I start my chicks in June or thereabouts, and in this way they start to lay in late November or early December, and they lay all winter. It works well. BUT...the older birds stop laying around August or so to molt, and so I don't have any eggs to sell for two or three months. It is very frustrating. I guess perhaps I should start some chicks in February, so they could start laying sooner, but I don't know if I could keep them warm enough even with a heat lamp in February. How do other people get eggs all year? I just hate paying those HUGE feed bills and getting nothing in return. Catherine
So far I have had eggs all year This has worked so far for me....In Jan I bought chicks who started laying by June, then in June bought chicks who started laying in Dec., In August I bought chicks who are close to point of lay now, In early Nov. I got more chicks who should start laying by April. I bought all of these last year. I already had 4 to start with. Now so far I have had eggs year round, Oh this didn't count all the ones I hatched or the broodies who hatched babies. This may sound like much but in the long run it works, and I do sell eggs too.
just put an artificial light in their coop on a timer and make their days longer so that will trigger them to lay better than buying all those birds even though that sounds like fun but this would probably be easier
Well, I don't know. I may try hatching some out in Feb as they would then start to lay a lot sooner. Only the weather right now is so gosh awful in West Virginia--well, I guess normal for winter, but colder and snowier than usual--that I am not sure if I can properly take care of them in Feb. I guess I'll wait and see if it warms up at all. So far the weather channel says we are in for a long, cold winter. I don't know how you all take care of the chicks so early in the year, unless of course, you live down South! Right now, I wish I did! I do have a light in the coop. Is just a regular light ok, or do you have to have a light that produces artificial sunlight or something? Catherine
