no eggs, extended light in morning or evening ????????????

[johnirwin]

hi great post,i am having problems with my hens,i have 8 rir,a rooster and 2 ducks and have had no eggs worth this last 4 weeks,they have finished moulting 2 weeks ago fed layers pellets free choice,water free choice and oyster shell free choice,have a large caravan for coop,fenced secure area 25 ft x 20 ft and free range quater acre from 9.00 till they go in to roost at evening ,have put in light on timer but i have the light coming on from 3.30 afternoon till 10.00 at night giving them 15 hours light and since i have done this i have had not one egg for 7 days now,should i have the light coming on in the morning ? help please

 

[Den in Penn]

is there the possibility that they are hiding the eggs some place? the change in the regime with the added light could have put them off till they get used to the extra light, it takes a little while more time after they have regrown their feathers to rebiuld thier bodies to start laying again.

 

[johnirwin]

no they are definitely not laying any were else as it is open ground that they free range on.which would be the best extra light in the morning or the evening,i thought the evening would be best as it would be more natural in the summer time but i saw a post on here saying they extend light in the morning,or does it make no difference? thanks for the previous reply from Ireland

 

[McGobs]

I have the light come on at 3 in the morning...then stays on till daylight, and no light in the evening. 4:30-5 they venture into the coop for the night. Seems to have helped. They are not laying as much as they do in the summer...but its more then I would get with no light at all.

 

[chickortreat]

I prefer a light coming on in the morning. (I have a friend who used a timer for evening and morning light.) The thing I don't like about evening light, is that once it goes off, they're in the dark. Period. I like them to be able to go to roost naturally, not be left wandering in the dark.

 

[crazyhen]

I also like the morning light. An extra for that is that its coldest then. The light , if it is a heat type, will help to prevent frostbite on their combs. I use it for both purposes. Gloria Jean

 

[Den in Penn]

I have my lights come on in the morning before sunrise and go off after sunset. Since my chicken pen is in my barn I normally have a light on in the evening anyway. I found that the chickens know when its going to be lights out and are already on the roosts. For egg production it matters little when they get the light just that they have it.

 

[mickey328]

Morning is better. If you extend the evening and the light just goes out after dark, they become effectively blind and often can't find their way into the coop.