How does perpetual Summer affect Chicken raising

[HEChicken]

Keep in mind that a hen is born with all the eggs she'll ever have - they are unable to make new ones as they go. Sexlinks are "laying machines" for the first year or two of their lives and then burn out, and supplemental lighting can trick them into laying for periods of the year when they might otherwise NOT lay. But at the end of the day, once they've laid all their eggs, that's it. This is why people say heritage breeds can lay for longer than a sexlink - they may only lay 4-5 eggs a week, which means they can continue on laying for an additional year or two after the sexlink has used up all of her eggs.

This is a long way of saying that in your climate, your hens may not take a break from laying due to days getting shorter, but over their lifespan they won't lay more eggs than in any other climate.

 

[Spore]

Folks here on the Forum might not realize that it will rarely break 90 degrees in July in the Bahamas. Just because it is further south that California and Texas does not mean the summers are hotter than those states. Shoot, it gets above 100 degrees here in Oregon in July for a week but it will never be a hundred degrees in the Bahamas.

 

[danielle82]

I get down quite low (below 0 *F) and did not use a heat lamp, soo down to 66 *F is not anything to worry about. How hot does your summer get?

 

[Royd]

I went to the Key West sunrise/ sunset chart, since you are the same latitude. It seems, your shortest day is about 11 hours, and the longest, is about 14 1/2. I would think that would be your biggest concern, because, obviously, people don't go to the Bahamas, to stay inside of an airconditioned room.