how long before I get eggs once i add artificial light?

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Ok, I know some ppl. Don't agree with adding light to the chickens in winter to stimulate laying, but I have 47 chickens and I have had to buy eggs for 2 months now. My question is once the light is added to make about 14 hrs of light, how long before I should find eggs in the nest?? Approximately.

 

[Phantom_Rooster]

I'll be curious to see the answer to this. My BO girls are 6 1/2 months old. No eggs yet. I haven't added a light though.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've never added light, but that said, the biggest thing in keeping my egg production up through winter is to get new layers every year. I tend to cull out birds at the start of their 2nd or maybe 3rd winter if they are in the layer flock. (Just before their major adult moult) Right now I am greatly downsized due to out of state school, but I have 5 leghorns from this spring that are still giving me 4-5 eggs per day. I am still getting about 2.5 dozen per week and will cull them next fall and have them replaced with another 5 in the spring. They started laying in July.

47 birds is A LOT of birds to feed with no return. But of course, if they are pets, they are pets and food cost doesn't matter.

 

[KandiandJerry]

some people dont agree with me but I have lights in all my pens in the barn with about 10-15 different breeds of bantams and I cant keep up with my egg production it started approxamatly 2 weeks after I added lights and has never stopped since but of course I hatch alot of eggs and have not been without eggs

 

[Imp]

Most of the posts I have read say that egg production picked up in a few days to a couple weeks.

Imp

 

[berniezahm]

On page 192 of Storey's Guide to RAISING CHICKENS, New Edition. It says under Augmenting Daylight: "Start augmenting natural light when day length decreases to approach 15 hours, which in most parts of the United States occurs in September. Continue the lighting program throughout the winter and into spring, until natural daylight is back up to 15 hours per day."
I had my egg production drop off this fall to 3 eggs a day from 35 or so laying hens, and it took me till early December to realise why. I reset the light timers in my coops to give 16 hours of light per day. It has taken three weeks for my girls production to crawl back up to get 14 or so eggs per day, the last three days.
I use a compact fluorescent bulb equal in light production to a 100 watt incandescant bulb, but they only draws 23 watts.
I give my girls 16 hours of light per day, midnight to 6 PM.

 

[OmyChickens]

When ever your hen is ready to start laying..

I dont think the lighting is the determining factor.. Your chicken is still going to go through its natural hormonal cycles and whatnot regardless of how many hours of light she gets...

I have lights in my coop after hearing about increased production. and truth be known, my girls started laying about a week (3 weeks for one) so id say take that advice with a grain of salt... like the pepper in the feed.. its not scientific.. but some will swear by it..

good luck!

 

[KandiandJerry]

as I posted my lights stay on 24/7 and I cant keep up but some dont agree with that some do I use the same bulbs but I read a post on here where someone posted they are going to stop putting those bulbs on the market.. would figure something that saves a little money gets taken off the market............

 

[Imp]

Quote:
I'm not quite sure if you are asking a question. Incandescent bulbs are going away, but I suspect they will still be available somewhere just at a much higher price, pet store, on-line etc.
If it is just light you need switch to a compact florescent bulb, same light, cheaper to use. Or if you can afford it an LED bulb.
If I'm missing something sorry.

Imp

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Thanks everyone, I started mine yesterday and so the light went on this a.m so ill keep checking.