Looking 'fluffy' and stopped laying.

[stokealini]

This is my first fall season with chickens... pardon if I am asking basic info. Days are shorter, nights almost to freezing now. I have a light on in the coop that goes on at 2 am, off at 9. That leaves the chicas getting 14-16 hrs of light per day. The Welsummer, who has been averaging 5-6 eggs per week for a couple of months now suddenly stopped last week, and she looks like she's fluffing herself up when she's outside. Is this her way of keeping herself warm? The other 2 are laying normally, all are behaving as usual, don't look sickly. should I be concerned or is this just normal seasonal transition. Thanks!

 

[aoxa]

Yes.. If they are cold they will fluff up. Though if it is above freezing they shouldn't really fluff up..

I would not keep the light on like that though. Let them rest during the dark hours. Pullets should lay their first winter without additional lighting.

 

[1muttsfan]

Is she eating and drinking normally? Do her poops look normal?

Some hens, even with supplemental light, will stop or decrease production in the winter. I noticed that about the Welsummer hens that I kept last winter.