No Eggs because no windows?

[Killingwithasmile]

My coop is pretty much a box with some ventilation holes. But not much daylight gets In.. I'm also not getting eggs. Do I need to get my Sawzall out and cut some windows in my coop to let in more light?

 

[reluctant farmer]

It's cold and ugly here so we have our windows covered, and we are still getting eggs. I don't think that's your issue.

 

[The Lazy L]

My coop is pretty much a box with some ventilation holes. But not much daylight gets In.. I'm also not getting eggs. Do I need to get my Sawzall out and cut some windows in my coop to let in more light?

Depends. Are your chickens confined to the coop 24x7 or are they allowed out during the day?

 

[linguini]

It's in the 20's in our area, our coop has no window, only has an open entrance door as ventilation. (not a good design) We are collecting eggs from our chickens daily. They get up and out before sun rises (6am) and go into roost at around 4:30-5pm. This is our first year, and we are surprised that they started laying in Nov/Dec and haven't stopped! They are 6 months old now. I don't think dark roosting hen house is an issue.

 

[sylviethecochin]

This is our first year, and we are surprised that they started laying in Nov/Dec and haven't stopped! They are 6 months old now

Aaannnd... that would be why.

Young hens, especially of high-production type, frequently lay through their first winter without any supplemental light whatsoever. Next year, it's probably going to be a little different. Older hens, especially less-productive chickens like Buff Orps or Salmon Faverolles, need light if they're going to lay in the winter.

 

[aart]

My coop is pretty much a box with some ventilation holes. But not much daylight gets In.. I'm also not getting eggs. Do I need to get my Sawzall out and cut some windows in my coop to let in more light?

How old are your birds, in weeks or months?
Always good to have windows for winter light and summer ventiatlion.
They need to be protected from rain/snow tho.
Post some pics of your coop.
......and.....
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[rosemarythyme]

If your chickens are confined indoors around the clock, then yes, lack of windows means lack of daylight. But more than "no windows," insufficient light in general is why chickens slow or stop laying in winter. Having a ton of windows doesn't help when the sun is gone by 4:30 PM.

 

[3KillerBs]

Do I need to get my Sawzall out and cut some windows in my coop to let in more light?

As others have said, that's probably not why your chickens are not laying unless they're confined in there all the time. However, if your coop does not have a reasonable amount of natural light coming in it's unlikely that you have enough ventilation.

So you probably want to get out your Sawzall and open up 1 square foot per chicken to allow both light and airflow.

If you show us photos of the coop we can help you work this out.