How many hens through the winter?

[Rysktal]

How many hens would I need to hopefully get 6ish eggs a day throughout the winter?

(I will have a light on them as well)

Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Light notwithstanding, age and breed are critical too. If the pullets hatched in the last 10 months and they are a productive breed, they may each lay 5+ eggs a week right through winter whether they have light or not. If this is their second or subsequent autumn, they'll molt and not lay for from 3 to 5 months.

What breeds are you talking about and when did they hatch? Light is a separate issue we can discuss.

To answer the initial question, 8 leghorns or RIRs going into their first winter will be sufficient. Second winter, not so much.
Going into first winter, you may need as many as 20 silkies, cochins, brahmas etc.

Molting birds given extra light still won't lay eggs till they recover from molt.

 

[Rysktal]

@ChickenCanoe thank you for talking this out with me. I'm actually really overwhelmed. I currently have 60+ chickens and need to decide who to make my laying flock and who is headed to freezer camp.

I currently have 17 Barred Plymouth Rock pullets that are about 11 weeks old. I also have a bunch of mixed breeds who are 5 weeks. They are mixes of australorp, Orpington, barred rock and ameraucana.

I also have some 1 and 2 year old hens who are just barnyard mixes (some with silkie genes) and I'm not sure I should keep them as they lay small eggs and I would rather have bigger eggs.

I already know my oldest hens are being invited to soup at the end of the season.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Older hens, depending on breed, don't necessarily need to go to freezer camp.
I have hens as old as 5+ laying right now. I know they'll molt soon and won't lay again till after winter solstice but they'll resume laying like gangbusters through late winter, spring and summer.
Your Plymouth Rocks will start laying by mid/late November depending on how you handle light and lay right through winter, spring, summer.
I'd say you can start selling/culling the silkie mixes by then.
Your collection of 5 week olds will reach sexual maturity by winter solstice so may start laying in January.
Silkies don't lay particularly well to start with and they go broody often which shuts them down completely. But in general, barnyard mixes (depending on heritage) can be good layers for a long time.
Your rocks, orps, Aorps and EEs are all pretty prolific breeds so you should have plenty of eggs before long.
You can see why I couldn't answer the generic question of 'how many hens' without those caveats.
Most productive breeds will lay right through the first winter without adding light.
In subsequent years, they have to molt. I let them fully recover from molt and sometimes I start adding light in December which will kick start older hens. But not till they have regrown feathers. They can't grow a winter coat that's 93% protein and kick out a 6 gram lump of protein every day. Plus, the oviduct needs a rest.

 

[Rysktal]

Thank you!

I'm still not sure how many layers I need to keep, lol. Family of 6 (with 4 growing boys!). I would love to have too many eggs in the summer and just enough in the winter.

 

[Melky]

How many hens would I need to hopefully get 6ish eggs a day throughout the winter?

(I will have a light on them as well)

Thanks!

Winter eggs depend on 14 hours of light a day and breed. Some breeds are better during the winter with laying than others. Some chics take time off to molt during the winter and I prefer to rest my chics. In general it takes about 12 chicks to produce that many a week if best layers more if lay infrequently. 3 chics lay about a dozen a week.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I start hoarding eggs in late August.
What kind of production are getting right now out of your 1-2 year old hens?
I have one flock of 1 year old hens that have shut down completely and all molting.
My flock of 2-5+ year old hens are all still laying and another flock of 1 year olds are laying too. Go figure.
There are bigger windows in the second flock of 1 year olds so I think the lower morning light on the flock that has shut down is the cause.

 

[Melky]

Winter eggs depend on 14 hours of light a day and breed. Some breeds are better during the winter with laying than others. Some chics take time off to molt during the winter and I prefer to rest my chics. In general it takes about 12 chicks to produce that many a week if best layers more if lay infrequently. 3 chics lay about a dozen a week.

This is for standard breeds.

 

[Melky]

@ChickenCanoe thank you for talking this out with me. I'm actually really overwhelmed. I currently have 60+ chickens and need to decide who to make my laying flock and who is headed to freezer camp.

I currently have 17 Barred Plymouth Rock pullets that are about 11 weeks old. I also have a bunch of mixed breeds who are 5 weeks. They are mixes of australorp, Orpington, barred rock and ameraucana.

I also have some 1 and 2 year old hens who are just barnyard mixes (some with silkie genes) and I'm not sure I should keep them as they lay small eggs and I would rather have bigger eggs.

I already know my oldest hens are being invited to soup at the end of the season.

Sounds like your weaning down the flock to who lays to your satisfaction. God Luck!

 

[Rysktal]

I start hoarding eggs in late August.
What kind of production are getting right now out of your 1-2 year old hens?
I have one flock of 1 year old hens that have shut down completely and all molting.
My flock of 2-5+ year old hens are all still laying and another flock of 1 year olds are laying too. Go figure.
There are bigger windows in the second flock of 1 year olds so I think the lower morning light on the flock that has shut down is the cause.

From my older 6 I am getting maybe 2 eggs a day...all summer. Not good! (2 we're broody and raising chicks but the others have no excuse other than their genes).