New to BYC! and ready to start talking chickens!

Date sort Score sort
sspencer139

sspencer139

Hatching
6 Years
Oct 18, 2013
8
0
7
Michigan
Hello all! I have about 30 chickens and I would like to start hatching my own eggs. However, with the change in seasons i went from getting over 16 eggs a day on average to 4. There is about 4 younger chickens that should be laying and are not we haven't changed anything the only thing I could think of was the change in season. Anyone else having this issue? Or any advice on how to get their egg production back on track? I really want to start incubating the eggs and we also sell them!
 
In a sense, yes, it is because the changing of seasons. It would be the shortening of the days. Chickens need at least 14 hours of light to lay an egg. There is a special gland in the eye that when it sees light, it starts the egg making proccess. With the sun going down early and getting up, they are getting less light and thus lay less eggs! You could try supplemental lighting, that is what I do. I have it on a timer so it turns on and off automatically.

welcome-byc.gif
 
You can put a light in there coop on a timer, so there is a consistent number of daylight hours. Also, if the are molting, that would explain the drop in production.
 
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
If you need to keep them in production you can artificially extend their daylight hours by adding a light to the coop. It doesn't have to be very bright, just enough to read a newspaper by. This is better done in the mornings, so you don't interfere with their roosting behaviour in the evenings. Let them go to roost as normal and wake them up a bit earlier. Keep in mind by keeping the hens productive through winter you will shorten their laying lifespan though. A hen only has so many egg cells and when they are used up, it's over.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom