No eggs at all!

[Apis mellifera]

The idea that hens lives are shortened and stressed by supplemental lighting is an old repeated myth. You're just missing out on eggs you would normally get if you kept your chickens at the equator .

 

[bruceha2000]

I don't know that lighting the coop through the winter shortens their life or not but it seems like constant laying would be hard on their little bodies. I give mine the natural rest period if they want it.

 

[Apis mellifera]

I don't know that lighting the coop through the winter shortens their life or not but it seems like constant laying would be hard on their little bodies. I give mine the natural rest period if they want it.

I'm not sure, but letting them sit in 15 hours of darkness and cold before and after the winter solstice until the days get longer seems harsh. How much rest do they really need? Probably not that much. Is there anything natural about keeping selectively bred poultry in a coop? Not really.

 

[K0k0shka]

The idea that hens lives are shortened and stressed by supplemental lighting is an old repeated myth. You're just missing out on eggs you would normally get if you kept your chickens at the equator .

Chickens living at the equator don’t have to deal with the stress of cold winters. The point of not laying in winter is to conserve energy. It’s not a direct comparison.

 

[aart]

I'm not sure, but letting them sit in 15 hours of darkness and cold before and after the winter solstice until the days get longer seems harsh. How much rest do they really need? Probably not that much. Is there anything natural about keeping selectively bred poultry in a coop? Not really.

Yes, farther north, some lighting is almost mandatory so they can eat enough to stay healthy.

The idea that hens lives are shortened and stressed by supplemental lighting is an old repeated myth.

Depends....on how much lighting you use and if they get a break to molt.
Non-stop year-round laying can indeed be detrimental to their health.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Chickens living at the equator don’t have to deal with the stress of cold winters. The point of not laying in winter is to conserve energy. It’s not a direct comparison.

Thats why its important to choose a breed thats cold hardy, chanteclers have no problem with cold temps. Still, Im not going to let them sit in the dark for months. They cant possibly need to conserve that much energy nor could they.

 

[Acre4Me]

haven't started laying yet. That's normal. Adding artificial light is taxing on the chicken's body and will wear them out faster. There's a reason why they stop laying, and it's not because of the light. The light is just the cue.

All chickens take a break with a molt. They do not wear out faster. They do not run out of eggs rither

No supplemental light except for that red heat lamp

the red lamp would not be considered supplemental lighting.

like constant laying would be hard on their little bodies.

There is NEVER constant laying. All chickens stop laying to molt.

 

[Acre4Me]

Yes, farther north, some lighting is almost mandatory so they can eat enough to stay healthy.

yes, this is very true. They need enough time to eat and drink to keep warm.

Non-stop year-round laying can indeed be detrimental to their health.

But, I’ve never heard of backyard chickens (even with supplemental light) lay year round -except for the first winter when they are still pullets. Even then, it seems they slow down somewhat and don’t lay quite like in the spring and summer. I’ve never had production hens myself, so I’m not experienced there. My heritage breeds have supplemental light, yet they slow down in the winter-even the pullets.

 

[Finnie]

I have always seen a seasonal ebb and flow in the number of eggs I get. Usually there is a drop off during the intense heat in summer. Then as the weather cools off, numbers pick up. Then molting happens and numbers go down a little, but this is offset by new pullets coming into lay. Then almost like clockwork, around winter solstice, numbers plummet. My lowest egg numbers come in winter. When I had fewer birds, it would go down to zero. Once I started keeping 70-100 birds over winter, an 8 egg day would be the lowest I would experience.

For some reason this year, I have been experiencing 2-4 egg days for over a month now. At first I was blaming it on the molt. Maybe this is the first time that the molt hit all of the layers at once, so there’s been no staggering of their breaks. But I have 6-month-old pullets that haven’t started laying, and most years I see those new pullet eggs anywhere from August to January.

There are lots of reasons for a drop in egg numbers, and I have been looking into all of them. (Hidden nests, egg eating, stolen by predators, disharmony in the flock, etc.) None of these seem to be the culprit, although I know I can’t rule them all out completely. Usually if they are hiding eggs, you can eventually find the stash. Usually if they are eating eggs, there is evidence, or you see them chasing each other around with the shells. Usually if there is a problem, it affects some birds but not all of them.

I have chickens in two separate areas and this is happening in both places. I’m beginning to think there is just something weird in the air this year!

 

[Apis mellifera]

Yes, farther north, some lighting is almost mandatory so they can eat enough to stay healthy.


Depends....on how much lighting you use and if they get a break to molt.
Non-stop year-round laying can indeed be detrimental to their health.

Correct. Im not talking a commercial hen house here, its my backyard. I add light after the molt but before days get too short. Even if I didnt add some light they would start laying anyway. I like to make sure they get at least 12 hours. I could be wrong, but seems unhealthy to let them sit in the dark compared to laying an egg every couple days.