My Hens have stopped laying!!!

[TristanBYC]

hello
months are getting colder now and my chickens have virtually stopped laying....
what tips and tricks do people have to keep my hens laying during winter???

 

[aart]

First need to know your location and the age of your birds.
If you are in the northern hemisphere and they are about 18 months old,
they will stop laying to molt old feathers out and grow new feathers in,
won't start laying again until after the days start getting longer again in December.
Feed some animal protein to assist in feather growth and building condition back up.
You could add supplemental lighting, but that's no guarantee.

 

[Shadrach]

hello
months are getting colder now and my chickens have virtually stopped laying....
what tips and tricks do people have to keep my hens laying during winter???

A hens egg laying cycle is governed by ambient light level.
You could light their coop.
However, hens are not egg machines and they need to rest and use their energies in the winter to moult perhaps, if they haven’t already done so, and to replenish the nutrients, particularly calcium used in the demand cycle of egg laying.
It’s interesting to note that hens ‘encouraged’ to lay over the winter months when in a more natural environment they would rest, live considerably shorter lives.

You can wear your hens out if you wish I suppose, but you could just do without eggs for a bit.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have lighted my hen house for 25 years. I have never seen any evidence of it shortening their lives. They molt & resume laying at their own pace, some laying & others molting. To each his own.