How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[ChickenCanoe]

Ah, I did know that it is daylight hours that affects egg laying. Also, molt and broodiness. My cochin cross went broody last spring then had a stress molt while raising chicks then her normal molt in the fall. She hadn't laid in nearly a year. I expect her to go broody again this spring. sigh. I don't have a rooster because I live on less than 1/4 acre in a development. I had to buy 10 hour old chicks and insert them at night. I give her credit for raising the babies... and I learned a lot!

I have a small coop and would not chance lighting during the shorter days. Too dangerous for my girls. I also think that the natural cycle with the winter rest is good for the hens even if I do miss the eggs terribly.

This year I hope to acquire a larger coop.

I agree that if one isn't into it for maximum egg production, it's better to let them take a break.
I caution those with hens that aren't actively laying to feed an all flock, grower or finisher ration rather than layer. Provide oyster shell at all times if any are laying.
That will give the birds a better chance at a long life.

I have 4 pullets born last April. 3 out of four started laying in late July and then stopped in October. I didnt use a light through the winter. Yesterday I checked the box and to my surprise there were 2 eggs. I would not have expected them to lay for another month or so. Can someone help me to understand this. Not complaining just interested.

Days are approximately 1.5 hours longer now than they were in late December. I'll bet that's it.

 

[Douza]

That I would believe. For sOme reason I thought it was only 45minutes. If it is 11/2hours that would be more significant

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I, too, wonder about the internal clocks of chickens.
I have a pullet born last May (2013.) She is Ameraucana crossed with Copper Marans (or so the farmer believes.) Here in southern New Jersey she started laying on January 13th 2014.
I wonder if the start and frequency of laying has something to do with breed? I'm sure our daylight is about the same length as yours.
My other 4 hens were born in April 2012 (2) May 2012 (other 2) and all started laying in December 13th - 15th 2012. They continued to lay through that mild winter without the aid of light in the coop. Three of the hens are Barnavelder crossed with Spangled Hamburg and the other one is Cochin crossed with Barnavelder.

So far the books I have on chickens do not address the start of laying in "scientific" or observational terms.

The clock is hemeral lighting and light reaching the pineal gland.

The start and frequency of lay has much to do with breed (and day length).

Some breeds are early bloomers (Anconas, Jaerhons, Delawares, Australorps, Faverolles, Leghorns, among others)
Some late bloomers (Brahmas, Cochins, Games, Langshans, Dorkings, Javas, JGs and others)
Some prolific layers, (Leghorns, Anconas, Minorcas, Aorps, Orps, RIRs, Faverolles, Wyandottes, Sussex, Rocks, et. al.)
some poor layers (Shamos, Sebrights, Cornish, Houdans, Malays, Nankins, et. al.)

Pullets will usually lay very well even through their first winter. People often think something is wrong when they go through their second and subsequent winter. (they're not spring chickens any more)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That I would believe. For sOme reason I thought it was only 45minutes. If it is 11/2hours that would be more significant

At my latitude, winter solstice is 9 hours, 27 minutes of day light. Right now it's 11 hours.

45 minutes in the morning, 45 in the evening.

 

[Douza]

I just checked a web site about sunlight. Regardless of where you are in the world you gain 4minutes of sunlight each day after the winter solstice. If this is correct then I am looking at approximately 3 more hours of daylight today than on December 21st. Doesn't seem possible. But only the hens know for sure.:cd:cd

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's not possible.
Go here and put your location in and then pick a date. Some days it can be 4 minutes, some days less than 1. And it depends on latitude.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunrise.html

If one were closer to the equator the difference would be much less. At the equator the day length changes as little as a second a day this time of year. In Norway, it gets about 6 minutes longer each day this time of year.

 

[booksmom]

The farmer who sells chicks (and takes back roosters!) told me she has never heard of a chicken that did not eventually lay. Each hen has her own internal clock for reaching puberty just like people have. She chides me to be patient and I will be rewarded.

My Ameraucana is a cross. She was 8 months old before she laid her first egg. I haven't done any serious research on breeds. With my first two (actually, 3 but one was a rooster) chicks, the farmer gave me health birds that were mature enough to go directly outdoors to the coop. I have 3 Bengal cats indoors so older chicks were a plus. For my second set of 2, I picked two that I liked for color and shape from a group in her yard. Still, I didn't consider breed other than to know my birds were winter hardy. When Pumpkin went broody I accepted 2 ten hour old chicks just out of the incubator. I had no idea about breed or sex. They went right outdoors under "momma" and were raised by momma hen. One was a rooster.

I went on line to the government site and found that my 1.9 ounce eggs are officially medium size. My 2.2 ounce eggs are large. There was a chart of the weight range for each size egg. I use my kitchen scale which is fairly accurate.

 

[booksmom]

The clock is hemeral lighting and light reaching the pineal gland.

The start and frequency of lay has much to do with breed (and day length).

Some breeds are early bloomers (Anconas, Jaerhons, Delawares, Australorps, Faverolles, Leghorns, among others)
Some late bloomers (Brahmas, Cochins, Games, Langshans, Dorkings, Javas, JGs and others)
Some prolific layers, (Leghorns, Anconas, Minorcas, Aorps, Orps, RIRs, Faverolles, Wyandottes, Sussex, Rocks, et. al.)
some poor layers (Shamos, Sebrights, Cornish, Houdans, Malays, Nankins, et. al.)

I am learning very quickly about chickens. I started out fulfilling my dream to have backyard chickens but I admit I was a basic "know nothing" when I began assembling my coop and run. It was almost a year before I got my first birds. Thankfully I had 2 friends, long-time chicken keepers, to help me over those first few months of constant worry.

Thank you for the anatomy lesson! I appreciate all the help.

Great advice about the Flock Raiser or All Flock rather than layer ration for off time. Thanks! I had mixed layer half and half with all flock. I guess I was nervous about a complete change of diet (I am a horsewoman who has dealt with other people's horses colicking over feed changes.) I do give free choice calcium to my hens and they get greens all winter through with heat source grains (scratch) and grit when the ground is frozen. I'm surprised that the hens race for and devour every shred of the greens before turning to the tray with grain and mealworms.

Pullets will usually lay very well even through their first winter. People often think something is wrong when they go through their second and subsequent winter. (they're not spring chickens any more)

I'm no Spring chicken either so I can relate to my girls!

 

[SelfMadeFarming]

4/5

:cd

 

[RazeNCain]

Three days in a row we got 12/6. Starting to wonder if someone is sneaking in and adding eggs. First day I thought hmm maybe we forgot to collect eggs, sure enough next day there's 12 again. How is this even possible that each chicken is laying 2 eggs. I know 2 of them lay at 6 am they wake me up every morning.