeks. I did just add a CM that is about 16-20 weeks according to who I got her from. He cant remember if she is from August or September hatching. She already had red face & red waddles.

 

[john44]

I just have the 2 hens, one has been laying the majority of the winter, about 4 eggs a week, however the other stopped about 9 weeks ago. Then she started to moult, quite a lot, but now she is fully feathered again and looks lovely. Up until yesterday her comb was still pale, but I noticed yesterday it was a lot redder.
This morning I thought I was going to get my first egg since the moult,because of the restrictions here in the UK at the moment, we have been keeping them in the daytime in the extension in the back of the house, and just putting them in their house at night, and occasional times during the day in case the other one wanted to lay. Anyhow this morning she was squawking a lot, which is usually a sign they want to go in to the box, so I let her in and she went into her box and started clucking, but was in for for about an hour and no luck.I have put extra grit in the food, she has been eating well, although up until recently she seems to be more on corn than the layer pellet. They have treats as well of course. Is this a normal thing after the moult, can it take a couple of "tries" before things get started again? She was quite happy when she came out, she is busy scratching in the soil tub in the extension, that is their "garden" for the time being. Any advise would be great. Thanks.

 

[lovelyduckling]

She may be preparing for her egg. Some hens have to get used to what their laying on and where they will lay. How did she do today? Any luck?