Maybe a very stupid egg question?

[mommyof5]

So I am quickly approaching my first year anniversary as the local crazy chicken lady and am in a bit of hot water with all the local "chicken experts". It simply boils down to this my girls are still laying!!! We have 39 hens and are getting anywhere from 22 to 35 eggs a day. The spoiled girls and their few boys are getting lots of layer feed with a bit of higher protein feed because of our heavy snows and cold this year(we still have 3 feet on the ground), they also get cracked corn instead of their usual scratch to help with the cold, and lots of treats from the "real" kids. The coop is warm and cozy and yes I have a light in there but it is only on for about 45 minutes at dusk mainly for me to make sure everyone is in bed, they also free range all day and are usually found sunning on their log pile or the trampoline(much to the dismay of the children). So why am I still getting so many eggs, and will this later come back to haunt me(shorter laying span). Should I cut down on their feed or keep going as they all seem so happy and content?

 

[raimnel]

Hey mommyto5, sounds to me like your chickens love you and are showing the appreciation. )
off the subject and sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I two am a mommyto5. cool

 

[granmahen]

Mine all layed eggs every day the first year, too. I was so proud. This past winter, their second, nope. Everyone quit for two months. They are now starting back up again. Hey, everyone needs a break as they get older.

 

[gritsar]

Alot of hens will lay well thru their first winter. If there's going to be a wintertime slow down it will likely happen in their second winter.

 

[PacsMan]

No crazy chicken lady, your hens are doing just fine.

There are a lot of different factors that go into how often chickens lay. Two of the biggest are Breed of chicken and, believe it or not, how much light they get.

Breed - Laying depends a lot on the breed of chicken you have. I think the record is held by a Black Australorp. She laid something 360 eggs in a year, back in the 1920's. Some breeds just poop out over the winter. Henderson's Chicken Chart will tell you a lot about the different breeds. I'm going with the Delaware this spring. We live in Utah where it can get cold. The Delaware is a hardy/cold bird, and lays well in the winter.

Light - In the winter months there is less sunlight. To have a chicken lay optimally, she needs 14 hours of light a day. (doesn't matter if it's sun light or a room light). Some folks put lights on timers in their coop to spur egg production in the winter months. Do a search for eggs and light and you'll get plenty of ideas. Some say it’s harder on the chickens if you use artificial light, and that they won’t molt properly.

Hope that helps!

Marty

 

[Countrywife]

They are fine- but I am curious- where is the "big ditch" that you are just south of?????

 

[mommyof5]

Thanks everyone I was starting to get a little paranoid about my sweet girls.
With it looking like a slowdown next winter it looks like a good excuse to add more chickens this spring.
PacsMan actually came from Utah and while I will always miss the great snow and real mountains you can keep those lovely inversions

Sorry Countrywife as locals we all call the Grand Canyon, the big ditch.

 

[Countrywife]

Thats what I thought. I just made our reservations for August- the South Rim. ROAD TRIP!!!!