How does temp and light impact a hen's ability to lay eggs?

[Gelky]

I am curious. At what sustained temperatures and lighting will impact the ability of a hen to lay eggs? Does it depend on breed?

Daily temps are about 45 - 50 degree with about 10 hours of light per day now.

I have 2 NH Reds and 1 Astralorp which started laying about 2 weeks ago and have been consistently laying eggs almost daily. I have one Ameracuana which is the oldest of the lot (about 32 weeks), she has yet to lay any eggs. Is it the temp? light? When should I start being concerned about her ability to lay eggs? And yes, she is a hen.

thanks!

 

[Imp]

I am not a expert, but:

temp- not so much
light- 14 hours a day

Yes breed can make a difference

Good luck

Imp

 

[PandoraTaylor]

light makes a world of difference, need minimum of 14 hours
and Temp well as long as you give extra protein and Carbs, it doesn't seem affect them as much.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Light is the key trigger for egg laying. I've heard of many people with Ameracuanas or EEs that don't lay if they reach point of lay in the fall or winter. They often will start laying in the spring when the days become longer. I've got two EEs that are about 25-30 weeks old, and I'd be surprised if I got an egg before Feb. or March.

 

[HEChicken]

I've always heard that 14 hours of daylight is the key but....I think this must be somewhat variable. Where I live, the longest day of summer is barely 14 hours of light, so the months before and after have even less. Yet chickens around here do lay eggs - sometimes year round without supplemental light, depending on the breed.

 

[isabrownmom]

I have Isa Browns bred to be egg laying machines and so far they are proving this to be true. We are in the single digits to mid 20's this week and I have gotten 6 eggs from 6 hens every day for the past 3 days. This is with only about 10 hours of daylight and no artificial lighting. The only time they slowed down was when it was -10 degrees here on night. I only got 3 eggs that morning! I can always count on 4-6 eggs daily.

 

[tberryer]

I'm new to chickens this year and my 10 girls became of age around November. During these shortest days of the year I'm getting 5-7 eggs a day. The Rhode Islands, Buff Orpingtons and ISA Brown are doing a great job. I don't think the EE is laying yet and I've never seen the Wyandottes lay. They could just be modest. I'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of eggs I'm getting considering the short days. The days are getting longer, can't wait for the day I get 10 eggs. I also don't heat their coop. It is about the same as the outside temperature, but they seem very happy.

 

[chicks4kids]

When the temps dropped to 10's and 20's here in Indiana, my girls continued to lay until their daylight hours dropped to practically nothing. I was sure I wouldn't put any light in there because I thought they would do ok, I may have a decline in egg production, but we'd get through it. I was getting plenty of eggs for us (between 9-12 dly), then when the daylight hours dropped, I was lucky if I would get 2 eggs a day. Not good enough for our family of 5. So here's my outline to give you an idea of my egg production. I do NOT heat my coop.


11/16 63 eggs
11/23 74 eggs
11/30 68 eggs
12/7 22 eggs This week we had 0 degree temps. No light added at this point.
12/14 17 eggs
12/21 15 eggs
12/28 26 eggs This week I decided to add light from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and then light back on at 4 p.m. then off at 6 p.m. My egg production increased alittle.
1-4 60 eggs This week I decided to turn the light on from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. nonstop. Egg production is back up again.

 

[Amethyste]

Some breeds do REALLY well with winter egg laying too, dont forget.

I know Buff Orps, Black Australorps etc are very winter hardy and will lay well in winter.

 

[gkeesling]

I have 20 chickens and got 14 - 17 eggs/day in the height of the summer. when the daylight got down to about 10 hours I put a light in the coop and run that's on a timer and turns on at 3:00 a.m. In the worst cold we have had so far I got 10 eggs/day. some days I will get 14 eggs and some days I'll get 8 eggs. It's averaging around 10-12 eggs/day. I have 12 Plymouth Barr Rocks, 6 Black Sex Links, 1 buff orpington, and 1 Black Astrolorp.