How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[Rhoise]

You should NOT light at night. If they aren't up on the roosts when the light suddenly goes out, they can't see well enough to get there. Light only in the morning. Figure out what time the sun will set and calculate back from there to get the number of hours desired. Adjust every few weeks.

Bruce

Hi Bruce,
We light at night and have never had a problem with "lost hens in the dark" not finding the roosts. We have had issues though with all the extra light in the wee early hours, so decided 6am-8pm works for our flock. Our girls usually are just finishing up their chicken crack(1cup every evening to fill their crops in winter) around 6:45pm meander their way to the cozy lights in the coop, and climb up and preen themselves before lights out at 8pm. There is no messing with timers every few weeks just set them once (mine even has a DLS setting) and your done. I think what really makes a difference with our girls, is a regular schedule. This goes for any of our animals and humans for that matter LOL! Good feed, lots of fresh water, and a regular schedule of management, keeps everyone happy and lowers stress in our household. I was just admiring today how great our chooks look! It was a brutally hot summer this year, and now they are shiny, content, and their combs and wattles are bright fire engine red! Love it! We are getting 6-7 beautiful brown eggs a day from our 7 pullets. I even cracked the Halloween Monster Egg for breakfast this morning expecting a double yolker for sure but to my surprise it was just one giant egg with one giant yolk! Here it is in the pan next to an extra large size egg........

Julie

 

[bruceha2000]

Our girls usually are just finishing up their chicken crack (1cup every evening to fill their crops in winter) around 6:45pm meander their way to the cozy lights in the coop, and climb up and preen themselves before lights out at 8pm.

but to my surprise it was just one giant egg with one giant yolk! Here it is in the pan next to an extra large size egg........

Cozy like "not very bright"? I actually do something similar. I have light outside the coop that points in, 40W equivalent CFL.I have it because the coop is about 8 feet from the outside (west) wall and the girls would not be interested in going to bed with all the light outside this summer. Then when it was dark enough outside, it was pretty darned dark in the coop.

My daughter went out last night about 5 to see if there were any more eggs and forgot to turn the barn lights off. I went out about 6:30 and the girls were all laying around in the alley. "Not time for bed yet, it is still light!". I turned off the barn lights and by the light of that one fixture on the timer, they one by one trooped in and figured out who was sleeping where. I swear that changes ever day. I have the timer light set to go on from 4 to 5 PM now.

Yeah, that is one BIG egg!

Bruce

 

[PrairieChickens]

You should NOT light at night. If they aren't up on the roosts when the light suddenly goes out, they can't see well enough to get there. Light only in the morning. Figure out what time the sun will set and calculate back from there to get the number of hours desired. Adjust every few weeks.

Bruce

I never really thought about that, I guess because there's a street light that shines into the coop all night so it hasn't been a problem for us. If you don't have any extra light after the light goes out, though, I can def. see how that would be a problem.

 

[Mac14]

Yesterday I only got 2 eggs out of 8 chickens! :/

 

[7 Biddies]

Yesterday I only got 2 eggs out of 8 chickens! :/

Yesterday, I got 7 out of 7. As of noon today (1pm ET), I had *none*! Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Guess we're slacking off for winter. Just as well; I was drowning in eggs. Just as long as I have enough to feed myself fresh eggs, I'll be happy.

 

[Mac14]

Yesterday, I got 7 out of 7. As of noon today (1pm ET), I had *none*! Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Guess we're slacking off for winter. Just as well; I was drowning in eggs. Just as long as I have enough to feed myself fresh eggs, I'll be happy.

We sell our eggs so it is important to get as many as possible, but maybe they were having a small break. Thing is that they lay approx 4 or 5 eggs a day, I have never gotten 8 out of 8, and I can tell that the eggs I get are usually from the same hens but I can't find the ones that are not laying. :/ I'm glad you got 7 out of 7 yesterday.

 

[TriangleMaster9]

3/3 again! It turns out that it was buttercup who STILL hasn't figured out the nesting boxes! We've found nugget and C.C. in the nesting boxes! Well I guess It's a good thing buttercups so cute!

 

[Jakrzz]

I get around 10 or 11 eggs a day from my 12 hens. 10 lay everyday, one lays around every 28 hrs or so. The other hen is (I'm assuming) a late bloomer.

 

[Jakrzz]

I get around 10 or 11 eggs a day from my 12 hens. 10 lay everyday, one lays around every 28 hrs or so. The other hen is (I'm assuming) a late bloomer.

 

[7 Biddies]

We sell our eggs so it is important to get as many as possible, but maybe they were having a small break. Thing is that they lay approx 4 or 5 eggs a day, I have never gotten 8 out of 8, and I can tell that the eggs I get are usually from the same hens but I can't find the ones that are not laying. :/ I'm glad you got 7 out of 7 yesterday.

Like the idiot that I am, I've been giving away the extra ... of which there are PLENTY! Right now, I'm just happy that people have been donating pumpkins to supplement their food, and egg cartons. So, I give them eggs in return.

Now that everyone is getting hooked, maybe I'll sell them when production is in full swing. Do you give them organic feed, and how much to you charge per dozen?